Comply Worldwide Webinar Series: Preparing for EU Sustainability Requirements

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The European Commission has passed several pieces of legislation that will impact the apparel, footwear, and outdoor industries worldwide. Companies importing products into Europe will need to comply with rigorous new requirements. These laws may also serve as a model for future requirements closer to home. “Comply Worldwide: Preparing for European Sustainability Requirements” is a webinar series that will teach attendees what legislation is here, what is coming, and how to prepare. Data collection on various sustainability topics is no longer a nice-to-have; it is a must-have to grow – or even keep – your business. We invite you to learn how these regulations impact you now and in the future.

Recording now live:
Intro to European Union Legislative Framework for Sustainable Innovation

June 26 at 10:00AM MT

 
 
 
 
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The European Union (EU) is cracking down on sustainability in the textile industry. If your outdoor brand is producing products or doing business in the EU, you need to begin your compliance efforts now.

Join our webinar with EU policy and textile industry experts for an overview of the most critical policy files that will impact the textile and fashion industry in the next years, including updated policy timelines and anticipated timelines for compliance for business. Most recently, the EU Commission has proposed a policy framework that would ensure the delivery of the vision laid out in the March 2022 EU Strategy for Sustainable Circular Textiles, which would require all textile products on the EU market to be durable, recyclable, made of recyclable and hazard-free materials, and produced with respect to social and environmental rights. Altogether, this policy framework will drive major shifts in terms of operation, production and corporate governance in the sector. You’ll leave this session with actionable insights on how your brand can best prepare for and comply with upcoming sustainability legislation in the EU and beyond.

Speaker: Pascale Moreau, Founder and Managing Director, Ohana Public Affairs.

 

Open to OIA Members

Greening the Game: Navigating the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism for Equipment Manufacturers

July 11 at 9:00AM MT

If your company does business in the EU and imports steel, aluminum, iron, electricity, hydrogen, fertilizers, or cement from non-EU countries, you need to be aware of the new rules resulting from the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) Regulation issued in May 2023. Beginning in 2026, economic operators will be required to purchase certificates to cover the emissions of these imports. Join our upcoming virtual education session to hear from Foundation of Energy and Security Innovation (FESI) experts about the impacts of this regulation, including which economic operators are currently affected and how your company can take steps to ensure compliance.

Speakers:

Jérôme Pero, FESI Secretary General
Chiara Mingozzi, FESI Junior Sustainability Policy Officer

Vittoria Sarcuni, ZPC Srl Consulting Trade Compliance Project Manager

 
Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) Framework: Product Performance Requirements and Unsold Goods

July 23 at 11:00AM MT

Is your outdoor brand selling textile products in the EU? Join our webinar for a deep dive into the implications of the upcoming Eco-Design for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which will significantly impact eco-design requirements for textile products sold in the EU. You’ll gain insights from public affairs experts on the key obligations companies must meet, including disclosing the amount of unsold goods and adhering to bans on destroying unsold textile products.

Speaker: Analoli del Cueto, Junior Public Affairs Consultant, Ohana Public Affairs

 
Digital Product Passports (DPPs): The Concept That Will Make Your Products Communicate

August 6 at 10:00AM MT

As defined in the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), a Digital Product Passport to be required on almost every product sold in the EU. Join this webinar to learn what this concept is, when it needs to be implemented, and how it aims to support decarbonization, a circular economy, and value chain traceability. It is recommended to attend the previous webinar on the ESPR for useful context.

Scope of the legislation: Market access legislation – The rules proposed under ESPR, including Digital Product Passports, will apply to all products placed on the EU market, whether produced inside or outside the EU.

Speaker: Jan Merckx, Sustainability Specialist, GS1 Nederland

 
Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) & Forced Labour Regulation: Final Legislation & Implementation Recommendations 

August 22 at 11:00AM MT

It is expected that the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive will become a law during the summer with the progressive entry into application starting 2027. This legislation aims to ensure that EU companies and companies with a large turnover in the EU prevent and mitigate human rights and environmental harm within their operations globally.

The Forced Labour legislation requires EU and non-EU companies to know how the products they place in the EU market were manufactured with an implicit due diligence obligation in advance. It is expected this regulation comes into force in 2027.

