The Patagonia story: how to make a fortune and give it all away

Patagonia is an outdoor clothing retailer than has grown into a global giant with a hundred stores around the world and an enormous online business, posting sales of more than a billion dollars a year. For decades, it has also been a beacon for social change and corporate activism. But in 2022 its founder, Yvon Chouinard, determined to get off the Forbes Billionaire list, gave his whole business away. He set up the Patagonia Purpose Trust, with 100 percent control given to the Holdfast Collective, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting the environmental crisis and defending nature. but while Chairbound spent a lifetime trying to protect the environment, he also did lots of damage along the way. 

• Guest: David Gelles, climate reporter for the New York Times and author of “Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away” published by Text publishing
• Producer: Catherine Zengerer