REI's first stewardship report covers the activities and performance related to REI's social and environmental responsibility during the 2006 calendar year. Many of the performance metrics and data shared within this online report include the majority of our operations and facilities (headquarters, distribution centers, retail locations and supply chain manufacturing), unless otherwise noted. Additionally, the 2006 performance data included in this report is mostly baseline and will serve as a reference point for our ongoing reporting in the coming years. Our 2007 report will provide an update on progress made toward the goals we have set in our initial report.

While we hope to keep our online information updated and accurate, the 2006 report as presented here will be archived and maintained with open access for future reference.

Materiality

To determine the most relevant subjects to cover in REI's first report, we considered input from internal and external stakeholders: employees, leadership, REI's board of directors, members and customers, local community constituents, nonprofit partners and advocacy groups. REI's Corporate Social Responsibility Steering Committee, leaders and managers who represent aspects of the cooperative, provided oversight in the development of the report content. REI's board of directors provided input into out goals, metrics and measurement.

Input was not only collected through formal channels, it was also gathered on an informal basis by talking with and listening to a number of our valued stakeholders. REI's business objectives and long-term strategic plans also served as a basis for determining relvancy, as did co-op policies, programs and initiatives. While the process for determining relevancy was primarily a cross-functional internal effort, we consulted with external experts to help establish REI's priorities for reporting on our corporate responsibility and stewardship.

REI's Priorities for Stewardship and Business Responsibility

After thoughtful evaluation of REI's social, environmental and economic impacts we established the following priorities for REI's stewardship and business responsibility initiatives. These include:

• Encouraging the active conservation of nature
• Inspiring the responsible use and enjoyment of the outdoors
• Enhancing the natural world and our communities through responsible business practices
• Fostering opportunities to increase participation levels in human powered recreation, with a focus on today's young people
• Maintaining REI as an employer of choice, where employees are highly engaged in the vision of the company and are representative of our marketplace

REI—The Consumer Cooperative REI's Purpose, Values and Guiding Principles
Facts About REI REI's Board of Directors About This Report
Stewardship report brochure (403KB PDF)