Yvon Chouinard - A Steward of Business and Planet
Yvon Chouinard (b. 1938), climber, craftsman, and reluctant businessman, never set out to be a CEO. He saw himself as a steward of the wild places he loved - mountains, rivers, ecosystems - and of the company that grew from his hands as a blacksmith making climbing gear.
When he founded Patagonia in 1973, he insisted it would be different: business as a vehicle not for extraction but for regeneration. What began as better gear for climbers became a bold experiment in stewardship. Every product was a test: could it be durable, repairable, recyclable? Every policy was a statement: the earth is not for sale, but for safekeeping.
In 2022, Chouinard gave away the entire company. Ownership was transferred to a trust and a non-profit so that Patagonia’s profits; every year, in perpetuity - would serve the planet. He said simply: “Earth is now our only shareholder.”
This was not philanthropy after profit. It was stewardship - collective care for what had been entrusted.
Stewardship in Action
What makes Yvon Chouinard a steward rather than simply an entrepreneur? His life reveals the same full spectrum of attitudes, principles, skills, and behaviours.
Attitudes & Beliefs - He believed business should be part of the solution, not the problem. He trusted customers and employees to care about more than consumption. He held hope that capitalism could be reimagined as a force for repair.
Principles - Integrity shaped his refusal to compromise on environmental standards. Responsibility guided Patagonia’s “1% for the Planet” pledge. Continuity was expressed in designing products to last and in protecting wilderness for generations.
Skills - He redefined business models, linking commerce to conservation. He mobilised a global brand community into grassroots activism. He bridged unlikely worlds - adventure sports, corporate boardrooms, and environmental justice.
Behaviours - He climbed, surfed, and fished as a way of knowing the land. He made decisions that sacrificed short-term gain for long-term good. He stepped aside from wealth and power to ensure the company could never betray its purpose.
This is stewardship lived out: not theory, not marketing, but choices embodied at personal and organisational scale.
Notable quotes
“How you climb a mountain is more important than reaching the top.”
“If you want to understand the entrepreneur, study the juvenile delinquent. … ‘This sucks. I’m going to do my own thing.’
“I have a little different definition of evil than most people - When you have the opportunity and the ability to do good and you do nothing, that’s evil. Evil doesn’t always have to be an overt act, it can be merely the absence of good.”
A Living Example
Yvon Chouinard reminds us that stewardship is not about building an empire. It is about tending to what we love, enabling others to act, regenerating what has been damaged, and leaving behind a legacy that outlives us.
His story leaves us with a question that goes far beyond business:
Are we willing to reimagine ownership, wealth, and success in ways that put stewardship first?
Over to You
Over the coming weeks we’ll be turning from iconic figures to the everyday stewards - people within this network who are quietly tending, enabling, and regenerating across the STEEPLE sectors.
👉 Who do you see stewarding in your organisation, community, or sector?
👉 Who should we interview and highlight as a steward?
Let me know in the comments or send me a message. Together we can surface the examples of stewardship that are already shaping a better future.
Stefan
CEO, Be The Waves | Executive Coach | Father | Citizen
Don’t just lead. Steward. Create stewardship wherever you go. Be the Waves.