News, Research, and Events From OIA
Fresh off the 2026 OIA Catalyst Conference, our team is channeling that enthusiasm into everything ahead of us. This edition of the Outdoorist brings new compliance guidance, upcoming webinars, and an invitation to share your feedback in our annual membership survey. Take a look at what’s inside.
Share Your Feedback With OIA
The 2026 OIA Membership Survey is open, and we want to hear from organizations that are not currently members. We’d love to know how you view OIA, which issues matter most to the outdoor industry, and what would make joining worthwhile for your team. It only takes about 10 minutes to complete.
Your input will help us plan for 2027 and beyond. Feel free to pass the survey along to your colleagues, too. Thank you!
Show Up for the Outdoors on Election Day, then join OIA’s Webinar Nov. 18
The outdoor industry supports more than 5 million jobs and contributes to $1.3 trillion in economic activity. On Tuesday, Nov. 3, we have the opportunity to bring that strength to the polls. The leaders we elect will decide the future of trade policy, public lands, and the local parks and trails that draw people outside. When the outdoor community turns out together, our voice is impossible to ignore.
After Election Day, join us on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 4 p.m. (ET) for a webinar on what the election results mean for our industry. Hear from long-time industry allies, including Ron Sorini and members of the Sorini Strategic Advisors team, Charles Cooper of the Brumidi Group, James Pollack of Marten Law, and OIA Senior Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs Adam Pugh. Registration is open to all.
Chiricahua Becomes America’s 64th National Park
Southeastern Arizona’s Chiricahua National Monument is now officially Chiricahua National Park. The Chiricahua National Park Act was signed into law on October 20 after a bipartisan push led by Rep. Juan Ciscomani and Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego. Known for its towering rock spires and its place in a “sky island” where desert, grassland and forest meet, the roughly 12,000-acre park offers hiking, camping, birding and stargazing. Local leaders expect the new status to bring more visitors to nearby communities, a reminder of how public lands help power rural economies and the outdoor recreation economy.
Highlights From the 2026 OIA Catalyst Conference
This week, the outdoor industry came together in Portland, Oregon, for a day of bold ideas and meaningful collaboration at the 2026 OIA Catalyst Conference. Leading voices in sustainability lead sessions on the most pressing topics of the moment, including policy, climate commitments, supply chain risk, and emerging technology. Attendees left with practical strategies to apply to the work they do at their own companies.
Thank you to our presenting sponsor, GORE-TEX® Brand, for helping make the event possible, and to everyone who joined us in Portland.
Retailers and Brands Are Heading to Switchback at TRE Dec. 1-3
Switchback at The Running Event (TRE) returns Dec. 1-3 in San Antonio. The show gives outdoor specialty retailers the chance to connect with leading brands, source new products, build relationships, and gain insights to better serve your customers.
OIA is proud to serve as an official partner and presenter. The event kicks off with a dedicated education day that covers buying and merchandising, consumer insights, store operations, sales and customer experience, marketing, and events and community. Learning continues over the following two days, with additional sessions taking place on the show floor.
Browse the agenda and register today to join the outdoor industry in San Antonio.
Submit Your Ideas: Switchback Spring Call for Education
Do you have a strategy, lesson or idea that other outdoor businesses need to hear? The call for education for Switchback Spring, May 22–24, 2027, in New Orleans, is open through Sunday, November 15. This year’s program, “Your Season Starts Here: Mapping real solutions for outdoor retail,” includes a full day dedicated to specialty retail. Organizers are looking for practical sessions from retailers, brands, media and industry experts on topics such as pricing and inventory, AI and e-commerce, repair and resale, succession planning, and public lands and access. Workshops and peer roundtables are especially encouraged. Accepted speakers will receive an All-Access pass and may be eligible for an honorarium, travel stipend or housing.
Get Ready for the Holiday Shopping Season
With the busiest stretch of the year quickly approaching, OIA and Switchback are teaming up for a webinar on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 4 p.m. (ET). In The 2026 Holiday Forecast: Who’s Spending, How They’re Shopping, and What to Expect, OIA Director of Research Kelly Davis will share new findings on the consumers expected to drive purchasing this season, evolving shopping habits, and the factors influencing buying decisions.
The session draws on the 2026 Outdoor Holiday Report, which covers spending by income and generation, AI’s growing role in product discovery, and El Niño’s potential impact on regional demand.
Reduce Solvent Risks in Your Supply Chain
Solvents are widely used to apply coatings, adhesives, and finishes to outdoor products, but some pose serious risks to people and the environment. A finished product can pass testing even when production exposed workers to harmful levels.
