Suston Issue #3 2018

SUSTAINABLE OUTDOOR NEWS #3/ 2018

PREMIERE! First North American issue

A FRIENDLY

GIANT A look at America’s largest outdoor retailer

PLASTIC ARMAGEDDON And what’s being done to stop it

ECO MOUNTAIN A pilgrimage to the birthplace of eco-philosophy

PARTNER

PRESENTATIONS Like-minded partners share about the good things they do.

#3

CHINA’S NATIONAL PARKS

PUBLIC LANDS

PETA vs. RWS

Receive a much-needed rennovation

Was Bears Ears just the beginning?

Textile Exchange rejects criticism

BERNHARD KIEHL W.L. GORE, FABRICS DIVISION, SUSTAINABILITY

TODD COPELAND PATAGONIA, SUPPLY CHAIN ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY MANAGER

VALERIE BONE PMI STANLEY, DIRECTOR, CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY 2 – suston

MATT THURSTON REI, DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY, BRAND STEWARDSHIP & IMPACT

DANIELLE CRESSWELL KLEAN KANTEEN, SENIOR SUSTAINABILITY MANAGER

MEREDITH BOYD UNIFI MANUFACTURING, VP OF SALES

JAMES ROGERS THE NORTH FACE, DIRECTOR, SUSTAINABILITY

OIA SUSTAINABILITY WORKING GROUP ADVISORY COUNCIL

The OIA Sustainability Working Group Advisory Council sets the vision and guides the work of the Sustainability Working Group, which includes more than 200 outdoor industry companies working together to identify and scale best supply chain practices in environmental and social responsibility. Their leadership helps define the scope of the group’s collaborative work and ensures OIA’s Sustainable Business Innovation team is focusing its efforts to address the industry’s most pressing sustainability issues.

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PHOTO: STÉPHANE ROBIN

26

12 News

The latest in outdoor sustainability.

16 Recycling

Jeffrey Provencal brings recycling from Switzerland to Ghana.

What are microplastics and micro­ fibers? And what is being done about marine plastic pollution?

22 Public Lands

A look back at Bears Ears, and where the outdoor community is taking the fight next.

T

Gabriel Arthur, Editor-in-chief

34 18 Plastics

Let’s do this ­together his is the first issue of Suston to be published in USA and Canada, in partnership with Outdoor R ­ etailer in Denver. But the very first issue was launched in January 2017 at the European fair ISPO Munich. Since then, we have spread ­sustainable outdoor news to the industry in Europe, including roughly 2,000 retailers.

When we launched the magazine in 2017, the vision was clear: with Suston, we want to help push the outdoor community to become more sustainable by providing both know­ ledge and inspiration. Our editorial team has been covering outdoor, environmental issues and CSR for over ten years, and we see that there is an information gap between those at the forefront of the industry on the one hand, and many end consumers and outdoor enthusiasts on the other. There are so many positive, yet complex, things going on. We want Suston to be a channel where the good teams, cases and projects become both seen and heard – and to thereby help lead the international outdoor community forward.

This is why it is such a great feeling to now launch Suston in North America, with ­support from the Outdoor Industry ­Association. We all know that environmental problems and hazards know no borders – but I’m convinced that the same is true of posi­ tive forces and solutions.

PHOTO: MAGNUS LUNDGREN/WILD WONDERS OF CHINA

EDITORIAL & CONTENTS

26 China’s National Parks

The Middle Kingdom’s massive ­national park system – reinvented.

30

30 Retailer

American giant REI making waves worldwide.

34 Wool sourcing

Ovis 21 and the aftermath of 2015’s media storm. Textile Exhange and PETA debate the merits of ­Responsible Wool Standard.

40 The Philosopher’s Stone?

Alpinism, ecology and philosophy on Norway’s national mountain.

46 Partner presentation

Bluesign shares the story of its origins and how the system works.

40

54 Program

Sustainability-themed events at ­Outdoor Retailer Winter Market.

Suston Editor-in-chief: Gabriel Arthur, gabriel.arthur@norragency.com Editor: Jonathan Frænkel-Eidse, jonathan.eidse@norragency.com Art director: Susan Larsen & Melanie Haas Layout: Pär Ljung Partner cooperation and sales: Karen Hensel, karen.hensel@norragency.com Cover illustration: Nadia Nörbom

Editorial advisory board: Beth Jensen, Cira Riedel, Joel Svedlund Suston is published by NORR Agency. norragency.com, info@norragency.com +46 8 462 0707 Metargatan 11 116 66 Stockholm, Sweden sustonmagazine.com

suston – 5

OBSERVATION

Great Trail Celebrates First Birthday

BY JONATHAN FRAENKEL-EIDSE PHOTO CEDRIC AND MAGEE

How does one celebrate the first birthday of Canada’s newest crown jewel, the Great Trail? With a ridiculously huge treasure hunt, of course! At 24,000 km (15,000 mi.), the newly completed multi-use trail is now the longest recreational trail in the world, exceeding the previous title-­holder (Grand Italian Trail) by a factor of four.

