One Percent for the Planet
One Percent for the Planet (German: "One percent for the planet") is an internationally active association of companies that have committed to donating one percent of their sales to environmental protection .
The motto of the network founded in 2002 is: Use market forces to drive positive environmental change by inspiring companies to give. (German: "Using market forces to bring about positive environmental changes by inspiring companies to donate".) The idea to found the non-profit organization came from the owners of the clothing company Patagonia , Yvon Chouinard and Craig Mathews . Since its founding in 1985, Patagonia has donated one percent of sales or 10 percent of profits to environmental protection purposes, whichever is greater.
As of spring 2008, over 850 companies are members of the campaign. They have donated US $ 30 million so far, and the trend is rising . Most recently, the annual membership donation totaled $ 12 million. The donations can go to one of more than 1,500 environmental protection organizations that the campaign has so far classified as serious.