BOULDER, COLO — Aug. 20, 2026 — The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) marked the completion of a multi-year initiative by its Clean Heat CoLab, a collaboration of outdoor industry brands working to accelerate the adoption of clean, electrified heating technologies across the textile supply chain. Since its formation, the CoLab has brought together Patagonia, L.L. Bean, New Balance REI Co-op, and W.L. Gore & Associates, working with Global Efficiency Intelligence (GEI), to identify and act on opportunities to reduce emissions from one of the textile industry’s most carbon-intensive processes – thermal heating.
Textile mills rely heavily on fossil-fuel-based heating to dye, treat, and finish fabric, making thermal energy one of the largest sources of emissions in apparel manufacturing. Over three phases spanning several years, the Clean Heat CoLab moved from research to a practical, freely available tool, and finally to direct training for suppliers — building a body of work designed to make electrification a real, actionable option for facilities around the world.
“There’s something so powerful about brands coming together and choosing to build something, and then give it away. When this industry pools its resources toward something bigger than any single company, the whole industry benefits. It’s about what’s good for the planet, and that’s good for all of us.”
Phase 1: Research
The CoLab’s first phase, centered in research, produced a foundational report identifying the opportunity for heat electrification in textile manufacturing and raising industry-wide awareness of the issue. The report drew significant engagement — nearly 5,000 webpage visits — and its findings fed directly into feasibility studies with brand partners, while also informing a broader roadmap study by Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) that extended the analysis to additional regions and technologies.
Phase 2: Heating Electrification Tool
Building on its research, the CoLab developed the Textile Heating Electrification Tool, a free, open-source resource that gives facilities a practical way to screen their own electrification potential without requiring a full economic analysis for every site. Developed over the course of a year, the tool has since become one of the most visited pages on the Global Efficiency Intelligence website, drawing more than 4,200 visits and 900 webinar registrants.
The tool has since been put to work well beyond OIA’s own membership. Apparel Impact Institute has applied the tool for screening more than 60 textile facilities in China, Vietnam, and India, narrowing the field to 16 candidates for investment-grade analysis. After the investment-grade analysis, facilities will subsequently apply to receive grant funding and technical support for heat pump implementation.
Phase 3: Training
In the CoLab’s third and final phase, OIA and its partners brought the tool directly to the facilities that stand to benefit most, hosting in-person training workshops in Vietnam and Taiwan. The Taiwan workshop hosted 22 participants and Vietnam hosted 21. Combined with earlier webinars that drew more than 900 registrants and roughly 500 participants globally, the trainings gave suppliers a structured, hands-on way to begin evaluating electrification for their own facilities.
Looking Ahead
The work of the Clean Heat CoLab to-date represents early-stage, market-building progress. While widescale electrification across the textile industry is expected to remain limited through 2030, the CoLab has built the knowledge base, shared language, and confidence that suppliers and brands need before projects can move toward investment.
With three phases complete, OIA and the Clean Heat CoLab are now considering what a future phase of work could look like, building on a foundation of research, tooling, and training that has already reached facilities, brands, and partner organizations across the global textile supply chain.
Learn more about the Textile Heating Electrification Tool and OIA’s Impact CoLabs at outdoorindustry.org.
About Outdoor Industry Association
Based in Boulder, Colo., with offices in Washington, D.C., Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is a catalyst for meaningful change. A member-based collective, OIA is a passionate group of business leaders, climate experts, policy makers and outdoor enthusiasts committed to sustainable economic growth while protecting — and growing access to — the benefits of the outdoors for everyone. For more than 30 years, OIA has catalyzed a thriving outdoor industry by supporting the success of every member company across four critically aligned areas: market research, sustainability, government affairs, and inclusive participation. OIA delivers success for its members through education, events, and business services in the form of solutions and strategies, consultation, collaboration, and opportunities for collective action. For more information, visit outdoorindustry.org.
