The Hidden Challenge of Circularity: Managing Chemical Risks in Recycled Materials

recycled-materials-challenges

Recycling is a cornerstone of the circular economy, aiming to reuse products and regenerate materials to reduce environmental impacts like greenhouse gas emissions. However, as outdoor companies expand their commitments to using recycled content, a significant challenge has emerged: chemical safety. 

Today’s recycling systems are not fully equipped to guarantee that recycled feedstocks are free from hazardous substances. Without strong safeguards, brands and manufacturers risk unintentionally recirculating “legacy” chemicals into their products or even introducing new contaminants caused by the recycling process itself.  

Understanding the Infrastructure Gap 

Recycling capabilities vary wildly across plastics, textiles, paper, and metals. Most current systems are optimized for clean, single-material streams, but real-world waste is often highly mixed and chemically complex. 

In general, there are two common recycling processes that each pose different chemical risks: 

  • Mechanical Recycling: Dominates the market but tends to recirculate rather than remove chemicals, leaving new products vulnerable to contamination. 
  • Molecular (Chemical) Recycling: Can remove unwanted substances, but requires more energy and may result in chemicals of concern released into the environment surrounding the recycling facility.  

Critical Risk Areas for the Outdoor Industry 

For our industry, textiles represent the most critical risk area. Currently, less than 1% of collected textiles are recycled back into new fibers, but those that are often come from sources with unknown chemical histories. 

Factors like limited ingredient transparency and multi-material construction increase the likelihood that restricted substances, such as PFAS, phthalates, heavy metals, and flame retardants, make it into the final product. These risks extend to other materials as well: 

  • Plastics: Often contain non-intentionally added substances (NIAS) and residual chemicals. 
  • Metals: Can inadvertently introduce toxic heavy metals if waste streams are poorly characterized. 
  • Paper: Requires careful management to avoid contaminants found in original coatings and inks. 

A Path Toward Non-Toxic Circularity 

There is currently no comprehensive, affordable testing protocol that can reliably identify every contaminant in every batch of recycled feedstock. And while certifications help manage risk, they do not completely eliminate it. Rather, success depends on rigorous implementation and total supply-chain transparency. 

To move forward, outdoor companies must adopt a systems-level approach to chemical risk. This includes: 

  • Evaluating the origin of feedstocks and sorting processes. 

  • Assessing contamination risks specific to material types. 

  • Collaborating across industry, academia, and policy to develop safer chemistries and better traceability. 

Learn About Chemical Safety with OIA’s New Guidebook 

The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) has developed a comprehensive “Chemical Risks of Recycled Materials Guidebook” to equip outdoor companies with the tools and insights needed to safely source recycled materials. It outlines risks by material category, compares recycling technologies, and provides a practical framework for evaluating suppliers and assessing contamination risk based on four key categories: 

  • Original material use, application, and industry.
  • Collection, sorting, and other pre-processing methods.
  • Recycling methods and quality control specifications.
  • End-use application. 

The guidebook is currently available in the OIA Mobilize platform. Not an OIA Support Plus or Leadership member but want to learn more? Get in touch today. 

How Outdoor Brands Are Reducing Textile Emissions with Smarter Energy Solutions

Reducing emissions in textile production isn’t just an environmental responsibility—it’s a business necessity. Consumers expect brands to take meaningful action on sustainability, and regulations are pushing companies to reduce their carbon footprints. One of the biggest challenges? The fossil fuel-based heating systems used in textile manufacturing. 

Traditional heating methods rely on coal, gas, or oil, making them a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. The textile and apparel industry alone contributes about 2% of global emissions, and with demand increasing, that number will only grow. If your brand is committed to lowering emissions, tackling the energy sources used in textile mills is a critical step. 

A Practical Solution to Help You Reduce Emissions 

To support this transition, Outdoor Industry Association, in partnership with Global Efficiency Intelligence and OIA member brands like Cotopaxi, L.L. Bean, New Balance, Patagonia, REI Co-op, and W.L. Gore & Associates, have launched the Textile Heating Electrification Tool. This open-source resource helps mills and brands transition from fossil fuels to electric heating by providing data on energy use, cost savings, and emissions reduction. It supports sustainability goals, regulatory compliance, and long-term efficiency. 

Why This Matters for Your Brand 

Sustainability goals can’t be met without action at the manufacturing level. The heating systems used in textile mills account for a significant share of supply chain emissions, and electrification is one of the most effective ways to lower them. 

