Webinar: What the FTC’s Green Guides Mean for Your Brand

Members-only Webinar

Live Date: July 25, 2023 at 10 am MT

Consumer interest in supporting environmentally conscientious products continues to influence purchasing decisions and, with it, brands’ product development and marketing strategies. The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Green Guides provide information to brands and retailers on avoiding unfair or deceptive environmental-related marketing claims. As the number of claims has been increasing on more types of products, concerns about consumer fraud have also grown.

The FTC issued record million-dollar penalties against some major retailers for deceptive environmental claims in 2022 and began an overall public review process of the Green Guides late last year.  The claims  being assessed include those that related to: Carbon Offsets and Climate Change, Compostable, Degradable, Ozone Safe / Ozone Friendly, Recyclable, Recycled Content, Energy Use / Energy Efficiency, Organic, Sustainable and Regenerative. As part of its ongoing review, FTC held a workshop on “recyclable” claims on May 23.

Experts Allie Sauers, associate, international trade at Sorini, Samet & Associates, Akshay Sinha, senior advisor, global policy development and Asia-Pacific affairs at Sorini, Samet & Associates, and Maria Celis, Of Counsel at Neville Peterson LLP and General Counsel at JO Cosmetics will provide background on the current Green Guides, the FTC’s objectives in the review underway and scope for public comment, and the likelihood of revisions and rulemaking.  The webinar will also look at developments at the State level and related developments in the European Union. Attendees will leave this session with a better understanding of the current Green Guides landscape and how it could impact their brand strategy.

 
Together we are a force for collective action. Join us.

Webinar: Introducing OIA’s New Clean Chemistry and Materials Coalition

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Live Date: July 13, 2023 at 1 pm MT

Are you ready to engage and support the outdoor industry’s journey to phase out and eliminate harmful chemistry in outdoor products? Watch our webinar to learn more about OIA’s new sustainability program, working group, and consulting service: Clean Chemistry and Materials Coalition (CCMC). 

 

Whether you are just starting out on the trail or cresting the summit to PFAS elimination or other sustainability measures, OIA’s CCMC supports outdoor retailers, brands, manufacturers, and distributors with scalable action plans for eliminating and replacing harmful chemicals and materials, delivering supply chain transparency, recycling and emission disclosures, and more. 

 

Watch our July 13th webinar to gain insight into what you can expect to achieve as part of OIA’s CCMC community. We introduce our team of technical experts and share why clean chemicals innovation is imperative for your brand, steps you can take towards PFAS elimination now, what that phase-out journey will look like, and how you can engage directly with our consultants and working groups to uncover reliable and durable alternatives.  

 

Together we are catalysts for sustainable growth. Join us.

Panelists:

  • Sarah Rykal, Director of Sustainable Innovation, OIA

  • Michelle Legatt, Technical Advisor, OIA CCMC

    • As the Technical Advisor for OIA’s Clean Chemistry and Materials Coalition, Michelle assists OIA members in navigating chemicals management and sustainability initiatives throughout their supply chain. Prior to working with OIA, Michelle has spent the last 18 years working in innovation, product development, and sustainability roles at a variety of companies in the consumer goods sector.

  • James Pollack, Legislative Advisor, OIA CCMC

    • James Pollack serves as the Legislative Advisor for the OIA Clean Chemistry and Materials Coalition, assisting OIA members in understanding and navigating chemicals and sustainability compliance legislation and regulations. He is also an associate with Marten Law, leading the firm’s consumer products regulatory practice. He helps consumer product manufacturers in the apparel, outdoor, and food products industries who are working to understand the complicated and shifting regulatory and litigation environments surrounding emerging contaminants. James has extensive knowledge on PFAS regulatory compliance at the federal and state level.

Follow-Up Q&A

Suppliers have said they can provide C0 chemistry. Should we test these to the Total Organic Fluorine 50ppm threshold? Should we test these for individually testable PFAS?

Your testing decisions will depend on several factors. First, what is your goal and intention for the data? Testing C0 chemistry for ToF (Total Organic Flourine) may provide you with verification of supplier representations, or it can provide you with indications of PFAS unintentionally added or cross-contaminating your products. Testing for individual PFAS, in comparison, may help you understand what specific compounds are found in your products.
Second, what is your overall risk tolerance and communication strategy with regard to PFAS? Different laws have set different thresholds based on either ToF or particular PFAS. For only one example, California’s AB 1817 includes a phased set of ToF thresholds, including 100ppm and 50ppm depending on the year. If you are creating a compliance strategy, you may want to follow the thresholds provided by law. However, if you are looking to make marketing representations related to PFAS content, you may be interested in implementing a different set of thresholds. We look forward to discussing testing best practices and how different brands are approaching these issues at future CCMC events.

Are chemical companies working on alternative chemistries?

Yes, most chemical suppliers familiar with textile applications now offer PFAS-free alternatives. Other chemical suppliers, newly entering the market, have expertise in the alternative chemistry (ie silicones or polyurethanes). Additionally, a handful of new start-ups, incorporating other environmental co-benefits, have also launched PFAS-free solutions.

Can we expect to hear from experts at testing labs in upcoming webinars?

At least one of our upcoming Working Group Monthly meetings will focus on PFAS testing. We are exploring options for working with testing labs and will have more information available in the near future.

Will you have guidance for PFAS regulations in Europe?

Yes, we are partnering with the European Outdoor Group to provide updates on legislation in the EU. EOG staff will attend a CCMC Working Group meeting in October to provide information to CCMC members.

What materials/resources are available for CCMC members now?

  • Educational one-pagers
    • Legislative One-Pager with a summary of PFAS regulations
    • Background and Business Case
    • Formulation Assessment/What to ask your chemical suppliers
    • Supplier engagement
    • Testing
  • Regulatory timeline with key dates for compliance
  • Regulatory tracker with detailed information all enacted PFAS laws by state
  • Weekly group office hours with technical advisor, Michelle Legatt
  • Monthly group office hours with legislative advisor, James Pollack
  • Monthly CCMC Working Group meetings
  • Monthly Sustainability Policy Strategy Working Group meetings
  • Online Member Community to share questions and best practices with other outdoor companies
  • Quarterly webinars
  • Coming Soon: CCMC Guidebook for PFAS Phase-Out

Webinar: GHG Reduction Target Setting 101

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Register Now

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Monday, October 24, 2022, 11 am MT Climate Action Corps members, join us for another edition of the Coffee and Climate series! In this live discussion, we will discuss setting an SBTi-aligned emissions reduction target. We will dive into strategy, tools used, gaining CEO/stakeholder buy-in, challenges, and solutions, and answer common questions brought up by Corps members. As opposed to more formal Corps training webinars, Coffee and Climate sessions are a candid but guided conversation on a chosen topic. They include facilitated group discussion to share tips, tricks, and strategies, as well as an opportunity for Q&A. Be ready to bring your questions (and coffee) to the table! Speakers Kari Shafer, Climate Action Corps Manager, Outdoor Industry Association Kaytlin Moeller, Sustainability Manager, Royal Robbins (parent organization – Fenix Outdoor) Mara Ley, Sustainability Manager, Vuori Michael Sadowski, Sustainability Strategy Consultant This Coffee and Climate session is for Climate Action Corps members only. If you’re a Corps member, you can register here. Not a member? Contact our team to learn more and join today.