Founder of Global Outdoor Company... "My Company Can Keep Moving Forward for the Right Values"
[Asia Economy Reporter Seomideum] “One of the hardest things for a company to do is to investigate the environmental impact of its most successful products and, if they harm the environment, to change the product or remove it from the shelves.”
Yvon Chouinard (83), founder of the global outdoor gear company Patagonia, said this in his book Patagonia, When the Waves Are High, Surf (Lighthouse). The core idea is that the Earth is the purpose, and business is the means. This is not merely a promotional statement.
According to a New York Times (NYT) interview on the 14th (local time), he transferred 100% of the company shares owned by himself, his wife, and their two children to a nonprofit foundation dedicated to combating climate change. The total amount is $3 billion (about 4.18 trillion KRW). His ownership now approaches 0%. This is not for tax evasion purposes. In fact, he paid $17.5 million (about 24.4 billion KRW) in taxes due to this action.
Chouinard is well known for saying, “If you have the opportunity and ability to do good but do not, you are no different from evil.” In the NYT interview, he stated, “Now that my company can continue to operate for the right values even without me, I have no regrets if I die tomorrow.”
According to Chouinard’s argument, humans are sinners before nature. In his book, he pointed out, “We all know that the current global economy, based on constant consumption and disposal, is destroying the Earth. The sinners are us. We are consumers who ‘use and destroy.’ We keep buying things we don’t need but want.” He even advised regarding his own products, “If they are still wearable to some extent, don’t buy new ones; just keep wearing the ones you have.”
In fact, Chouinard, dressed in a faded red checkered shirt and jeans for the NYT interview, said, “I feel very relieved now that I have properly organized my life,” and “I will donate as much money as possible to people actively working to save the Earth.”
This is consistent with his claim in the book that “while boasting advanced technology, the economic system with high risks and harmful effects has caused these results,” and “we should return to an appropriate level of technology and aim for a simpler life.”
While serving as a U.S. military serviceman in South Korea from 1963 for about two years, Chouinard designed the blueprint for Patagonia by ordering custom-made climbing equipment from a blacksmith in Ssangnim-dong.
The Patagonia he founded is pioneering a new path with the goal of “protecting nature through business without causing unnecessary harm (to the Earth).”
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