One-hundred treasure chests were placed along its whopping length. Do the math, and that adds up to about one little box every 240 km (150 mi.). A needle in a hay­ stack suddenly sounds like good odds, eh?

The hunt started on August 26, and to give treasure hunters a fighting chance they were provided with two months and weekly clues as to the treasure chests’ where­ abouts.

In case exploring Canada’s spectacular wildernesses was not incentive enough, outdoor retailer Mountain Equipment Co-op, Keen Footwear and several others sponsored the event with prizes for the lucky few who first found the treasure boxes. Latecomers could still cast their name into a draw, with the grand-prize winner receiving a trip for two with One Ocean Expeditions.

But the real treasure is still out there waiting to be ­discovered. Visitors and local “Canucks” can find enough hiking, biking, horseback riding and paddling routes along the Great Trail to last a lifetime. The trail stretches from the coasts of the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans and winds through the towering Rocky Mountains, endless ­Prairies, frozen tundra, and forests and lakes of the ­Canadian Shield in between.

OBSERVATION

Going Green to Stay White

BY JONATHAN FRAENKEL-EIDSE PHOTO GRANT GUNDERSON

The California ski resort Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows is about to reach the goal of using 100 percent ­renewable electricity – putting it 27 years ahead of the state’s official deadline.

The resort had already been chipping away at its carbon footprint for a few years, with innovative initiatives like POW Parking – a partnership with Protect Our Winters that reserved the resort’s best parking spots for carpool­ ers of three or more passengers, free of charge.

This latest accomplishment was achieved by purchasing Green Tariffs from a solar generation plant in Nevada, which resulted in building out new solar capacity. In taking this step, the resort will reduce its total carbon footprint by nearly half, and thanks to its size it will take a leading role in accelerating the transition to renewables in the region. Squaw Valley will also employ a nearby Tesla battery facility to back-up their renewable supply, lower­ ing the risk of using fossil-fuel-based energy from the grid during periods of high use, blackouts, and during the night when the solar plant is not generating.

This is just the latest development in a trend that is seeing more and more ski resorts amping up their efforts to ­reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The smaller resort Wolf Creek Ski Area, located in Colorado, became the first fully solar-powered ski resort in the US earlier this year, and the big resorts are also setting the bar high. Aspen ­Skiing ­Company, for example, has reached 24 million ­kilowatt hours from its own renewable energy utilities and Vail R ­ esorts has pledged to achieve zero carbon ­emissions by 2030.

OBSERVATION

A Farewell to the South Peak

BY MATS NYMAN PHOTO EMMA SVENSSON

Sweden’s highest mountain, Kebnekaise, consists of two summits connected by a thin ridgeline: South and North peak. Ever since measurements began, the South peak has been the highest thanks to its ice cap, and has been officially registered as 2,103m (6,900ft). But climate change has made the ice cap – and thus the peak – begin to shrink. After this record-warm summer, on August 1st it was a­ nnounced that the rocky North Peak, is now Swe­ den’s highest point at 2,097m (6,880ft).

Just a few days before the announcement, the Swedish fashion photographer and adventurer Emma Svensson climbed both of Kebnekaise’s peaks – dressed in a special­ lydesigned superhero costume. This was her second-last ex­ pedition in her project “49 Peaks,” where she became the first person to climb the highest points of every European country within one year. The previous record for this ­challenge was 835 days. After Kebnekaise, she finished up with a stroll up Luxemburg’s highest hill. But her world-­ record took on a somewhat melancholy twist when the news of Sweden’s melted highest top broke out: “As an individual, one should always try to effect change and make the right choices. But to solve impend­ ing climate crises and the consequences they will involve – water shortages, drought, floods, climate refugees etc. – then we need global cooperation,” says Emma Svensson.

NEWS

“What would Arne Næss have done?”

Discover the mountain where Norwegian big wall climbing was born – and Eco-Philosophy. > Read more on page 40.

“NOWHERE NEAR ON TRACK”

THINGS JUST GOT a little easier for those who have a soft spot for the planet but can’t decide what cause to support. With the My Planet Pass, it’s now possible to support a range of environmental NGOs in one package, including 1% for the Planet, Protect Our ­Winters (POW), TreeSisters, National Forest Foundation and Save the Waves Coalition. Of course, in addition to doing the planet a solid, passholders will also receive the exclusive benefits that membership in each NGO entails. onepercentfortheplanet.org

40 916 175 THE NUMBER OF TREES planted by Ecosia the day before we send Suston to printing. This international search engine has been around since 2009, and became the first German B Corporation. The income from online advertising on Ecosia goes to planting trees all over the world – perhaps making it one of the easiest ways to do the right thing. ecosia.org 12 – suston

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UNPRECEDENTED, BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE

Another report titled Exponential Climate Action Roadmap highlighted the many unexpected, exponential growth trajectories such as solar and wind energy as cases in point, and concludes that we can reduce emissions by around 70% with the diffusion of existing technologies along with behavior change. This process, however, must be accelerated through climate leadership, policy and exponential technology.

