I’ve recently returned from the first Outdoor Retailer tradeshow in a couple years, and it was… weird. I’m not sure there’s another way to put it! The once 3-story, frenetic, and exhausting retail buying fiesta was about one quarter of its former size, and none of the big brands that were once staples of the event were present. While this was jarring and honestly a little troubling as a sign of the future for an industry that’s currently booming, it gave smaller brands and startups far more attention.
I took particular note of the rising influence of sustainability and demand for transparency in products that seemed to be bigger than ever in this already eco-minded industry. While many of my questions about sustainability were met with empty promises of “sustainability soon”, I also encountered quite a few brands that were taking their commitments seriously! Here are a few of my highlights.
First off, number one was Got Bags. This German company is just getting launched here in the states, with offices in Oregon (right down the road!). Got makes bags from recycled plastic, which, on its own, isn’t so unusual. But what really stood out for me was their radical transparency of their supply chain and vertical integration at a single source. Got pays fishermen in Indonesia to collect the plastic that gets caught in their nets, which is then turned into woven poly bags right there in Java. In order to make them water repellent, they’re using a DWR coating made from cashew shells – a bio-based additive that is lower impact than the synthetic chemical-rich coatings common in the industry. While it was clear that they were not yet fully circular (when I asked about end-of-life or repair considerations, they said none of their bags had broken yet), there was a clear commitment to using innovative and transparent materials and processes to minimize their impact. And to top it off, the price point was right on par with similar conventional products, making the sustainable choice easy to make.
Coalatree is a fun, hip brand offering “eco-minded” apparel and softgoods products that use some interesting new fabrics. They are using a material made from a mix of 7-11 coffee grounds and recycled plastic bottles. While certainly not C2C-style in any way, as they are mixing an organic with a technical product here that will not have an acceptable end-of-life solution, the result if this blend is a resistance to the dreaded stank that comes along with a lot of poly-blend technical apparel. Since 80% of a garment’s impact comes from washing and drying, this could be a major impact reducer if the messaging around the need to wash less was really put to the fore. They’ve also got a pretty interesting backstory — they began as an organic farm that wanted better workwear for their employees. I’d love to see them grow into a more robust story around user behavior and end-of-life care, but there is some interesting stuff happening here.
Hari Mari footwear was of interest to me because of their use of leather-alternatives, their give-back policy, and their complete lack of messaging about these efforts. Driving sales based on style, it was clear that their values took a backseat when it came to marketing, but was up front in product decisions. Their line of sandals includes styles made from cactus leather with recycle plastic soles, as well as vegetable tanned, chromium-free leathers. They donate 1% of all sales to assist families dealing with childhood cancers to afford treatment. Perhaps it’s their Texas-roots, but I was surprised that this wasn’t being communicated more widely to the Outdoor Retailer audience. My friend I was traveling with brought them into her store based on style and pricepoint, but it was their sustainability story that really sealed the deal for her. I was excited to see these materials being brought into a standard product line, even if it wasn’t overt.
I also spent some time with Equip, a Bentonville-based hammock and camping chair company that is starting to make strides in their product line. After chatting with their graphic and product designer for a bit, I learned that they Native line of recycled poly hammocks and chairs is their first foray into eco-minded products. There was less transparency here about where, exactly, these recycled fibers come from, it was pleased to hear that employees from the inside were leading the push toward low-impact products. They are able to offer this line at a very similar price point to their conventional products, with identical performance and fun style.
On the flip side, I did hear a lot of “we’re definitely working on making our line sustainable…” from numerous brands that I talked to. There is still far too much proliferation of disposable goods, cheaply made products, and focus completely on the bottom line, as opposed to the triple bottom line. We made a point of asking every brand we talked to what their sustainability efforts were, where their products are made, and how they’re moving toward sustainability. I hope that this makes some small impact on the folks at the show, knowing that retailers are looking for sustainability when making buying decisions.
Finally, the winner in terms of communication about environmental impact was, funnily enough, Oatly, an oat milk company from Scandinavia that was serving up dairy free soft serve at affogado happy hours. While by no means an outdoor brand, they made a big impact on me with their mini-sustainability report they were handing out. Major kudos to Oatly for radical transparency, a total lack of greenwashing, owning up to where they need to improve, and consideration of every aspect of their business. I’ll be making the switch to Oatly immediately based on what I saw.
My biggest takeaway from the show was that sustainability is still on the rise, and while some brands are not yet getting on the train, many newer startups are really building sustainable decision making into their business plans. Continuing to ask and push for this, and not just accept “it’s recycled” or “we’re working on it” as an answer will keep pushing things forward. As a bonus, the unexpectedly small turnout and low-key delivery of the show meant that it was noticeably lower waste than in previous years! Here’s hoping these trends continue.
:thumbsup:
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