Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing the use of renewable energy in supply chains is a goal that cannot be tackled by an individual brand or supplier. It requires collective action at a regional level. The Carbon Reduction Project aims to implement such a collaborative approach for the outdoor industry supply chain, lowering the hurdles for each individual project member.

The Carbon Reduction Project is a collaborative membership project led by the European Outdoor Group (EOG). Alongside Sympatex, various outdoor brands such as Deuter, Vaude, Haglöfs, Amer Sports, Equip and more have teamed up in two cohorts to target the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions within their supply chains.

The project is supported by two service providers: apparel impact institute and RESETcarbon.

There has never been more urgency to address climate change than now. The Carbon  Reduction Project is a collaborative approach to act and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and/or increase renewable energy usage within the outdoor industry supply chain. The program is aligned to the climate science recommendations that were set out in the Paris Agreement, namely, to measure emissions, identify hotspots, develop a plan, and take action.

In 2020, an initial pilot group of EOG member brands was convened, in 2022 more brands, including Sympatex, joined.

The project follows a 5-stage-process (Figure)

As a first step, EOG carries out a supplier mapping to identify shared suppliers of the project members and thus 1. increase their leverage to influence their suppliers to participate and 2. reduce the costs of the assessments and measures.

Secondly, a Supplier Roadmap is developed through a pre-screening process which identifies facilities with the greatest potential impact in terms of carbon reduction and/or renewable energy use.

Thirdly, Supplier Carbon Target Setting is delivered under the umbrella of the Apparel Impact Institute’s Carbon Leadership Program. Additionally the group worked closely with RESET Carbon which undertook the facility liaison, assessment and training role.

Finally, with support of the brands, the EOG and other relevant stakeholders, the participating supplier implement mitigation actions set out in their action plans.

Throughout the project and as a long-term task, suppliers report on their progress wherein brands monitor and track facility progress towards their targets.

The path to achieving corporate and global goals is not easy. It is a process of trial and error, a question of perseverance and the ability to analyze data collected in a complex environment. But what quickly became clear and is still the case: as a group, everything is much easier.

One of the key takeaways so far is related to supplier’s data. It shows that two-thirds of the reduction potential relates to coal phase out and switching to renewable electricity. It has to be kept in mind though that.

• Significant investment is required to phase out coal, however, there are potential technical solutions available.
• There is huge scope to make an impact by increasing the use of renewable electricity, but energy markets differ in terms of availability and cost.

More information about the cooperation

Background info EOG, Apparel Impact Institute & RESET Carbon

The European Outdoor Group (EOG) is an association that represents the common interests of the European outdoor industry. The EOG was founded in 2003 by 19 of the world’s largest outdoor companies, who recognised the need for a cohesive, cross border approach to representation of the outdoor sector. Now totalling over 100 members, the EOG manages or supports projects in areas such as market research, CSR and sustainability, events and shows, outdoor retail, engaging with politicians and legislators, promotion of outdoor activities to the general public, and more.

The Apparel Impact Institute (AII) is collaboration of brands, manufacturers and industry associations that have come together to select, fund and scale high-impact projects that measurably improve the sustainability outcomes of the apparel and footwear industry.

RESET Carbon is an Asia-focused Carbon Management Consultancy that supports corporate clients build robust carbon-reduction strategies and commercially driven end-to-end decarbonization solutions that drive meaningful results.

Contact to EOG

Verity Hardy
Sustainability Project Manager
verity.hardy@europeanoutdoorgroup.com
europeanoutdoorgroup.com