About His Business & Career: Decades before sustainability and CSR entered the public consciousness, Jeffrey Hollender was on a mission to transform the world—and in 1988, the serial entrepreneur cofounded Seventh Generation with Alan Newman. While Hollender and Newman may have been ahead of their time—Hollender asserts the company struggled to stay afloat for its first decade—eventually, the rest of the world caught up. And in 2016, Unilever acquired the eco-friendly household products brand for an estimated $700 million.
Why He Made the Worthy 100: One of the first major proponents of stakeholder capitalism, Hollender infused purpose into the heart of Seventh Generation, but his commitment to making the world a better place extends far beyond the retail company. In 2009, he founded the American Sustainable Business Council, which represents over 250,000 companies and advocates for policy changes that support sustainability, equity and justice. A leading expert on corporate responsibility, Hollender has also served on the Board of Directors of Greenpeace U.S. and on Morgan Stanley’s Sustainability Advisory Board.
Industry: Retail
Year Founded: 1988
Headquarters: Burlington, Vt.
