We're proud of the products we sell under our own name. REI Co-op brand and Co-op Cycles products are an embodiment of our values and an opportunity to help lead the industry in implementing more sustainable practices. We're also fortunate to carry other leading outdoor brands. While we don't oversee their supply chains, we influence responsible choices through education, engagement, and collaboration—and by holding the brands we sell to high standards, just as we do for ourselves.
Engaging Brand Partners
REI is committed to collaboration in advancing more sustainable business practices. We believe we can make a far bigger impact together than alone. Organizations innovate new solutions, and it's through partnerships that those benefits can be applied broadly. Collaboration is also critical for creating standards to measure social and environmental impacts. Together, we can create common understanding about what's important and how we solve challenges.
REI Product Impact Standards
REI Product Impact Standards are designed to help our brand partners create more sustainable and inclusive products. These standards outline our expectations of all brands sold at REI regarding how they manage key environmental and social impacts associated with products. The standards also identify REI’s “preferred attributes,” which are leading sustainability attributes that help reduce carbon emissions or support other positive outcomes. We encourage brand partners to use these attributes for their products.
Each year, REI asks brand partners to share updates on their sustainability performance via an annual assessment. We use the data to track our collective progress, guide our assortment decisions, and help us understand how we can best support brands in aligning with REI’s standards. We believe that awarding business to brands that have strong sustainability practices is a powerful way to drive change. In 2022, brands reported taking the following actions on sustainability, which accounted for the following portions of our 2021 sales (versus last year):
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70% (+5 to LY) to brands that measure their greenhouse gas footprint and have reduction targets in place
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41% (+10 to LY) to brands that offset some or all of their greenhouse gas emissions
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19% (+3 to LY) to brands that are Climate Neutral® certified or committed
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69% (+1 to LY) performed better than average on REI’s Product Impact Assessment
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72% (-1 to LY) to brands involved in industry sustainability forums or initiatives
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56% (-6 to LY) to brands that have a supplier sustainability training program in place
We seek out products that are made using our preferred sustainability attributes. In 2021, almost 31% of our sales came from products with at least one preferred attribute. By 2030, our goal is that 100% of the products we sell will have a preferred attribute, so that every product supports a healthier, cleaner, and more equitable planet.
2022 Product Impact Assessment: Brand Performance
REI is voluntarily eliminating from our products certain substances that may be found in outdoor performance products where we believe preferred alternatives exist. In instances where alternatives are limited, such as those outlined below, we proceed cautiously while working to identify and develop better options:
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Antimicrobials, biocides and insecticides: The human health and environmental impacts of many antimicrobials, biocides, and insecticides are not thoroughly understood. For these reasons, we are selective in our application of these treatments. We select only bluesign®-certified antimicrobials to ensure thorough evaluations for toxicity and efficacy have been conducted.
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Flame retardant chemicals: For many years, flammability standards have driven the use of flame-retardant chemicals in camping tents. Some flame retardant chemicals have been linked to undesirable human and environmental health effects. REI has partnered with its suppliers to identify and avoid certain flame retardants. REI has also participated in the creation of a new test method for flammability and contributed to the development of updated standards. This has enabled the elimination of flame-retardant chemicals across a growing portion of our tent offering where they are unnecessary. We intend to expand this approach in the coming years.
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Durable water repellent (DWR): In the outdoor industry, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are often used in durable water repellent treatments for gear and apparel. REI is in the process of transitioning away from the use of PFAS in our REI Co-op brand products, and we’ve established the expectation via our Product Impact Standards that our brand partners do the same.
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Polyvinyl chloride (PVC): REI restricts the use of PVC due to human and environmental health risks in manufacturing and use. We have eliminated PVC from all products except certain bicycle subcomponents, where alternatives are being studied for efficacy.
Microfiber Pollution
A growing body of research indicates that every time we wash our clothes, microscopic fibers are released into the wastewater and can build up in waterways. REI is working to better understand this issue and how we—along with the apparel and textiles industries—can address it. To that end, REI has supported research led by Ocean Wise, a Canadian nonprofit focused on protecting the world’s oceans. REI is also a signatory member of The Microfibre Consortium (TMC), an organization composed of leading brands and manufacturers focused on developing practical solutions for addressing microfiber pollution. Our aim is to continue advancing our understanding so we can design and manufacture products in a way that reduces microfiber shedding.