This tool provides clear, actionable insights to help businesses: 

  • Understand their current heating systems and identify where fossil fuel use can be reduced. 
  • Evaluate electric alternatives that work for different textile processes. 
  • Make informed investment decisions with data on costs, feasibility, and emissions reductions.

Andrew Dempsey, Director of Climate at REI Co-op, explained the importance of this issue: 

“At REI, we believe progress on climate solutions happens through collaboration. Our goal is to cut emissions in half by 2030, but we can’t get there without working closely with our brand and manufacturing partners. Electric heat technologies are essential for decarbonizing textile manufacturing, and this tool gives us the data we need to move forward with confidence.” 

Collaboration Makes Sustainability More Achievable 

Developed under OIA’s Clean Heat CoLab, this tool embodies a collaborative approach to tackling industry challenges. OIA Impact CoLabs help brands and suppliers work closely, advancing sustainability goals more efficiently while lowering costs. 

Julie Brown, Director of Sustainable Business Innovation at Outdoor Industry Association, highlighted the significance of this initiative: 

“The launch of the Textile Heating Electrification Tool marks a major step in our industry’s collective effort to cut emissions in textile manufacturing. This tool combines expertise from across the outdoor industry to provide mills with the insights they need to transition to cleaner, more sustainable heating technologies.” 

How to Get Started 

This tool is designed to help businesses like yours take meaningful steps toward emissions reductions. If your brand works with textile suppliers, this is a resource that can drive real change. 

Watch the webinar recording below and download our one-pager to start using this tool for smarter decision-making in your business. 

Want to go further? Contact sustainability@outdoorindustry.org to get involved in OIA’s sustainability programs and work toward a lower-carbon future. 

 

Collaboration: The Key to Impactful Climate Action

A Letter from Greg Gausewitz, REI Co-Op Senior Manager of Product Sustainability and OIA Sustainability Advisory Council Co-Chair

Happy New Year! As we cross the mid-point of this decade, we’re offered an opportunity to reflect on the current moment and set our sights on the path ahead. Many of our organizations have set multi-year, science-aligned climate targets that come due in or near 2030. That means many of us are near the half-way mark in pursuing our near-term climate goals. What have we learned? What might we change to accelerate and deepen our impact going forward? 

In my role at REI, I have the privilege of working with the world’s leading outdoor brands, many of which are also global leaders in sustainability. Yet, no one organization has all the answers about how to solve climate change. Overcoming this challenge will require a deep commitment to collaboration – and action.  

We’ve seen effective climate collaboration become increasingly commonplace. We need look no further than the OIA’s Climate Action Corps CoLabs to observe this in our industry, and many collaborative initiatives have emerged outside our industry. I encourage any brand looking to build momentum in their sustainability efforts to consider how they can participate in collaborative initiatives with other organizations. 

I’ve been inspired to see so many brands, big and small, rise to the occasion in taking climate action. REI recently partnered with OIA and Change Climate to host climate workshops to provide guidance to brand partners. Some of the most engaged brands were also the smallest. Several mom-and-pop brands, some with only a handful of employees, made massive progress in their climate efforts: measuring their emissions, setting reduction targets, and putting in place action plans to reduce their emissions. It was a powerful reminder that taking action is simply a choice. No brand is too small to have an impact. 

As we look to the latter half of the decade, we have more tools than ever to make meaningful progress in our fight against climate change. We’re seeing the rapid emergence of next-generation materials that offer significant carbon savings. We’re seeing more opportunities to collaborate with our suppliers to transition away from high-emitting manufacturing processes and bring more clean energy online in our supply chains. And we’re seeing new tools like The Climate Label emerge that promise to spur climate action and enable brands to connect with our customers in new ways. 

I’m excited for what’s ahead, and I look forward to collaborating with this community to steward the outdoors we all love for generations to come.  

Greg Gausewitz 

Sr. Manager, Product Sustainability at REI 

Co-Chair, Climate Action Corps Advisory Council 

Helly Hansen, Columbia Sportswear, and L.L. Bean Collaborate to Reduce Supply Chain Emissions and Protect the Planet

These outdoor brands came together, in partnership with their suppliers, to reduce emissions across the outdoor industry value chain.

To reach a more sustainable future, we must take bold, collective action against climate change. Helly Hansen, Columbia Sportswear, and L.L. Bean came together through  Outdoor Industry Association’s (OIA) Carbon Leadership Project CoLab to cut carbon emissions across the industry’s supply chain. This collaboration, supported by the Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), focused on jointly reducing emissions across shared member supply chains. The OIA spearheaded the project and identified common suppliers among members, while Aii provided the framework of the Carbon Leadership Project to drive emission reduction efforts. 