POSITIVE ARCTIC ENERGY

SVARTISEN IS NORWAY’S second largest glacier and is met with increasing numbers of tourists each year. As one of the country’s most renowned national treasures, many visitors are hoping to do more than just pass by. Soon they won’t have to. Combining cutting-edge sustainable design and first-class luxury, Svart Hotel is set to open at the foot of the glacier in 2021. The hotel is designed by Norway’s foremost architect firm, Snøhetta, and once built will become the world’s first energy-positive hotel above the Arctic Circle, meaning it produces more energy than it uses. snohetta.com

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK

Attention Joiners!

While the fact that 197 countries have now ratified the Paris Agreement is a feat in itself, according to the latest UN report governments are “nowhere near on track” to meet the pact’s target of keeping global warming under 1.5C above preindustrial levels and avoid catastrophic climate change. It found that the global average has already increased by 1C, and the scale of the effort required is unprecedented.

FASHION CHARTER FOR CLIMATE ACTION

A NEW INITIATIVE called the “Fashion Charter for Climate Action” was announced at the Textile Exchange conference in Milan, Italy. The charter is the result of a partnership with several apparel brands, industry stakeholders and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and contains commitments that aim to align the fashion industry with the goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050. textileexchange.org

NEWS

PATAGONIA ENDORSES FIRST SENATE CANDIDATES

EU bans disposable plastics by 2021 ON OCTOBER 24, the European Parliament made history by voting to ban the sale of a long list of disposable plastics by 2021. These items include plastic plates, cutlery, straws, balloon sticks, cotton buds and expanded polystyrene food containers.

In addition, manufacturers of cigarette butts and fishing equipment will be held responsible to “cover the costs of waste collection for those products, including transport, treatment and litter collection.” europarl.europa.eu

RESPONSIBLE MARKET THE OR WINTER MARKET. IS NOT only filled with info and events covering what various brands are doing with ­regards to sustainability – Outdoor Retailer has taken steps to reduce the fair’s environmental impact as well.

For example, while the Colorado Convention Center itself has a 300-kw rooftop Solar Array, Outdoor ­Retailer has purchased renewable energy certificates to offset 576 hours of standard power usage. This equals roughly 1.3 million pounds of CO2 removed from the ­atmosphere. Other initiatives include an OR-ganic café offering organic food options, and a carbon neutral travel program for guests traveling to the show.

Also, flip to the sustainability events calendar on page 54 to see which events you need to check out at the show in Denver!

After taking on the White House in its “The President Stole Your Land” campaign last December, Patagonia entered local level politics by endorsing its first senate candidate, Montana Democrat Jon Tester. “We are supporting Jon Tester because he gives a damn about protecting public lands—and, like us, he’s committed to fight back against anyone who doesn’t,” Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard said in a statement.

DIVERSIFYING MEC’S MARKETING

More and more research finds that people of diverse ethnic backgrounds are active in the outdoors – why hasn’t outdoor marketing caught on? This is the question Judith Kasiama asked Mountain Equipment Co-op on her Instagram feed.

MEC’s CEO David Labistour ...soon issued an apology and a promise in an open letter: “We’ve let our members down … I promise that moving forward, we will make sure we’re inspiring and representing the diverse community that already exists in the outdoors.”

A LICENSE TO DO BUSINESS

W

hile the outdoor industry’s fight to protect public lands in the U.S. has been getting plenty of attention over the past several years, there is also the other, often overlooked angle into the conser­ vation discussion: how might the manufacturing of gear we use to recreate actually be harming the very lands we are seeking to protect?

As many are acutely aware, supply chains are enormously complex and globally dispersed. M ­ aking change within this system is a true ­challenge, one that an individual company can hardly address alone at the level of scale n ­ eeded.

But for over ten years, the members of the Outdoor Industry Association Sustainability Working Group (OIA SWG)—product designers, quality managers, sustainability professionals, and others—have put aside the competitive mindset to develop solutions to the industry’s shared supply chain challenges, with the ultimate goal of reducing the industry’s impacts on the environment and ensuring that workers and animals are treated well.

I think we have reached a tipping point in this work. The OIA SWG spent most of the past decade aligning on shared definitions of supply chain “best practices” that did not yet exist, then collaboratively creating the tools that would be necessary to implement them.

However, the outdoor industry’s sustainability leadership can no longer solely rest on the number of tools and standards created. We must now show proof that we are actually reducing or eliminating the impacts we set out to address. It’s time for the entire industry to prioritize broad adoption of the shared best practices, then measurement of tangi­ ble progress, as a “license to do business.”

While we don’t have it all figured out, we’re working on it—together—and in the process, prov­ ing that business can indeed be a force for good.

Beth Jensen, Senior Director of Sustainable Business Innovation for Outdoor Industry Association suston – 13

NEWS

VF Corp introduces new traceability tool VF CORPORATION (parent company to The North Face, Timberland, Icebreaker and SmartWool among others), has i­ ntroduced a new online tool that allows its customers to easily follow the supply chain of a selection of VF’s most popular products.