Speaker: Natalia Yerashevich, Head of Transparency and Supply Chain, Ohana Public Affairs

 
Empowering Consumers and Green Claims Directive: Final Legislation & Implementation Recommendations

September 5 at 11:00AM MT

The European Union is about to finalize two important directives on voluntary sustainability claims: the Empowering Consumers Directive (ECGT) will cover generic claims, whereas Green Claims Directive (GCD) will target explicit environmental claims. The two initiatives will cover B2C claims on the product and company level made on the EU market. During the webinar, we will give a brief overview of obligations that both initiatives will bring for companies. We will present several examples of claims to show which initiative (ECGT or GCD) they would be subject to. Finally, we will give some high-level tips for implementation.

Speaker: Jedrzej Nadolny, Public Affairs Consultant in Transparency and Supply Chain, Ohana Public Affairs

 
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD): Overview of the Upcoming Reporting Requirements

September 18 at 11:00AM MT

CSRD aims to foster streamlined sustainability reporting via European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The reporting shall cover environmental impacts, social and human rights, and governance factors, bringing information about the impacts they may cause in the environment and society. The regulation came into force in 2023 and it has a specific transition period (2024 to 2028) depending on the type of business.

Speaker: Jedrzej Nadolny, Public Affairs Consultant in Transparency and Supply Chain, Ohana Public Affairs

 
Product Environmental Footprint (PEF): Regulation Defining Product Impact Measurement

October 1 at 11:00AM MT

Does your company manufacture textile or footwear products? Are you interested in making any claims about the environmental impacts of your products? Join this webinar to get a better understanding of why the PEF initiative was needed, what your business will need to do to make a sustainability claim in Europe, and the methodology for calculating the environmental impacts of your products.

Speaker: Joël Mertens, Director, Higg Product Tools, Cascale

 

TRADE POLICY 101: DEMYSTIFYING SUPPLY CHAIN AND CUSTOMS COMPLIANCE

 

Live Date: Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Supply chain management and customs compliance policy can be daunting. Designed specifically for those new to trade policy, this final session in OIA’s Capitol Summit Series provides you with the insights and tools to successfully navigate the world of international trade, including supply chain logistics, customs regulations, and trade policy. You’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of key concepts including import/export procedures, tariff classifications, trade agreements, and regulatory compliance. Our panel of seasoned experts and industry reps share real-world experiences, best practices, and actionable tips to help you better understand your supply chain operations and ensure compliance with customs requirements.

EVERY VOICE COUNTS: WHAT IT TAKES TO BUILD OUTDOOR ACCESS FOR ALL

 

Live Date: May 14, 2024

Move equity in the outdoors forward and learn actionable ways to align your business strategy to inclusive growth. In this edition of OIA’s Capitol Summit Series, we dive into the challenges and solutions surrounding equitable outdoor recreation access, from policy solutions to grassroots advocacy and action. Hear from leaders in the outdoor industry and community advocates to learn what outdoor equity looks like from grassroots to grasstops. Whether you’re interested in federal advocacy or motivated to act locally, you’ll leave this session with tools to come together and catalyze meaningful change.

The Essentials of Advocacy: Navigating Your Path to Impact

Webinar date: May 7, 2024

Watch our webinar recording and learn how to advocate for the long-term health of the outdoors, outdoor participants, and your company’s bottom line. Industry policy experts share in-depth exploration of the policy landscape, why it’s relevant to your business, and how you can drive change at scale. From conservation and public lands management to sustainability initiatives and equitable access, we explore the key policy areas that impact our industry. Watch our webinar to feel empowered and ready to raise your voice.  

 

Black History Month: Celebrating Black Leaders in the Outdoors

This Black History Month, we’re recognizing and celebrating Black leaders within the Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside network. These individuals are not only shaping the landscape of outdoor leadership but are also reshaping our collective perception of who belongs in the outdoors. Follow along as we interview leaders from across the nationwide network and spotlight their voices throughout the month!

Akiima Price

Thrive Outside Washington D.C. Director

Why is Black leadership in the outdoors important?

Black leadership is essential in outdoor spaces because conservation goals have colonized the outdoor narrative. Our representation and diverse perspectives are essential in bringing back our stories into the narrative, both in the world and in Black communities. We have deep roots in agricultural heritage and innate connections to nature, and traditional knowledge and practices in the outdoors. At one point, skills such as hunting, fishing, foraging, sky reading, and herbalism were passed down through generations, providing sustenance and cultural significance. It is imperative that we model these practices to newer generations to restore them back into the values, habits, and traditions of black communities.

What brought you to the outdoors?

