Yvon Chouinard

Yvon Chouinard founded Patagonia in 1973 and built it into one of the most respected brands in the world by proving that a company can be profitable, environmentally responsible, and authentically activist. In 2022, he gave away the entire company — valued at $3 billion — to a trust and nonprofit dedicated to fighting climate change. 'Earth is now our only shareholder,' he said.

Chouinard started as a rock climber who made his own pitons (metal climbing spikes) because the existing ones were terrible. He sold them out of his car in Yosemite's Camp 4 parking lot. That side hustle became a hardware company, which became an apparel company, which became Patagonia. The company's 'Don't Buy This Jacket' ad campaign, its used clothing program (Worn Wear), and its commitment to donating 1% of sales to environmental causes made Patagonia the gold standard for corporate environmentalism.

His 2022 decision to give away Patagonia is unprecedented in corporate history. Rather than selling the company or passing it to his heirs, he transferred ownership to a purpose trust and nonprofit that will use Patagonia's $100M+ annual profits to fight climate change. It was the largest single act of environmental philanthropy ever.