Providing full traceability to even a l­ imited selection is no easy feat with today’s complex supply chains.

“The amount of effort needed to fully map the supply chain of a single product, and build verified data for each supplier, is not a simple task,” says Shanel Orton, VF’s ­traceability manager.

“This includes ­mapping where we acquire raw ­materials such as cotton and rubber, to the various factories that manufacture and produce a finished product, to the distribution ­centers from where the product is shipped.” The aim is to ensure every step in the production meets VF’s standards of quality, sustainability and social responsibility.

The interactive maps, available on VF’s sustainability website, provide customers with an overview of their

Following four years of research, PrimaLoft announces the world’s first biodegradable synthetic insulation: PrimaLoft Bio. The company claims it can be almost completely consumed by microbes that naturally occur in landfills and oceans.

The resulting residues are only organic components including water, methane, carbon dioxide and biomass. To top it off, Bio is also 100% made from recycled content.

primaloft.com

product’s supply chain and enables them to zoom in on individual suppliers to get a close-up on their operations, review the latest inspection results and read associate interviews.

“These maps tell a powerful story about how our ­products are made. We can use this information to continually improve our supply chain footprint,” says Shanel Orton.

SINCE 2011, THE FOUNDATION Rewilding Europe has identified areas where wildlife and biodiversity easily could make a comeback, often because people are moving away. The foundation’s philosophy is that nature knows best when it comes to survival and self-governance. Yet the systems are often damaged, so Rewilding Europe works on creating the right conditions – like by removing dykes and dams to free up rivers, by stopping active management of wildlife populations, by allowing natural forest regeneration, and by reintroducing species that have disappeared as a result of man’s actions etc. Today, Rewilding Europe is running their projects all across Europe. This October, the organization could welcome its 66th network member, Life Primed. This EU-funded project will work on the rewilding and restoration of the Palo Laziale woods in central Italy, and the delta of the Nestos River in Greece – both of them Natura 2000 sites. rewildingeurope.com 14 – suston

BIODEGRADABLE INSULATION BY PRIMALOFT

TRANSPARENT ON NEW ZEALAND

Apparrel brand Icebreaker was awarded with the Outdoor Industry Award at Europe’s second-largest industry fair during summer 2018. It received the prize for its “Transparency Report,” as part of their efforts in creating an ethical and sustainable company. “We’re not perfect, but we’re proud over what we’ve achieved,” the company writes in response to the prize.

icebreaker.com

THE dAm TRUTH (ALL dAMS ARE dIRTY)

WE NEED HEALTHY RIVERS

DAMS AND DIVERSIONS: WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

Accessible fresh water constitutes less than 1% of the world’s total water supply and needs protection to help sustain all life.

Dams block rivers and impound water in reservoirs.

Diversions can draw large amounts of water from a river, leaving the existing riverbed dry. Both are devastating to ecosystems and the people who live within them.

CLEAN, GREEN HYDROPOWER DAMS ARE A MYTH Hydropower is the only “renewable” energy source sending species to extinction, displacing people globally, and contributing to climate change.

DAMS HARM ECOSYSTEMS AND EXACERBATE CLIMATE CHANGE

DAMS KILL FISH AND WILDLIFE Dams have contributed to an average freshwater wildlife population decline of 81% since 1970, with some species even sent to extinction.

SAVE THE BLUE

Dams and river-draining diversions cause greenhouse gas emissions and make humans, ecosystems and species less able to adapt to a changing climate.

HEART OF EUROPE

TELL INTERNATIONAL BANKS TO STOP INVESTING IN THE DESTRUCTION OF EUROPE’S LAST WILD RIVERS PATAGONIA.COM/BLUEHEART

© 2018 Patagonia, Inc.

#TheDamTruth

suston – 15

PHOTO: STÉPHANE ROBIN

RECYCLING

S E L C IR C E IV IT S O P G IN T A CRE “one person’s trash l, ca en ov Pr rey Jeff r eu en pr tre en e For th just a cliché – it’s a an th re mo is e” ur as tre n’s rso pe r he is anot sustainable business opportunity.

TEXT JONATHAN FRAENKEL-EIDSE

16 – suston

PHOTOS: CHRISTINE BENZ

RECYCLING

“I

was born in Switzerland to Ghanaian parents. I recall my trips to Ghana growing up, where I would wonder how Switzerland could be so clean and Ghana was struggling with the rapidly growing volumes of waste,” recalls Jeffrey Provencal over the phone in Ghana’s capital, Accra.

This question persisted and, years later, his bachelor’s thesis would evolve into a business plan that he realised might actually work.

“I figured all that remained was to either shut up about it, or get out there and see how far I could get.”

The goal was to create an environmentally, socially and financially sustainable enterprise that also tackled Ghana’s rampant PET waste problem.

“Not so long ago, it was common to pack food in banana leaves, which could be discarded on the ground after use – today, plastic is treated the same way, only PET bottles take 450 years to disintegrate.”

