Q1 2026 Outdoor Retail Trends Report

What the Latest Numbers Reveal About a Cooling Market

Outdoor product sales in Athletic Specialty and Sporting Goods (ASSG) retail channels opened 2026 in a precarious position—and the signals are worth a close look. Dollar sales held nearly flat, declining less than 1%, but unit sales fell sharply, down 7.3% across every product category. At the same time, average retail prices climbed 6.7% year-over-year, outpacing the broader inflation rate of roughly 3.3%. With consumer sentiment at decade lows and middle- and lower-income households cutting back on discretionary spending, understanding which products are still moving and which are cooling fast has never been more important.
OIA’s Q1 2026 Outdoor Retail Trends Report is now available. It covers category-level dollar and unit sales performance across ASSG retail, standout performers in equipment, accessories, and footwear, and the categories seeing the sharpest declines—from women’s basketball-inspired shoes to portable fire pits and insulated tumblers. Check out the Executive Summary for the key findings and market implications.

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ESPR Policy Brief

What the EU’s Ecodesign Regulation Means for Outdoor Brands

The Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is a landmark EU framework that will reshape how textiles and apparel are designed, sold, and tracked—and the implications for the outdoor industry are significant. The regulation applies to any company placing covered products on the EU market, regardless of where it is based. Some compliance deadlines are already in effect, and others are approaching fast, which makes understanding what is required, and when, essential for any brand or retailer selling in Europe.

OIA’s sustainability team has prepared a new policy brief that gives outdoor companies a practical overview of what ESPR requires and how to prepare. It breaks down reporting obligations, ecodesign requirements for textiles, Digital Product Passport rules, and the steps your team can take now ahead of the Textile Delegated Act expected in late 2027. Whether your products are directly in scope or you sit further down the supply chain, understanding these changes is a must.

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2025 OIA Sustainability’s Impact Report

A Year of Collective Progress for the Outdoor Industry

2025 was a defining year for the outdoor industry—tested by unprecedented tariffs, economic pressure, and mounting compliance obligations, yet strengthened by collaboration. OIA Sustainability’s first-ever Impact Report captures the year in full, with more than 500 individuals from 118 companies driving collective progress across climate, chemistry, and compliance—from Climate Action Corps milestones and a Virtual Power Purchase Agreement supporting 18.5 megawatts of renewable energy to new Clean Chemistry guidebooks, expanded policy resources, and the launch of OIA Learning. Whether you’re shaping strategy, tracking progress, or building industry partnerships, this report shows what’s possible when the industry chooses collaboration over retreat.

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Guide to Comply

Stay Ahead of Sustainability Compliance

Keeping up with sustainability laws across the U.S. and Canada is becoming increasingly complex—and the cost of falling behind is rising. OIA’s updated 2026 Guide to Comply cuts through the noise with a 20+ page resource covering the specific regulations impacting the outdoor industry right now, from climate accountability and PFAS rules to Extended Producer Responsibility and green claims best practices. Whether you’re navigating new state-level emission mandates or refining your sustainability messaging, this guide gives your team the clarity needed to stay compliant.

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2026 Outdoor Retail Trends Report

Outdoor Retail Is Holding Its Ground

Tariff-driven price increases tested consumer spending across the outdoor market last year, but the full picture is more nuanced. OIA’s 2026 Outdoor Retail Trends Report breaks down what sold, what softened, and where the real opportunities lie across footwear, apparel, equipment, and specialty retail. Whether you’re a brand refining your pricing strategy or a retailer planning for the future, this report gives you the market intelligence to define your strategy. 

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OIA 2026 Camping Report

Casual Camping Is the Industry’s Next Big Opportunity

Camping is our industry’s most reliable gateway to broader outdoor recreation. OIA’s 2026 Camping Report reveals how an expanding base of casual campers is creating new opportunities across the outdoor economy, from first-time tent buyers to enthusiasts who go on to invest in hiking, fishing, and beyond. Whether you’re a brand looking to reach untapped demographics or a retailer planning for long-term growth, this report gives you the insights to plan smarter.

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OIA 2026 Hiking Report

The Hiking Boom Isn’t Slowing Down

Hiking has never been more popular—and the opportunity has never been bigger. OIA’s 2026 Hiking Report reveals how 63.4 million Americans are hitting the trails, with core hikers deepening their commitment and casual participants representing a powerful gateway into the broader outdoor industry. Whether you’re a brand building your next product line or a retailer looking to capture a growing market, this report gives you the data to make informed decisions.

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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.