Advancing Product and Supply Chain Sustainability
REI scours the world to bring the best outdoor gear and apparel to our members. In the context of those global supply chains, the co-op is relatively small. But through strategic partnerships with leading organizations, we’re able to create positive impacts far beyond our size. REI has been a driving force behind some of the most impactful multi-stakeholder initiatives, bringing together both global retailers and small specialty brands to help address the most challenging social and environmental issues in the supply chains and communities we all share.
The Outdoor Industry Association Climate Action Corps
REI is a founding member of this industry-leading forum composed of almost 100 outdoor industry brands, suppliers, manufacturers, and other stakeholders. The Climate Action Corps is a forum where companies report greenhouse gas emissions, establish reduction plans, and collaborate to tackle shared challenges in the supply chain. The forum serves as a source of best practices for the REI Co-op & Co-op Cycles brands; and as a key platform for sharing experiences with other brands retailed by REI. Learn more about Climate Action Corps
The Sustainable Apparel Coalition
REI has been a member of the nonprofit Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) since its incorporation, helping evolve tools created in the outdoor industry and scaling them across the global footwear and apparel markets. The centerpiece of the SAC is the Higg Index, a suite of groundbreaking assessment tools that empowers brands, retailers and manufacturers to measure their environmental and social impacts at each stage of the value chain. REI uses the Higg Index with our own brands and products, and we’re encouraging its adoption across our leading brand partners.
This nonprofit organization was founded to inspire and equip people to accelerate more sustainable practices in the textile value chain. Originally focused on organic cotton, Textile Exchange (TE) has become one of the industry's leading sources of material sustainability knowledge and traceability standards. REI has worked with TE to better understand and reduce the environmental impact of our supply chains. We have also partnered to create, pilot, and launch material traceability standards that now serve as the foundation for many of the most common consumer-facing labels.
Re/Supply and Circular Commerce
Most traditional businesses that create and sell products use linear supply chain models that take, make, use, and dispose of materials. The circular economy is a model that disrupts that process by extending the lifecycle of products through increased use and recapture of finite resources.
Members can participate in the circular economy at REI by buying or trading in their gear and apparel through our Re/Supply used-gear program. Re/Supply invites our members to extend the life of their outdoor products and brings us back to the heart of what it means to be a co-op: sharing among members to enable more accessible and sustainable ways to get outside.
With our Re/Supply offering, we are working to create the largest marketplace for high-quality used outdoor gear and apparel while innovating within our business model to better serve our members and achieve our 2030 climate goals.
We sell more than one million used items each year through the Re/Supply sections of our retail stores, and through our Re/Supply e-commerce site. Our used business continues to see double-digit growth year over year, and we are making progress toward our goal of decoupling business growth from carbon impact. Buying used instead of new typically avoids carbon emissions of 50% or more. This is based on REI Co-op’s estimate of preparing used gear for sale versus making new gear.
In 2022, we expanded our Re/Supply trade-in service to all retail stores and took back nearly 100,000 items from members to resell to other members, keeping great gear out on the trail where it belongs.
We also continue to operate a Re/Supply retail concept in California and plan to open additional Re/Supply stores in 2023 and beyond.
Rentals
Our gear rentals in selected stores give members and customers an affordable way to try out a new activity or use a pay-as-you-play model whenever they get the urge to go outside. We offer everything from snowshoes and cross-country skis to fully equipped camping and backpacking kits. Through 2022, we helped customers get outside—some for the very first time—by renting over 138,000 items through our in-store rental program.
Expert Advice Articles and Videos
REI is the leading source for expert outdoor knowledge that our members and customers can trust. We help people learn skills, choose great gear, prepare for trips, and have amazing adventures. We have expanded our extensive library of gear care and repair guidance to help maximize the lifespan of our high-quality products and minimize environmental impacts. We now have nearly 300 articles and videos covering everything from repairing a tent to replacing bike chainrings.
Shop Services and Product Repairs
For some product repairs, it’s better to have an expert fix it. REI offers in-house maintenance and repair services for skis, snowboards, and bikes, with unique benefits and discounts for REI Co-op Members.
In 2022, we serviced bikes, skis, and snowboards, for over 300,000 customers—including performing 70,000 free ski/board wax services and almost 100,000 free tire changes for our members. Every REI location offers bike repair services and over half offer snow services, performed by expert technicians
We’ve also partnered with several third-party organizations to provide high-quality repair services for common product categories, including apparel, footwear, and tent poles. Find more information about how to get products repaired.