From the ivory tower of the University of Applied Science in Zurich to the refuse heaps of Ghana’s capitol, Accra, Jeffrey Provencal faced a steep learning curve.

“I started out in the open air next to the landfill, collecting the bottles myself.”

He then enlisted a group of savvy resource ­collectors whose livelihoods were already based on scouring the landfills.

“Their expertise and efficiency proved invalu­ able to the project’s success, and they in turn gained health care and social security benefits as ­employees.”

Hidden value of waste

After the PET bottles are collected, they are then sorted and machined into flakes. The flakes in turn are transported to a European client, who then reprocesses the flakes into pellets that are re-inte­ grated into the production cycle.

“I take every opportunity to promote PET waste as something with value. I’m a walking model of recycled PET bottles – my shorts, my backpack – people freak out when I explain to them that the soccer jerseys they’re wearing are made of polyes­ ter, which is just another word for PET.” Three years in and Jeffrey Provencal’s start-up company Repatrn is preparing to move from the pilot phase and into industrial scale production – from 20 tonnes PET to 800 tonnes. That’s roughly 63 million bottles out of the landfill and back into the circular economy. Per month.

“We’re currently working on a project with a fabric developer to turn our flakes into yarn to be sold to major outdoor brands. Once we can showcase the full cycle from bottle to product, perceptions will be changed for good!”

The company Repatrn uses the expertise of the collectors, who supply the project with PET bottles gleaned from landfills in Accra, Ghana.

repatrn.com

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MICROPLASTICS

Facts you should know about

microplastics We are becoming increasingly aware of the problems caused by microplastics. Suston provides a quick lesson on the subject.

BY GABRIEL ARTHUR ILLUSTRATIONS NADIA NÖRBOM

What are microplastics and where do they come from?

Microplastics are defined as tiny frag­ ments of plastic measuring from 1 to 5 mm. They can be formed uninten­ tionally when plastic objects begin to wear and shed particles, or when we do not reuse, recycle or dispose of plastic materials correctly so the plastic ends up in landfills, gradually breaking down into smaller and smaller pieces in nature.

There is also plastic that is manufactured as tiny pellets or grains. Currently, the primary sources of this are roads and tires, artificial turf, industry, boat bottom paint and general litter.

What are microfibers and microbeads?

When talking about plastic pollution, fragments that are smaller than 1 mm are called microfibers. Microfibers can come from fishnets, plastic items that are subjected to wear and so on, but more and more research shows that a primary source of microfibers in nature is synthetic clothing—polyester, nylon, rayon and more. Microbeads are used as a functional ingredient in many skin care products, such as body scrubs. A handful of countries, including the United States and Canada, have banned the use of microbeads in recent years.

How do microplastics end up in ­waterways and oceans?

Research shows that the majority of all plastic in the world’s oceans comes from less affluent countries where the rivers are often used as garbage dumps.

Plastic is carried out to sea and is gradually ground down to smaller and smaller particles. But richer countries, too, contribute significant amounts of plastic pollution. Because microplastics and ­microfibers are so small, they pass through sewage treatment plants and eventually end up in the sea.

Are microplastics toxic?

There are different kinds of plastic, and not all are harmful to health. PVC is considered an environmentally harmful plastic (which more and more companies are trying to phase out of their produc­ tion), while polyethylene is considered a less harmful type. The big problem is really the substances that are added to the plastic to give it certain character­ istics. For example, plastic softeners, which later leach out of the plastic and harm the environment. We already know that additives such as bisphenol can disrupt human and animal hor­ mone production, as do certain types of phthalates.

Are fleece garments a major source of microfibers?

It was previously thought that fleece garments made of polyester were the pri­ mary source of microfibers, but in fact all garments made of synthetic fibers shed a certain amount of plastic. Unbrushed fleece is better than brushed.

How can I help to reduce emissions of microplastics?

Wash your synthetic garments less often—air them out instead. When you do wash, use low temperatures, full loads, and hang dry afterwards. Dispose of lint in the garbage bin, not down the drain.

Laundry bags like Guppy Friend can help prevent microplastics getting into the rinse water. Avoid cheaply made, “fast fashion” garments. Otherwise, reduce your use of plastic in your daily life and recycle the plastic you do use.

suston – 19

ENVIRONMENT

Activist from Nordic Ocean Watch cleaning a Norwegain surf beach.

From the floating masses of plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean to the microfibers covering sediment along our shorelines and entering the food chain – awareness is growing that marine plastic pollution must cease. Suston lists five inspiring solutions.

BY JONATHAN FRAENKEL-EIDSE & GABRIEL ARTHUR

F

irst, the American reporter and author Susan Casey was ­awarded for her story “Our Oceans Are Turning to Plas­ tic …Are You?” highlighting the impact marine p ­ lastic pollution is having on planetary and ­human health. Next, there was that ­darkly captivating ­photograph of a seahorse carrying a Q-tip. Soon, plastic waste-filled ­cadavers of whales began washing up on shore, followed by news that plastic had ­entered the food chain – it had entered us. Swirling plastic garbage patches larger than countries and reports warning that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean by mass than fish …

Seemingly coming from nowhere, these almost apocalyptic realities have

20 – suston

finally penetrated our collective thick skull: humanity has yet another dire catastrophe to deal with. But people are taking action. What follows are five inspiring examples on how activists, ­businesses and nations are working ­together to find solutions.