“The Carbon Leadership Project guided our manufacturing partners in initiating their decarbonization journey.  Brand peers co-nominated suppliers to participate in the project, maximizing resources and driving momentum in carbon reduction.  Furthermore, the action plans were customized for participants based on their climate target maturity.  As long as the risk of climate change is not mitigated, we will continue to advocate for the Carbon Leadership Project” Ian Lee, Sustainable Manufacturing Program Manager at Columbia Sportswear. 

Aii’s Carbon Leadership Project framework assists suppliers in measuring GHG emissions at the facility level, setting targets, and effectively reducing GHG emissions. This program not only aids members in achieving their climate objectives but also aligns with OIA’s mission to lead the charge in sustainable business innovation so that all people can thrive outside, today, and in future generations. Learn more about the Carbon Leadership Project here. 

Bryant LaPres, senior director of industry engagement at Apparel Impact Institute, adds “Through our work with the OIA, we demonstrated the value of collaboration between brands and suppliers. The OIA played a critical role in bringing this work from concept to action. Their member brands played an equally critical role, emphasizing alliance with shared suppliers rather than going alone. We are excited to move into implementation activities to achieve direct emissions reductions and look forward to the results”. 

The primary goals of the Carbon Leadership Project CoLab were to support shared suppliers across the outdoor industry in measuring their emissions and setting carbon reduction targets. Helly Hansen, Columbia Sportswear, and L.L. Bean nominated two shared suppliers to participate in the CoLab. OIA’s Impact CoLabs are collaborative, pre-competitive emissions reduction initiatives led by OIA and service providers. These initiatives help members meet their sustainability goals more efficiently and cost-effectively by working together. 

Carbon Leadership Project CoLab Steps + Impact

Launched in 2022, the Carbon Leadership Project aimed to work with shared suppliers on setting science-aligned reduction targets and creating reduction action plans to achieve their targets. 
 
CoLab Milestones 

1. Supplier nomination and overlap assessment: Members submitted facilities of interest, OIA completed an overlap mapping exercise to seek shared suppliers to maximize impact  

2. Carbon tech assessment: Aii and their service provider partner, RESET Carbon, completed benchmarking for the nominated facilities to identify carbon saving potential and define next steps  

3. Carbon Target Setting: RESET Carbon collaborated with suppliers to identify their carbon reduction potential and set reduction targets  

4. Reduction Action Plan: A carbon reduction plan tailored to each facility was created 

5. Brand engagement with suppliers to implement reduction action plan (in progress)  

The Carbon Leadership Project CoLab supported facilities in completing a carbon tech assessments to benchmark their emissions and set reduction targets.  The final product was a tailored carbon reduction plan for each facility to reach its target.  Member brands are engaging with their suppliers to implement these reduction action plans. 

“The Carbon Leadership Project CoLab provided organizations with skills and tools to measure, monitor and report on their partnered facility’s carbon emissions. It allowed the organization to establish a clear baseline and achievable targets”, Grace Wong, Senior Sustainability Specialist Traceability, Helly Hansen. 

The decarbonization opportunities identified in the reduction action plans were prioritized based on their total emissions reduction potential and expected implementation timeline. The roadmaps were delivered via an Excel-based tool, where suppliers could input their intent and prioritization for implementing solutions. The tool also provided estimates of costs, return on investment, and tailored considerations to address before implementation to reduce risks. 

Pre-Competitive Collaboration: OIA’s Impact CoLabs  

Climate change is one of, if not the most, crucial issues the outdoor industry faces today. If there is not a thriving environment to recreate in, outdoor businesses do not have a future. Collaboration is necessary to significantly reduce climate impacts in the outdoor industry; the problem is too large for individual companies to solve on their own. Companies must work together to decarbonize the global supply chain, and OIA provides an avenue with a clear path to do just that. OIA’s Impact CoLabs are collaborative, pre-competitive, emissions reduction initiatives led by OIA and service providers to help members meet their sustainability goals in less time and with less cost by working together.  Through OIA’s six Impact CoLabs, 19 OIA members have invested in collaborative emissions reduction projects across their supply chains – working collectively to maximize impact and protect our planet.

 “The Carbon Leadership Project CoLab empowered members to take bold, collective climate action. OIA understands that tackling climate goals and reducing emissions can be daunting for individual companies, but we believe in the power of working together. By uniting to create shared solutions, we can accelerate progress and achieve significant emissions reductions. Through initiatives like the CLP CoLab, OIA supports members in reducing emissions across their supply chains”, said Breana Nehls, OIA Sustainable Business Innovation Manager. “Together, we are catalysts for sustainable growth.” 