Our new guidebook, Managing Solvents of Concern in Outdoor Supply Chains, helps companies identify where these solvents show up, ask better questions of suppliers, and take the right steps to reduce risk. It’s free and available to everyone, so access it today to better protect the people behind your products.
EU Chemical Rules Impact Every Outdoor Brand
The EU regulates chemicals in outdoor products through the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation, plus separate rules on biocidal products and persistent organic pollutants. These combined regulations apply to anything sold on the EU market, no matter where it was made.
Our new policy brief covers how REACH obligations change by location and sales channel, the restricted substances most relevant to outdoor products, and what a proposed EU-wide PFAS ban could mean for textiles and footwear.
Get in touch to learn how you can access our sustainability resources.
Webinar Nov. 12: Decarbonize Your Value Chain Through Insetting
Carbon insetting funds emissions reductions and removals within a company’s own value chain, unlike offsetting, which typically relies on credits from unrelated projects. Join the OIA Sustainability team and speakers from the Center for Green Market Activation and Patagonia on Thursday, Nov. 12, at 10 a.m. (PT) for a webinar on Insetting 101: Decarbonizing Value Chain Emissions—and How to Account for Them.
The session will cover how insetting helps address hard-to-abate emissions and walk through the AIM Platform Standard and Guidance for quantifying and reporting climate impact.
Contact our membership team to learn how you can attend.
Prepare for SBTi’s New Net-Zero Standard
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) recently released Version 2.0 of its Corporate Net-Zero Standard, resulting in changes to six key areas for any company setting science-based emissions targets.
Independent consultant Michael Sadowski joined the OIA Sustainability team for a webinar covering the key updates, the implementation timeline, and steps outdoor companies can take now. Reach out to our membership team to find out how you can join these conversations.
Help Build New Durability Guidance
We’ve partnered with the European Outdoor Group to learn how companies approach durability, including how they measure it, which design guidelines they follow, and what’s working in practice. The input we gather will inform new industry guidance and best practices.
Apparel, footwear, hardgoods, and equipment brands, along with their materials suppliers, are invited to participate in this survey. It takes about 30 minutes, but you’re free to skip any question you’re unable to answer. Every company that responds will receive the completed guidance.
Misae II Solar Project Reaches Full Commercial Operation
The Misae II solar project in Texas is fully up and running. It was made possible through a collaboration between OIA’s Climate Action Corps Impact CoLab, Carhartt, REI Co-op and ERM Coho. Through a virtual power purchase agreement, the buyer group pooled its demand to secure renewable energy certificates from the project. Most individual companies couldn’t qualify for a deal of this size on their own. At full scale, Misae II is expected to generate about 864,000 MWh of renewable energy and avoid roughly 332,000 tons of CO₂ each year. The project also won a 2026 Green Power Leadership Award for Impactful Procurement from the Center for Resource Solutions. It’s a model for what’s possible when outdoor companies work together on decarbonization.
Outdoor Professionals Are Ready to Learn
OIA collaborated with Outdoor Sportswire to ask outdoor professionals what they actually want from career education. Through a pulse poll, we found that 87% say professional education matters to their career growth, 80% prefer short, self-paced courses under an hour, and 87% want practical takeaways they can use right away.
OIA Learning was built to serve these exact needs. Our courses are short, flexible, and focused on skills you can apply the same day, so building expertise never means stepping away from your job.
New Member Welcome!
This quarter, we’re proud to welcome a new group of organizations to the OIA community, Each one brings its own experience, expertise and perspective, and together they reflect the growing range of voices shaping the outdoor industry. A broader community makes the whole industry stronger and more resilient, and we look forward to the work we’ll do together.
Please join us in welcoming Abode Outside, American Feeder, ExpertVoice, LGBTQ Outdoors, LOFI Skin, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Outdoor Business Alliance of Pennsylvania, Outside.app, Pinnacle Research and Consulting, Rapid Camouflage, rePurpose, Source Management, Southwick Associates, Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine, The Highline Collective and WellBirds.
Additionally, we’re excited to welcome REI Path Ahead Ventures’ portfolio of companies as new members. REI Co-op’s PAV is a $30 million fund that helps founders of color start, grow and scale outdoor businesses. Their work is opening doors for new entrepreneurs and helping build an industry that reflects everyone who loves the outdoors.
Please join us in welcoming our newest members! Together, we are a force.