My father initially. He was raised in the South and loved to camp, fish, and bike. Quite naturally, I carried those values into my adulthood. However, the vision of Marta Cruz Kelly, Reginald “Flip” Hagood, and Destry Jarvis (all titans in the National Park Service in the 80’s and 90’s) called me into the movement. In 1991 they created the Career Conservation Development Program to expose women and people of color to careers in conservation. I was studying Communications at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore but was attracted to the opportunity of a summer job. Little did I know it would lead me to my life’s work.

Collective impact involves partners and stakeholders collaborating. What’s your role in Thrive Outside?

I direct the Thrive Outside DC initiative. I get to weave together a network of diverse, dynamic partners in Washington, DC, to address barriers to getting youth and families outdoors. The thing is, we have plenty of parks and green spaces within walking distance in DC; our access issues here are around safety and the awareness of the mental, physical, and social benefits outdoor spaces provide to economically stressed communities. I mainly do this work under The Anacostia Parks & Community Collaborative (APACC), a network of community leaders and organizations working together to make the Anacostia River and its park system the best possible resource for Ward 7 and 8 residents in the District of Columbia.

What’s your vision for the outdoors?

My ideal vision for the outdoors includes transforming parks into clinics and healing spaces, serving as cultural centers for family-based fellowship and healing for communities that have experienced trauma.

Akiima Price

Chris Geden

The River City Foundation Director of Community Engagement, Thrive Outside St. Louis Director

Why is Black leadership in the outdoors important?

I really think representation matters, and it’s important for me to be an active participant in outdoor recreation if I’m going to be an advocate in this space. Also, the relationships that are made with our youth are often stronger as they learn new skills and conquer new challenges.

What brought you to the outdoors?

I grew up in a very rural white community, but I’ve always been involved with the outdoors—fishing, hunting, camping, and paddling. With every youth-serving position that I have worked in, one of the strategies that I used was nature-based programming. The opportunity to introduce youth to the outdoors in a sustainable manner is something that still excites me every single day.

Collective impact involves partners and stakeholders collaborating. What’s your role in Thrive Outside?

I am the Thrive Outside Program Manager and the Director of Community Engagement, so everything I do is based on collaborative relationships. Even more importantly, these are twenty-plus-year relationships with agencies, people, and communities. River City Outdoors seeks to positively impact the outdoor community by removing barriers for communities who are often underserved and not even included in conversations regarding their participation in the outdoors.

What’s your vision for the outdoors?

A totally inclusive environment in which all people are welcomed with open arms, and thoughts and experiences are shared. A total cultural shift on who is at the table as we talk about outdoor recreation.

Jacob Fisher

Outdoor Foundation Development and Program Manager

Why is Black leadership in the outdoors important?

Let me start with these two truths:

  • Being in nature is essential for your physical, mental, and spiritual health.
  • Black folks have been historically excluded from the outdoors (often violently).

Black leadership is important because people from the African Diaspora have always been deeply connected to land. For survival, black people in the USA had to have an intimate connection to nature in order to endure the brutality of enslavement. This ranged from fishing, hunting, gardening, creating herbal medicines, and literally navigating to their freedom through knowledge of the stars and land. Thus, Black leadership merely reflects the truth that black people deserve the opportunity to offer our wisdom, guidance, and stories to the outdoor space.

What brought you to the outdoors?

Growing up in Tallahassee, Florida and Houston, TX,  I was fishing, going to parks, playing tennis, and having family gatherings outdoors. As I began my mindfulness and yoga journey, my appreciation for nature was further ignited.

Prior to the Outdoor Foundation, I worked at an equine therapy and eco-mindfulness farm right outside of Austin, TX. In this space, I began intentionally connecting with the landscape and vastness within and all around you. Building my own capacity to resource myself and cultivate a nourishing and helpful relationship with nature.

I believe the land and all of its inhabitants are facilitators and wise teachers. The wisdom lies in the presence and awareness of the continuous lessons that nature uncovers. Developing a connection to nature has allowed me to move through the world with clarity, peace, and gratitude.

Collective impact involves partners and stakeholders collaborating. What’s your role in Thrive Outside?

I have the honor to be the Development and Program manager for the Outdoor Foundation. Therefore, I have the privilege to directly support our 13 Thrive Communities across the country. I serve as the Foundation’s lead contact for current and future Thrive Outside community partners.