 Learn more about OIA’s CoLabs and how you can catalyze meaningful change with us at outdoorindustry.org/sustainablebusiness.

 

 

REI, BURTON, AND NEMO EQUIPMENT ACCELERATE TRANSITION TO CLEAN ENERGY

Brands collaborate ​in a challenging market ​to ​advance ​solar energy ​investments ​with suppliers

Clean energy is best achieved by collective action. And that’s exactly what REI, Burton, and NEMO Equipment set out to do through OIA’s Vietnam Renewable Energy Impact CoLab. In collaboration with Allotrope Partners, these brands ideated sustainable solutions and accelerated their transition to cleaner energy. Vietnam is a key manufacturing hub for many OIA members, but its carbon-intensive electricity grid means it is a large source of greenhouse gas emissions. Vietnam’s growing clean energy market has opened the door for financially attractive on-site rooftop solar projects and off-site renewable energy procurement. However, COVID-related supply chain disruptions and evolving regulations have posed significant challenges in the Vietnam renewable energy market. These challenges inspired OIA to launch the Vietnam Renewable Energy CoLab to support members in navigating the challenging renewable energy landscape together. By bringing members together through the CoLab, members and their suppliers could collaborate on shared solutions to more effectively transition to renewable energy.  

“NEMO was excited to partner with Burton, REI, OIA, and Allotrope on the Vietnam Renewable Energy CoLab. NEMO has set a target to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 50% by 2030. So far, we’ve achieved a 36% reduction in emissions intensity per product, but to reach our goals, we need to partner with our supply chain. This CoLab is an example of collective action helping to accelerate emissions reductions,” Theresa McKenney, Director of Sustainability and Government Affairs, NEMO Equipment. 

OIA’s Impact CoLabs are collaborative, pre-competitive, emissions reduction initiatives led by OIA and service providers to help members meet their sustainability goals in less time and with less cost by working together. The Vietnam Renewable Energy CoLab focused on accelerating the transition to a sustainable energy future by supporting suppliers with rooftop solar evaluations. The Impact CoLab enabled REI, Burton and NEMO to work collaboratively with suppliers to install 3.5 MW of power across five supplier facilities in Vietnam. 

“In order to achieve REI’s goal of more than halving emissions by 2030, we have to do a great deal of work with partners—from our manufacturing facilities to retailed brands. The CoLab presented an opportunity to engage deeply in that shared work. Our suppliers were able to gain a clear understanding of the “what”, “how” and “why” of procuring rooftop solar electricity in Vietnam”, said Evan Scandling, Supply Chain Decarbonization Lead, REI.

CoLab Results + Impact

The Vietnam Renewable Energy CoLab included five industry suppliers that joined together in an RFP that produced bids for five on-site rooftop systems totaling 3.5 MW, with power purchase agreement (PPA) prices ranging from 8-20% below the buyers’ current electricity rates and covering between 25-35% of the facilities’ electricity needs. Over the life of this project, market conditions have continued to evolve, with government approvals of operating and construction permits emerging as a challenge, along with buyer concerns over their ability to prioritize clean energy procurement during tough financial times. As the supplier facilities continue to work toward clean energy solutions, these proposals serve as a starting point and guidepost for what’s possible. 

Michelle Murphy Rogers, Senior Director of Allotrope’s Clean Energy Advisory Practice notes, “The OIA CoLab process offers an amazing opportunity to explore innovations on renewable energy procurement in a low-risk environment. This project incorporated time and cost-saving approaches to engage project developers and evaluate proposals that can be used in future procurements. Current market challenges in Vietnam underscore the need to work together to pursue new innovations like engaging buyers and developers to pair on-site solar with battery energy storage solutions to maximize system sizes and enhance reliability.” 

“Allotrope was a great partner throughout the project. They worked directly with our supplier to review the process, clearly laid out the evaluation of proposals, and worked hard to overcome challenges in a highly complex regulatory environment. We gleaned valuable learnings from the process”, said Emily Foster, Director of People & Planet Impact at Burton. 

Pre-Competitive Collaboration: OIA’s Impact CoLabs  

Climate change is one of, if not the most, crucial issues the outdoor industry faces today. If there is not a thriving environment to recreate in, outdoor businesses do not have a future. Collaboration is necessary to significantly reduce climate impacts in the outdoor industry; the problem is too large for individual companies to solve on their own. Companies must work together to decarbonize the global supply chain, and OIA provides an avenue with a clear path to do just that. OIA’s Impact CoLabs are collaborative, pre-competitive, emissions reduction initiatives led by OIA and service providers to help members meet their sustainability goals in less time and with less cost by working together.  Through OIA’s six Impact CoLabs, 19 OIA members have invested in collaborative emissions reduction projects across their supply chains – working collectively to maximize impact and protect our planet.  
 

