{"id":167281,"date":"2021-03-03T14:40:18","date_gmt":"2021-03-03T22:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=167281"},"modified":"2022-03-24T12:55:01","modified_gmt":"2022-03-24T19:55:01","slug":"sustainability-climate-and-inclusion-factor-into-new-standards-from-rei","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/sustainability-climate-and-inclusion-factor-into-new-standards-from-rei","title":{"rendered":"Sustainability, Climate and Inclusion Factor Into New Standards From REI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The outdoor industry has long touted the benefits of time spent outside. But that doesn\u2019t mean brands have always been good environmental stewards. When Mark Galbraith, now vice president of product at Osprey<\/a>, began his career working in textiles in the \u201980s, some people viewed sustainability as a barrier to doing business. Over the decades, he\u2019s seen that mindset shift. Today, more brands are rallying around climate goals and working together to reduce their environmental impact. Sustainability is no longer seen as a shackle, but a key component of a shared mission: to preserve the planet.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s less about each individual [brand] competing with each other,\u201d Galbraith told the Co-op Journal. \u201cOur mutual efforts are combined to make a change that no individual can make.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year, more outdoor brands will take a critical look at their efforts to operate more sustainably, all while designing and marketing in a way that reflects the diversity of people who spend time outside. In December, the co-op announced its Product Impact Standards<\/a>, which build upon the Sustainability Standards the co-op released in 2018<\/a>. The standards outline requirements for brands sold at REI, including REI\u2019s own brand, and focus on sustainability as well as diversity, equity and inclusion. Among the asks, brands will have to measure and reduce their carbon footprint; enforce standards to prevent inappropriate use of culturally meaningful designs; adopt more inclusive marketing practices; and ensure diversity in the talent they engage in front of and behind the camera. Brands are also encouraged to use materials and processes that meet the requirements for certifications like bluesign\u00ae<\/a>, Fair Trade<\/a> and Climate Neutral<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we embed our impact aspirations into our product offering and the way we do business, that\u2019s when we have a massive opportunity to drive positive impact,\u201d said Greg Gausewitz, product sustainability manager at REI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Galbraith said it\u2019s helpful to have the co-op supporting Osprey as it implements new processes. \u201cMy first gut reaction was I was extremely pleased and happy and felt like, \u2018OK we are not in this alone. None of us are\u2019,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pack manufacturer has already started working to reduce its carbon footprint. \u201cWe can make the biggest impact right away by switching to recycled content,\u201d Galbraith said, explaining that recycled materials typically use less energy and reduce the amount of waste being sent to a landfill. Last spring, Osprey began making a portion of its line from recycled materials. Now, about 50 percent of packs, bags and other products is made using non-virgin textiles, like recycled polyester and nylon; the team hopes to reach 75 percent by end of 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the same year, Osprey hopes to have 90 percent of its materials meet the bluesign\u00ae criteria<\/a> for sustainability. In addition to helping keep harmful chemicals out of the manufacturing process, Galbraith said these efforts will help address a primary concern for the brand, its greenhouse gas footprint. The brand has also launched a more formal process for including a wider range of sizes and fits and has created an internal group devoted to diversity, equity and inclusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nicole Browning, manager of local and inclusion marketing at REI, said the inclusion portion of the new standards is a critical step in a much longer journey. This first phase focuses on ensuring products don\u2019t perpetuate cultural stereotypes (be it through language or design) and avoid culturally appropriated designs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brands, including REI Co-op, will have to make clothing in a broader range of colors to be inclusive of many skin tones\u2014for instance, underwear, bras and camisoles that better reflect a spectrum of complexions. They\u2019ll also have to rename products that could cause harm to marginalized communities, for example, by reinforcing stereotypes or coopting culturally meaningful language. The co-op has begun selling children\u2019s books<\/a> with characters who reflect the range of people who spend time outdoors. And it has put in place a new process to review product copy to ensure, among other things, that the language used to name colors, designs or patterns is not causing harm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other brands have taken strides, too. For instance, before the standards came to fruition, eyewear maker Smith Optics<\/a> stopped using the term \u201cAsian fit\u201d\u2014terminology used by the industry for decades\u2014to describe eyewear that has larger or longer nose pads (or foam padding, in the case of goggles) to prevent them from slipping down the face of someone with a shallower nose bridge and higher cheekbones. Today, Smith, along with REI, uses the term \u201clow bridge fit.