It's fashionable in companies today to talk about "purpose" and "stakeholders" and thus give the impression that they care about more than just "shareholder value".
All too often it's empty words and self-marketing.
But there are companies that have long since firmly and credibly anchored this claim to purpose, even in a turbo-capitalist stronghold like the USA.
Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry's is one example, and outdoor outfitter Patagonia is another.
Its founder Yvon Chouinard has now put the crown on his many years of entrepreneurial activism: He wants to give up Patagonia completely and transfer it to charitable new companies that are committed to environmental and climate protection.
That even eclipses the “Giving Pledge”, i.e. the promise made by a group of billionaires led by Bill Gates to donate more than half of their wealth.
Chouinard's example will certainly only catch on to a limited extent.
He can only take this extreme step because Patagonia is completely controlled by him and is not public.
He can now unquestionably claim to have made his mark in the world of benefactors.