PADI has been named to TIME’s inaugural TIME100 Companies Industry Leaders list, recognized as one of the 10 Most Influential Sustainability Companies of 2026.
The new shortlist highlights 200 organizations shaping the future of global business. PADI was named a leader in sustainability alongside other renowned brands that include sustainability AI platform Watershed world food company Danone and global technology firm GHGSat.
The citation reads:
“At a moment when reef systems are under mounting stress, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) is helping redefine dive tourism—not just as seeing the ocean, but safeguarding it. The world’s largest scuba-diving organization, which has issued more than 31 million certifications since 1966 and trains roughly three-quarters of the world’s divers, is using its global network as a force for change. Through its Conservation Action Portal—a digital platform designed for divers, professionals, and dive centers to track conservation efforts—as well as marine-debris cleanups, reef surveys, and a new Global Shark & Ray Census launching in June, divers are feeding real-world observations into datasets that inform research and policy. PADI says these efforts have already helped remove more than 2.6 million pieces of debris, freed 44,062 entangled animals, contributed evidence supporting a plastic bag ban in Vanuatu, and shaped single-use plastic policies in Sydney Harbour.”
To assemble the list, TIME solicited nominations across sectors and polled its global network of contributors, correspondents and outside experts. Editors evaluated each company based on impact, innovation, ambition and success – resulting in a diverse group of leaders driving meaningful change worldwide.
TIME is recognizing PADI for turning divers into stewards, underscoring the organization’s evolution beyond a traditional dive training agency into a global movement transforming how people explore and protect the ocean.
PADI Worldwide President and CEO Drew Richardson said:
“Being recognized by TIME as an Industry Leader reinforces the influence of our global membership and validates our mission to create a billion Torchbearers who explore and protect the ocean.
“For six decades, our members have empowered individuals to experience the underwater world, and today that same community is driving real, scalable impact for our blue planet. This honor reflects not only where we’ve been, but where we are going.”
Check out the full TIME100 Industry Leader List.