Ultimately, I see my role as collective impact in action, and this ranges from:

  • Lead the planning and execution of National Thrive Outside Days across all Thrive Outside Communities.
  • Create, plan, and lead all efforts regarding the In-Person Convening for Thrive Communities.
  • Facilitate and support the Outdoor Foundation’s Monthly Thrive Network meetings.
  • Lead the planning and implementation of Quarterly Thrive Network Convening.
  • Access and evaluate organizations, entities, and individuals that engage with Thrive Outside communities.

What’s your vision for the outdoors?

My vision is the integration of nature into everyone’s day to day life. Engaging with the benefits, joy, and liberation of nature is essential for being a human. Ideally, the outdoors will be a space that connects each of us to our internal world and to every being around us. Nature has the powerful ability to connect our inner change to social transformation. Hopefully, we can utilize the grounding and clarifying qualities of the outdoors to create a beautiful future where a sustainable and harmonious relationship with nature is actualized!

Dr. Na'Taki Osborne Jelks

West Atlanta Watershed Alliance Co-Founder/Executive Director, Atlanta Thrive Outside Director

Why is Black leadership in the outdoor space important?

Black leadership is critical in the outdoor space because time is overdue for Black people to fully connect to the outdoors and to all of the benefits and resources it brings to and provides our communities. Through Black leadership, we can help reclaim this lifeline that belongs to us and that should be positively experienced by all Black children, families, and communities. Especially in the United States, we’ve been disconnected through the legacies of slavery, lynching, and other horrors perpetrated against us in the outdoors. The lands and waters that our people have historically lived off, been stewards of, and possessed vast ecological knowledge about have many times been weaponized against us. To turn that trauma into healing by experiencing the outdoors in all of its beauty, splendor, freedom, opportunities for learning and exploration, and potential to inspire joy and connectedness to a sense of place—it’s our birthright.

What brought you into the outdoor space? 

As a daughter of the South—born in Mississippi and living in Louisiana and Kentucky for parts of my adolescence—I’ve always had a connection to the outdoors. Whether it was spending time running around and playing with cousins on my paternal grandparents’ 95-acre farm in the Mississippi Delta, picking plums outside of my maternal Grandmother’s home in small town Central Mississippi, or even walking on the trail through the woods behind my Grandmother’s house to visit her sister nearby, my relationship with the outdoors has always seemed like a natural one. After those early experiences with family, I later joined Girl Scouts and most enjoyed going to Camp Judy Layne in Eastern Kentucky during summer breaks for tent camping and days filled with sunshine, the beauty of the natural landscape, and freedom in the outdoors. In contrast, I later witnessed Louisiana’s natural paradise being dotted with petrochemical plants and pollution that harmed the environment and human health. As an adult living on the Westside of Atlanta, Georgia amidst both beautiful urban forest spaces and near environmental hazards and stressors, all of my previous experiences have brought me into the outdoors, and my leadership is fueled by a passion to preserve, protect, and restore our natural resources for the well-being of my community and future generations.    

Collective impact involves partners and stakeholders’ collaborating. What’s your role in Thrive and let me know about your organization?

The West Atlanta Watershed Alliance (WAWA) is the backbone organization of Thrive Outside Atlanta. WAWA has been a member of the Thrive Outside Atlanta Network since its formation in 2019, however we started out as one of the environmental education service providers—one of only two Black-led organizations in the group. As the COVID-19 Pandemic began to subside, WAWA took over the leadership reigns of the network from the Trust for Public Land and has been managing, cultivating, and deepening partnerships with youth environmental education and outdoor recreation providers as well as youth-serving organizations to engage youth from economically disadvantaged communities in nature and the outdoors through exploring both the Chattahoochee River and close-to-home Atlanta parks, trails, and greenspaces. For more than two decades, WAWA has pioneered efforts to advance environmental education, community engagement in watershed and greenspace protection, environmental stewardship, and environmental justice in Northwest and Southwest Atlanta neighborhoods. In part through this work, WAWA has been a leader in ensuring that access to nature and meaningful engagement in environmental education, environmental stewardship, and outdoor recreation are not factors of race, income, or geography, and our innovative, place-based, culturally relevant programs have introduced thousands to the creeks, streams, waterfalls, and abundant greenspaces in West Atlanta neighborhoods.  

What is your vision of an ideal outdoor? 

My vision of the ideal outdoors is one that is representative of the rich, diverse heritage and cultures of our country. It’s not exclusive to any one group, and it is accessible to all who will journey to know and experience it.  It is one that honors the original inhabitants of the land as well as those who labored on the land by force or by choice to produce prosperity for the masses (that often didn’t include them). The ideal outdoors is one of unlimited connections and opportunities for kinship, stewardship, teaching and learning, exploration, healing, and joy. It’s a place where everyone can see themselves, where everyone can be themselves, where we all feel welcomed, and where we all are at home.