1

Collect before it’s too late

The Ocean Cleanup concept first appeared on the public radar in 2012, when Boyan Slat proposed his idea before a TEDx audience. Stating that the bulk of marine plastics is currently floating near the ocean surface, he made a compelling argument for the need to capture it now before it breaks down into microplastic.

To do so, he proposed a long, u-shaped floating barrier and underwater skirt that

would use the forces of the wind and waves to collect floating plastic debris.

The plastic would then be shipped back to land, whereupon it could be recycled and sold to fully finance the project. If the system worked and was scaled up, half of the plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage patch could be cleaned up in just five years, and 90% of the world’s floating marine plastic by 2050.

Boyan Slat was just a 17-year-old Dutch student at the time. So, while the TED audience certainly adored his youthful charm and optimism, few likely believed the project would actually ever see the Pacific Ocean.

But never under­estimate the opti­ mism of youth! At press time, CEO of The Ocean Cleanup Foundation Boyan

PHOTO: MADS OFTEDAL SCHWENCKE, NORDIC OCEAN WATCH

Save Our Seas

2

PHOTO: MADS OFTEDAL SCHWENCKE, NORDIC OCEAN WATCH

1

PHOTO: THE OCEAN CLEANUP

3

Slat (now 22) and his 600-meter-long (2,000 ft) prototype are en route to the Great Pacific Garbage patch. theoceancleanup.com

2

American Promise

That’s the name of the 60´ sailing ­research vessel – claimed to be the ­greenest of its kind – helping the NGO Rozalia Project on their ongoing mis­ sion to measure ocean health in New ­England’s coastal waters. American Promise is equipped with remotely operated vehicles capable of diving down to 1000ft, a seabed imaging sonar, a sidescan sonar for imaging the ocean water itself, a lab and much more. But the Rozalia Project doesn’t just do research, they’re also ­taking action with a series of beach ­clean-up projects each year in New England.

Now, the Rozalia team has developed their own solution to stop microfibers at a key source. Their Cora Ball is a colorful ball that can be placed into the wash­ ing machine where it tumbles around ­together with the laundry, picking up those little pieces of microfiber and ­capturing them in its stalks. rozaliaproject.org, coraball.com

3

Let’s all say Tavaha! in 2019

While composed of light-hearted, wave-loving surfers, the Norwegian ­nonprofit organization Nordic Ocean Watch (NOW) takes their ­responsibility seriously, organizing educational events, documentary screenings and good old fashion litter clean-up days, both on the beach and underwater.

NOW’s greatest deed, however, may be their contribution to our vocabulary.

Get ready to learn a new word, one not (yet) found in any dictionary: Tavaha.

Destined to become the Nordic surfer’s response to Aloha! it is also the embodi­ ment of a simple yet compelling philoso­ phy, to ta vare på havet (literally ‘take care of the ocean’).

NOW explains that this expression “encompasses unity, understanding and solidarity across borders, generations and cultures. The ocean is what connects the world. It has always taken care of us and we cannot live without it. It’s time we return the favor.” nordicoceanwatch.no

4

Joint industry initiative

There are many unknowns when it comes to microfiber pollution. Key data gaps still remain around the sources, causes, and fates of microfiber ­pollution and there are currently no harmonized standards to measure shed rates of ­fabrics and fibers. These unknowns make it difficult for companies to make informed decisions around materials and products to drive reduced shed rates.

The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) and the European Outdoor Group (EOG), collectively representing over 1,500 companies, recognize the ­outdoor industry’s potential contribu­ tion to microfiber pollution. They also ­recognize that by working together, solutions can come much faster. That’s why OIA (Sustainability Working Group ­Microfibers Task Force) and EOG ­(Microfibre Consortium) are proactively

coordinating groups of member compa­ nies to pool funds to fill these data gaps and develop shedding test methodologies and standards.

Through their collaborative efforts, the OIA and EOG are taking respons­ibility to facilitate research and implement appropriate solutions that are based on sound science.

OIA: outdoorindustry.org/sustainable-­ business/microfibers EOG: microfibreconsortium.com

5

Trash talk in high places

If we are to drastically cut marine plastic pollution, litter-picking, float­ ing barriers and research alone will not suffice: politicians around the world need to take action. Fortunately, awareness is also reaching the upper echelons of political leadership.

