The founder’s action has few precedents in the history of environmental associations.
A Revolution under the banner of love for the environment is the one that Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia and mountaineering legend, announced just a few hours ago: donating his company to a No-Profit organization working to combat climate change.
Chouinard, and his family, transferred their shares, valued at more than $3 million, to the Holdfast Collective and the Patagonia Purpose Trust, both of which were created by the founder himself to preserve the company’s independence and ensure that all profits-about $100 million a year-are used to fight climate change and protect undeveloped lands around the world.
In the past, the brand had already supported the environmental cause extensively; choosing, for example, to produce eco-sustainable clothing made from materials with a low environmental impact, certifying the life cycle of fabrics, production, and recycling processes, and donating 1 percent of Patagonia‘s sales to nonprofits, decades ago; many years before everyone else.