We all deserve to Thrive Outside

The Outdoor Foundation’s Thrive Outside Initiative is working to create a more inclusive and accessible outdoor experience for all. The initiative awards multi-year, capacity-building grants to diverse communities to build and strengthen networks that provide children and families with repeat and reinforcing experiences in the outdoors. The Thrive Outside Community Initiative helped to connect more than 40,000 youth and families in thirteen communities nationwide to the joy, wonder, and myriad benefits of the outdoors. Learn more about Thrive Outside here. 

Welcome Damien Huang, CEO of Cotopaxi, to the OIA Board

As the outdoor industry’s member-led collective, OIA is a passionate group of business leaders, climate experts, policymakers, and outdoor enthusiasts committed to sustainable economic growth and climate positivity while protecting—and growing access to—the benefits of the outdoors for everyone. To set our businesses and industry up for future success, we rely on a clear strategy and value-based collaboration. Our board of directors helps shape OIA’s strategic plan.

We’re honored to welcome Damien Huang, CEO of Cotopaxi, to the OIA Board. Through his seat at the governance table, Damien will support the success of every member company and help catalyze meaningful change across the industry. 

“I’m thrilled to be joining the board of Outdoor Industry Association. When I started my career in this business of enjoying and sustaining the outdoors, the industry was just beginning to coalesce into a massive force for positive change. Thanks to the work of so many before us, the outdoors have become a vital part of our everyday lives and a critical part of our collective physical and mental well-being. Our contribution to a healthy people and a healthy planet could not be more important. I look forward to working with my fellow board members, and all the brands, retailers, and professionals who form the beating heart of what the outdoor economy has become and will be in the future. Together, we can protect the spaces in which we all play, uplifting and inspiring a broad outdoor coalition while we prosper together as an industry.”

– Damien Huang, Cotopaxi CEO

This past summer, four new and three returning members were elected to the OIA Board of Directors by the membership. This diverse group of leaders represents the broad interests of OIA’s member companies and has a depth of industry knowledge, as well as fresh, progressive ideas. Read about the new and returning Board members here. 

New EPA Reporting Rule to Require 12 Years of PFAS Data from Manufacturers and Importers

Snowy ascent

By James Pollack, OIA Clean Chemistry and Materials Coalition Legislative Advisor, Attorney at Marten Law

In October 2023, EPA finalized a rule that will require reporting on PFAS in all articles manufactured or imported into the United States from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2022. You can view the rule here.

The final rule, adopted under the Toxic Substances Control Act, establishes this one-time reporting requirement. Manufacturers and importers of any articles containing PFAS must investigate and certify to EPA the amount of PFAS that they have manufactured or imported into the United States during the reporting period. The specific content of the report for each year will include the following information:

1). Chemical information such as:

a). Chemical identity of the PFAS in the article (the specific chemical name, if known, or otherwise a generic name or description of the PFAS if the specific chemical name is confidential business information or unknown)

b). Chemical identification number

c). Trade name or common name, if applicable, of the chemical

d). Representative molecular structure for any PFAS not in Class 1 of the Toxics Release Inventory

2). Import production volume of the imported article (in units or weight)

3). Industrial processing and use of the article, if any

4). Consumer and commercial use of the article, if any (e.g., product category, functional use of category, maximum PFAS concentration in product, whether children are intended users)

The above information reflects a more streamlined form available to article importers. Domestic manufacturers have a more detailed reporting obligation.

Who is covered under the new PFAS Reporting Rule?

The PFAS Reporting Rule covers nearly all importers and manufacturers. It only offers a narrow set of exemptions for products like pesticides, food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, as well as municipal waste importers. Otherwise, reporting is required.

How hard do you have to work to collect this information?

The due diligence standard for collecting information is “to the extent it is known or reasonable ascertainable.” That includes “all information in a person’s possession or control, plus all information that a reasonable person similarly situated might be expected to possess, control, or know.” Manufacturers and importers may also make reasonable estimates based on other information in their possession.  EPA has issued several guidance documents further elaborating the standard.

What can I do about it?