The United Nations has helped propel the issue to the forefront of the global agenda, with UN’s Head of Environment Programme Erik Solheim announcing that “we need to phase out what we don’t need, make what we do need with better materials, and recycle all the plastics that we use.” Subsequently, a meeting held in parallel with the UN General Assembly this September saw the launch of the Global Plastics Plat­ form, with the goal to ­provide support to nations already actively combating plastic waste, to learn from them and to use their ­experiences to engage other nations. According to Solheim, we must collectively take action now in order to avoid “an ocean Armageddon.”

unep.org/environmentassembly

suston – 21

The outdoor community’s rally of support for public lands has been dubbed the “tip of the spear.” A year has now passed and it’s time to take stock. The outdoor industry remains unquestionably united in an uproar without precedent, but why here, why now and where will this spear thrust next?

BY JONATHAN FRÆNKEL-EIDSE

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PHOTO: ADRIEL HEISEY

UNITED IN UPROAR

ACTIVISM

What just happened?

Outdoor is an industry that is perhaps unrivalled in its dependence on the conservation of wild spaces. Therefore, it should come as no sur­ prise then that it is responding as though its life depends on it. In a sense, it does. Looking back on this last year, Executive Director of Outdoor Industry ­Association (OIA) Amy Roberts reflects: “The fight over Bears Ears galvanized the outdoor industry like never before. Public lands enthusiasts of all political stripes suddenly real­ ized our national heritage could be under threat and came together as hunters, anglers, hikers and mountain bikers to speak up for one of our great­ est national ideals, our system of public lands.”

In south-eastern Utah, the two large sandstone mesas called the Bears Ears have served as a sacred landmark to the Native Americans for ages, and had more recently gained fame for hosting several first-rate rock-climbing sites and a myriad of running and mountain bike trails. Following a strong lobbying effort, of which the outdoor industry played a key role, this unique area finally gained protection in 2016 when President Obama established a new National Monument here.

The victory was short-lived. Shortly after the Trump administration took office in 2017, it de­ clared the intention to reduce public lands across the country, opening them up to fossil fuel com­ panies, mining and other commercial activities.

Pouncing on the opportunity, a Utah congressional delegation requested that President Trump roll back protections for the newly designated Bears Ears Monument.

Farewell, Salt Lake City Catching whiff of this in spring 2017, a handful of outdoor companies took initiative and pleaded with Utah’s governor to reconsider, but he was res­ olute. The outdoors industry hadn’t made much of

a fuss before, so who could blame him for betting that they would give up and get back to making gloves and such.

Not this time. Concealed beneath the recycled polyester glove was an iron fist that Patagonia, Arc’teryx, The North Face, Polartec and REI were first to brandish, following through with their threat to boycott the semi-annual Outdoor ­Retailer trade show, Utah’s largest and worth roughly $45 million to the local economy. Many other brands large and small quickly followed suit, and Outdoor Retailer announced it would be say­ ing farewell to Salt Lake City, its home for the last 21 years, to relocate to Denver, Colorado in 2018.

Meanwhile in Washington, Bears Ears’ fate was already being determined by the bureaucrats. De­ spite the industry’s best efforts, which generated more than 4 million comments to the Department of Interior—95% in favor of keeping the mon­ ument intact—the cause was ultimately dealt a serious blow. On December 4th, President Trump signed a proclamation in favor of reducing the Bears Ears monument by 85%—from 1.5 million acres to a mere 228,784 acres.

Drawing the next battle lines Despite losing the battle the war rages on, though now largely out of the limelight as the fray moves into the courtrooms. It also should be stated that in losing Bears Ears, the resulting mobilization of the outdoor community is believed to have saved numerous other national monuments from a similar fate. Yet new fields of outdoor industry activism are ­already emerging, indicating that this might be more than just a passing trend: “One less high-profile—but as important—issue is the fact that Congress is not adequately funding

The current monument area covering 228,784 acres. The original boundary encompassing 1.5 million acres is traced with the dotted line.

MAP: STEPHANIE SMITH

A

s outfitter to adventurers and ex­ plorers of wild spaces, the outdoor industry is uniquely positioned to raise awareness of conservation issues. Certainly, several brands and industry organizations have acted as conservation advocates for years, but without broadcasting their standpoints in any sig­ nificant manner outside the outdoor community.

This all changed with the battle over Bears Ears, where television and radio ads, website and social media awareness campaigns, petitions, lobbying and legal actions combined to resemble a fullblown Greenpeace campaign. Yet the people lead­ ing the charge were not hardened activists: they were the people behind your favorite backpack.

A year has passed, so perhaps it’s time for some sober reflection.

PHOTO: JOSH EWING

Ancient dwellings frame the twinformation that gives the monument its namesake, the Bears Ears.

our public lands system,” explains Amy Roberts, referring to the ongoing advocacy efforts to re-authorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) that remains expired at press time.

The LWCF previously provided US $900 million annually to public lands.

“Our industry is also very active around ­encouraging people to get educated on the issues and then register to vote, in promoting informed consumer choices with regards to ­sustainability as well as calling for action on cli­ mate change.”

A cry for leadership In an era where identity branding meets environ­ mental crises, many of the most sustainable brands are used by eco-conscious consumers to identify themselves to their tribes. If brands already serve as the banners around which we rally and have raised the call to arms, can we—and should we—then expect them to lead the charge into battle?

