Outdoor Industry Association Releases New Tool to Help Companies Assess Chemicals Use

The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) Sustainability Working Group (SWG) has launched a pilot program to help companies identify and reduce the environmental impacts of their products. The Chemicals Management Framework is a roadmap for companies to analyze their chemical management processes and guide them toward improvement.

“This is the culmination of many years of work and collaboration among dozens of outdoor industry companies,” said Beth Jensen, director of corporate responsibility for OIA. “This tool was developed by and for the industry that will help companies closely examine chemical use in their supply chains and identify tangible steps to make improvements. We hope a diverse array of companies will participate in the pilot.”

Any company may participate in the pilot, which is designed to provide a testing ground for the Chemicals Management Framework and to gather feedback on how to make it better.

The Chemicals Management Framework provides a shared strategic guide for companies in the outdoor and fashion industries — and beyond — to better manage the chemicals they use to create products. The Chemicals Management Framework indicators will be integrated into the Higg Index, the tool that OIA developed in partnership with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), to bolster the chemicals management portion of the Index.

Feedback is due on the Chemicals Management Framework Pilot on June 1.