Build a team with the knowledge and skills necessary to engage in this search. Appoint a team leader who can coordinate the search. Include a cross-section of business functions that may have knowledge of where to find relevant information—that may include product designers, supply chain relationship managers, marketers, and IT department members. Bring in outside expertise, including legal support, to help engage in this record search as well as to support in the documentation of the search. Make a comprehensive search plan, and document the search and conclusions in case that information is needed in the future.

What if my suppliers have the information?

It may be the case that your brand does not know the chemical content of your product, even if you know (or suspect) that the product contains PFAS. This can particularly be true for article importers, or those who work with specialized chemical suppliers that use proprietary chemistries. The PFAS Reporting Rule provides an entirely new process for joint reporting where a reporter can identify a relevant supplier that would be better positioned to provide EPA with information on the chemical content of the relevant product. Depending on the results of your due diligence efforts, joint submission may be the best path forward to provide responsive information to the agency.

Will my reported information be made public?

EPA plans to make portions of the information public so that state and federal agencies may set priorities for regulation and to help consumers avoid specific products. Whether or not EPA makes records public on its own, submissions may become subject to public records requests. EPA expects that the PFAS data it collects could potentially be used by the public, including consumers wishing to know more about the products they purchase, communities with environmental justice concerns, and government agencies to take appropriate steps to reduce potential risk. As a result, your brand may consider whether to submit a confidential business information (CBI) claim to protect submitted information.

What is the timeline for complying with this rule?

Overall, about 18 months. The submission period opens on November 12, 2024, with the general submission deadline on May 8,2025. Certain small manufacturers and importers will receive an additional six months to comply.

How can OIA support me?

We at OIA are committed to supporting members as they engage in this reporting process. OIA will keep its membership up to date on any developments and is looking to develop a guide to help brands understand their reporting obligations. Look out for that guide in the coming months.

Need support keeping up with chemical reporting rules and evolving sustainability legislation? Join OIA’s Clean Chemistry and Materials Coalition to access advice from legislative and chemicals experts along with a community of other outdoor brands, manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers working to eliminate and replace harmful chemicals from their supply chains.

About James Pollack

James Pollack is an attorney at Marten Law based in Seattle, WA, whose practice focuses on consumer product regulatory compliance, emerging contaminants, and environmental review. James leads the firm’s consumer products regulatory practice and helps consumer product manufacturers in a wide array of industries that are working to understand the complicated and shifting regulatory and litigation environments surrounding emerging contaminants. He has extensive knowledge on PFAS regulatory compliance at the federal and state level. James’s clients include textile and apparel manufacturers, outdoor recreational product manufacturers, food product manufacturers, and retailers. He also works with industry associations to update membership on regulatory developments.

 

 

 

Read more from James on PFAS:

About James

PFAS PHASE-OUT: 5 KEY STEPS FOR YOUR OUTDOOR BRAND

Can Orange Juice Claim to be Green?

PFAS in Consumer Products are Targeted by State Regulators and Class Action Plaintiffs

What Is in EPA’s Billion Dollar PFAS Reporting Rule?

California Bans PFAS in Apparel, Textiles, Cosmetics

Washington is Latest State to Ban PFAS in Consumer Products 

Regulation of PFAS in Consumer Products 

 

Together We Were a Force for the Outdoor Industry in 2023

OIA Staff

In 2023, Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) and the outdoor community experienced a transformative journey marked by change and growth. With fresh faces on board and a revamped OIA member portal, innovation became our driving force, fueled by the unwavering support of members and fellow outdoor enthusiasts like you. Together, we catalyzed meaningful change across every focus area of OIA, from market research and sustainability to government affairs and inclusive participation. 

We launched a new program, Clean Chemistry and Materials Coalition, to help our members phase out and eliminate harmful chemistry in outdoor products, and our Climate Action Corps continues to grow in helping members reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with science 

We shared 20 research reports delivering expert perspectives and industry-leading data on participation trends, market intelligence, and consumer insights. 

Our virtual education series, featuring 12 webinars, covered topics from sustainable product development to effective outdoor advocacy at state and federal levels. 

We stood strong in advocating for our industry, with members testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee to champion international trade priorities.

Through the Outdoor Foundation‘s Thrive Outside initiative, we grew the impact of this nationwide network, expanding outdoor access for 390,000 diverse youth. But our innovation doesn’t stop here.

We have four product launches on the horizon for 2024 to help our members continue to move the needle for business, people, and the planet.  

Together, we are catalysts for sustainable growth, collective action, insights, and inclusion. Together, we are catalysts for meaningful change. Thanks for treading the path with us.  

Sincerely,

OIA President Kent Ebersole