"Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, 87, has a life update: He's been "working harder than an 87-year-old should." However, as detailed in the company's latest Work in Progress Report, which details Chouinard's decision to give away his wealth and devote the company's excess profits to literally saving the planet, he feels he doesn't have a choice. "The planet is in bad shape," Chouinard wrote in the report."
"For his part, Patagonia CEO Ryan Gellert offered a note of restraint: "The last thing we wanted this progress report to be was page after page of self-congratulation." He acknowledged the difficulty of this mission, describing the process as sometimes being "messy," and sometimes "painful," but ultimately resulting in progress. He also offered a serious warning: "If we don't clean up our mess, we'll be history.""
"Chouinard, a billionaire before he started giving his wealth away, emphasized that threats to planetary health are increasing, the climate and nature crisis is worsening, and the truth is being obscured in a sea of misinformation. He noted that even after decades of activism and corporate reform, what is clear is that for all the work Patagonia has done on its products and in its supply chain, and all the money it has given away to environmental nonprofits, it is "still not enough.""
Yvon Chouinard, 87, says he has been working harder than he should and feels he has no choice because the planet is in bad shape. He gave away his fortune and directed Patagonia's excess profits toward saving the planet. Patagonia frames itself as an experiment in doing business differently and combined narrative storytelling with data and metrics. CEO Ryan Gellert cautioned against self-congratulation, called the work messy and sometimes painful, and warned that failure to clean up environmental damage risks extinction. Chouinard stressed that climate and nature crises are worsening, misinformation spreads, and current efforts remain insufficient.
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