Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) partnered with Cold, the provider of a sustainability management platform that employs AI to streamline compliance for outdoor and apparel brands, to bring its solution to more OIA members.
In response to regulatory rollback at the federal level, states are stepping in to fill the void by enacting their own environmental legislation, creating a patchwork of regulations that has become increasingly challenging for businesses to navigate. As a result, sustainability leaders are spending more and more of their time on compliance, which comes at a significant opportunity cost.
The partnership comes as Cold is rolling out an end-to-end extended producer responsibility (EPR) compliance solution for its customers, helping companies meet deadlines and requirements in Oregon, California and Colorado, with more states to follow.
“Manual compliance and reporting takes time and resources, which are precious commodities for small and midsize companies, especially in today’s challenging economic environment,” said Eric Dayton, Cold’s founder and CEO. “Cold solves this problem by centralizing and automating compliance so that business leaders can focus on the work that matters most.”
“In our conversations with OIA members, we consistently hear about the mounting pressure of compliance and reporting as they navigate new regulations,” said Julie Brown, OIA director of sustainable business innovation. “We have confidence in Cold’s solution to this challenge, and the feedback from our members who are already using the platform has been overwhelmingly positive.”
“As the pile of compliance requirements grow, I have found myself spending more time filling out reports than doing the actual work of making Peak a more sustainable company,” said Annie Nyborg, head of environmental and social impact with Peak Design, an OIA member. “Cold allows me to focus on driving progress while they take care of the reporting.”
Cold is backed by a strong team of advisors and investors with deep retail industry backgrounds, including Doug Baker (former CEO, Ecolab and director, Target), Michael Francis, (CMO, Target) and Archie Black (former CEO, SPS Commerce).