“OIA recognizes that tackling climate action goals and reducing emissions can be a daunting journey for individual member companies. However, we also recognize the power of collective action. If we collaborate, we can move faster and realize significant emissions reductions. Through collaborations such as the Vietnam Renewable Energy CoLab, OIA supports members in making lasting impacts across their supply chains”, said Breana Nehls, OIA Sustainable Business Innovation Manager. “Together, we can be a force for sustainable growth.”

MiiR, Stanley, and YETI’s Bold Collaboration to Reduce Supply Chain Emissions

Three drinkware brands, one mission: protect the planet

Making a significant move to create a more sustainable future, three drinkware brands came together in a first-of-its-kind effort to reduce carbon emissions across the drinkware supply chain. Deemed the Drinkware CoLab, ​ MiiR, Stanley, and YETI, facilitated by the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), spearheaded this collaboration to reduce the environmental impact of manufacturing. The brands invited four shared third-party suppliers to participate in the project and all parties provided financial and human resources to support the project. The scoped work of the CoLab launched in 2022 and was completed in early 2024.   

The primary goals of the project were to move industry suppliers to 100% renewable electricity and develop facility emissions reduction plans. The project supports OIA’s goal to take bold, collective action against climate change by reducing and removing greenhouse gas emissions across the outdoor industry, carving a new, bold path for others to follow.​ MiiR, Stanley, and YETI participated in the Drinkware CoLab through OIA’s Climate Action Corps, the outdoor industry’s collaborative model to lead on climate action.    

“It was a remarkable experience to work with YETI and Stanley to identify key strategies in reducing our collective footprints. The OIA team did a phenomenal job leading us through this process and we’re excited to get to work on the things we learned. Our hope is that this collaboration inspires other groups in the outdoor space to set aside competition for the sake of sustainability,” said Josh Stinger, Vice President of Supply Chain & Sustainability at MiiR. 

Reduction Roadmaps: Drinkware CoLab Impact

MiiR, Stanley, and YETI collectively nominated four factories and each of the facilities received management training, detailed greenhouse gas measurements of their facility, assistance in setting science-aligned emissions reduction targets, and a customized plan outlining steps to reduce their emissions.  The group identified a global service provider, Environmental Resources Management (ERM), to lead the assessment with each supplier.   

The emissions reduction action plans, or “roadmaps,” provide detailed information on sustainable actions that will improve energy management and reduce emissions. All opportunities were assessed and prioritized based on environmental impact and cost implications for each facility.   

“We know that deep engagement with our suppliers and other stakeholders is critical to ensure that our collective emissions reduction goals are in reach, said Emily Cichy, Senior Director, Corporate Responsibility at Stanley. By collaborating with Outdoor Industry Association, our suppliers, and these esteemed brands, we can help create a more sustainable world.” 

The Trail Ahead

MiiR, Stanley, and YETI are partnering with all four suppliers to ensure these roadmaps are implemented, and are planning to touch base with each other quarterly through OIA to share progress. They are also considering replicating the CoLab process with other strategic suppliers in their networks.  Interested in participating or learning more about CoLabs? Contact OIA at sustainability@outdoorindustry.org 

“The Drinkware CoLab gave YETI the chance to join an industry-wide initiative that aligns with our ongoing sustainability priorities to help keep the wild, wild,” Said Marty Duff, SVP, Supply Chain and Operations at YETI. “We are honored to help drive meaningful progress and help impact broad-based change.” 

Pre-Competitive Collaboration: OIA’s Impact CoLabs

Collaboration is necessary to significantly reduce climate impacts in the outdoor industry; the problem is too large for individual companies to solve on their own. Companies must work together to decarbonize the global supply chain. OIA’s Impact CoLabs are collaborative, pre-competitive, emissions reduction initiatives led by OIA and service providers to help members meet their sustainability goals in less time and with less cost by working together. Learn more about OIA’s Impact CoLabs here.  

 “The Drinkware CoLab provides members the opportunity to take bold, collective climate action. We know that individual companies cannot solve the climate crisis alone, they must come together to create shared solutions to reduce emissions across the supply chain”, said Breana Nehls, OIA Sustainable Business Innovation Manager. “OIA provides this invaluable collaboration space for members to make lasting impacts across their supply chains.”