Outdoor Industry Association (OIA)’s Climate Action Corps released data from its 2023 Annual Impact report, summarizing the group’s progress in protecting the outdoor experience. The 2023 Climate Action Corps offers a member-led collective of outdoor brands, specialty retailers and suppliers that consists of 75 businesses, working toward a shared goal of taking collective action against climate change.
When members join, they commit to participating in an annual progress report to transparently report on sustainability progress and be held accountable for climate goals. The report showcases the collective progress of the Climate Action Corps toward measuring, setting targets, reducing emissions and advocating for bold policy action in Congress. Progress reports for individual companies are also made available for increased transparency and accountability.
“The impacts of the climate crisis we observed throughout 2023 underscore the urgent need for ambitious climate action and adaptation measures at local, national and global levels to mitigate future risks and build resilience to a changing climate,” said Julie Brown, OIA director of sustainability. “Through industry-leading programs and pre-competitive collaboration, we’re helping our members learn quickly to apply realistic and proven solutions to reduce greenhouse gases, innovate and adopt safer chemicals and lead the charge for a more sustainable future.”
In particular, the 2023 report noted:
- 94 percent of Corps members have measured their operational greenhouse gas emissions (measured, estimated or in progress for scope 1 & 2 emissions)
- 89 percent are measuring their value chain emissions (measured, estimated or in progress for scope 3 emissions)
- 70 percent have set scope 1 and 2 targets, while 59 pecent have set targets for scope 3
- 19 Corps members are engaged in six Impact CoLabs to help accelerate emissions reductions
- The Clean Chemistry and Materials Coalition (CCMC) was created to address the growing need for safer chemistry education and legislation guidance
“Amidst the mounting climate and market challenges, the dedication and commitment demonstrated by our members engaged in driving positive change within the outdoor industry has been commendable,” said Brown. “Not only have OIA members sustained their efforts to reduce emissions, but they have also embraced a new sustainability challenge ingrained in our industry – addressing the need for safer chemistry with the launch of the Clean Chemistry and Materials Coalition in summer 2023.”
In addition to the CCMC, OIA’s Impact CoLabs programs continued to expand in 2023, as 19 members collaborated pre-competitively on projects to reduce shared emissions in the supply chain. CoLabs help OIA members meet sustainability goals in less time by working together, focusing on topics such as renewable energy, reduction target setting, electrification, low impact materials, and more.
The report also revealed that 2023 was a watershed year for climate policy, with numerous landmark policies enacted across the globe. In 2023, Climate Action Corps members continued to advocate for sustainable change by supporting the establishment of the American Climate Corps and advocating for state level climate and sustainability policies while defending investments in climate and sustainability in the Inflation Reduction Act.
“Working together we’ve made solid progress in our mission to reduce the outdoor industry’s collective emissions by 50 percent by 2030,” said Brown, “but we still have a lot to accomplish to achieve our goal of net-zero by 2050.”
Access the full 2023 Annual Impact report, along with individual companies’ progress reports.