\u201d Warby Parker was among the first eyewear brands to part with the language years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team at Smith is also talking about inclusivity more broadly across its brand\u2014from its copy to the athletes it features, said Graham Sours, category director at Smith, based in Portland, Oregon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gausewitz said the co-op will support brands like Smith and Osprey as they adopt the impact standards. Some of the standards must be implemented by the end of 2021. Others, like those that involve a brand\u2019s supply chain, have until 2023. Gausewitz said it was important that the timelines are feasible for both small and big brands that sell at REI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The co-op created the standards in part based on feedback from a diverse group of stakeholders, the co-op\u2019s own inclusion partners and the co-op\u2019s racial equity, diversity & inclusion working group. The requirements are informed by feedback submitted by customers and co-op employees through a digital tool the co-op released in 2018. The tool allows REI employees to share concerns about products that cause unintentional harm to underrepresented communities\u2014this includes perpetuating stereotypes and inappropriately using culturally meaningful designs, among other things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to encouraging brands to improve their practices, the requirements will also help the co-op reach its climate target of reducing its carbon footprint 55 percent by 2030<\/a>. Individually, REI is making strides to meet this goal by cutting emissions throughout its business\u2014particularly within its supply chain, which contributed more than half the co-op\u2019s total emissions in 2019\u2014targeting everything from transportation to waste. It will also invest in climate solutions and offset emissions for its brand and operations\u2014work that began in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe know that if we\u2019re going to achieve our climate targets, we need to work with our brand partners,\u201d Gausewitz said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brands complete a robust annual questionnaire about their sustainability practices and how they\u2019re meeting or addressing the standards. The standards are meant to provide a framework for brands, especially those without their own sustainability teams. If a brand is falling behind, Gausewitz said, the co-op will work with them to get them on track. Ultimately, the standards are a requirement for doing business with REI. Echoing Browning, Gausewitz said this is just one step of many as the co-op works toward equity and sustainability. The standards will be revisited in 2022. \n\n\u201cIt was a big moment for REI when we launched our standards [in 2018],\u201d Gausewitz said. \u201cBut this to me feels like just as big a deal, if not a bigger deal, because we\u2019re putting our impact agenda right into our product offering.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New requirements, developed in collaboration with a diverse group of stakeholders, builds upon a set of standards introduced in 2018 to help outdoor brands think progressively about the way they do business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14208,"featured_media":167284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[685],"tags":[795,727,682,1484,591],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-167281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-climate-change","tag-latest-posts","tag-rei-news","tag-staff-society","tag-sustainability"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/news\/sustainability-climate-and-inclusion-factor-into-new-standards-from-rei","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Sustainability, Climate and Inclusion Factor Into New Standards From REI","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/sustainability-climate-and-inclusion-factor-into-new-standards-from-rei","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/sustainability-climate-and-inclusion-factor-into-new-standards-from-rei"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/03\/Product-Impact-Standards_Hero_VAGNINI_181203_0141.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/03\/Product-Impact-Standards_Hero_VAGNINI_181203_0141.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000"},"articleSection":"News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Grothjan"}],"creator":["Sarah Grothjan"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["climate change","latest posts","rei news","staff society","sustainability"],"dateCreated":"2021-03-03T22:40:18Z","datePublished":"2021-03-03T22:40:18Z","dateModified":"2022-03-24T19:55:01Z"},"rendered":"