Of course, not everybody is jumping on the band­ wagon. Taking a stand in the public lands debate has undoubtedly cost those who have raised their voices countless customers who would rather that their apparel producers simply stay out of politics. But on the other hand let’s face it, when CSR begins to look the same from one company to the next, going the extra mile remains the best bet of standing out from the crowd. And while it’s certainly not riskfree, companies that effectively communicate their environmental leadership have much to gain.

At any rate whether we like it or not, the outdoor industry has both assumed, and been endowed with, a responsibility, and it doesn’t look like it’s

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going away any time soon. “We have learned that our voices matter and that our customers expect our brands to make their voices heard on issues of conservation,” says Amy Roberts.

After a year of victories and defeats, the out­ door community is beginning to appreciate the ­limitations of its own arsenal and the relative strength of their opponents. But faced with a turn­ ing point where elected officials and t­ raditional institutions seem to be impotent or downright ­adversarial when it comes to environmental protection, people are sure to start looking for leadership elsewhere.

WHAT IS A NATIONAL MONUMENT? In the US, a National Monument is a protected area similar to a National Park. Any land owned or controlled by the Federal government that fall under “historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest” can be so designated by either Presidential proclamation or Congressional legislation, based on powers from the Antiquities Act of 1906. Its use has been contentious since its inception, as this power allows the President to circumvent Congress. During his presidency period, Obama created or expanded 34 national monuments, more than any president before him. There are currently 129 National Monuments.

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The plan to make ten huge national parks around China has rolled out. But nature conservancy is nothing new to China.

In fact, one could argue this is where it all began.

BY GABRIEL ARTHUR

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PHOTO: MAGNUS LUNDGREN/WILD WONDERS OF CHINA

CHINA’S NATIONAL PARKS REINVENTED

NATURE CONSERVANCY

zones in the Ningxia autonomous region, and that administrators at Henan’s Xiaoqinling National Nature Reserve were reprimanded for allowing mining companies to dump more than 20 million tons of waste in protected areas.

In other instances, the authorities have had common goals of protecting nature but com­ pletely different solutions. Take for example the case of the previous nature reserve Sanji­ angyuan, covering 123,000 square kilometers in Qinghai, and the home to the headwaters of the great rivers Yangtze, Mekong and the Yellow River. According to Caixing Global, the area was previously managed by a local agricultural department, and at the same time by a forestry authority. When the agricultural department paid local farmers to tend to the grassland and to build and maintain fences separating their plots, the forestry authority, tasked with protecting endangered species, paid the same local residents to remove these fences or lower their height to protect the Przewalski’s gazelle.

Now, Sanjiangyuan will be the first national park within the centralized park system.

Left: Mountains in Tangjiahe National Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province in China.

Below: A Golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus), in the same area.

PHOTO: STAFFAN WIDSTRAND/WILD WONDERS OF CHINA

O

n September 26 last year, China officially unveiled the overall plan for establishing its new national park system in what may prove to be the biggest conservation news of the century. This was not a mere side project from some department far down in the hierarchy. The plan was jointly published by the general offices of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the State Council as part of C ­ hina’s broader effort to go from an industrial­ ized to an “ecological civilization.”

“This marks the completion of the top-level design of the national park system and the begin­ ning of the next stage of substantial construction” pronounced Wang Yi, deputy head of the Institute of Science and Development at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

A public statement reads that by 2020, the country will complete pilot programs for estab­ lishing national parks, following the principle of “ecological protection first.” Aiming to protect China’s large natural ecosystems, the national parks will be set up in specific land, marine and ocean areas to achieve a combination of ecological protection and sustainable development. The country has set up 10 pilot programs, covering the Sanjiangyuan (the source of China’s three major rivers), giant panda habitats and the Great Wall.

Also, the central government has ordered all its provinces and regions to establish an ecological “red line” that will place such designated regions under “mandatory and rigorous protection.”

The new national park system in China might have come as a surprise to surprise to some.

Doesn’t China already have a large number of national parks? Yes, nearly 250 since the first batch were launched in the beginning of the 80s. Additionally, the country has close to 500 ­National Nature Reserves and many other forms of protected areas.

So why is China’s leading institution present­ ing the national park system like it’s something new and important? Because while the current system might sound good in theory, it in fact has serious flaws.

Clearer areas of responsibility

A recurrent problem with China’s approximately 8,000 nature conservation areas has been that different authorities would have overlapping assignments and areas of responsibility without a clear mandate. One of China’s most internation­ ally respected news outlets, the English-language Caixin Global, writes that “lax oversight and competing interests of different authorities have made these reserves vulnerable to encroachment and excessive development.” It then lists exam­ ples like open-pit mining inside conservation suston – 27

PHOTO: STAFFAN WIDSTRAND/WILD WONDERS OF CHINA

PHOTO: MAGNUS LUNDGREN/WILD WONDERS OF CHINA

A male Tibetan macaque (Macaca thibetana), in Tangjiahe Nature Reserve, Sichuan Province in China.

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Pandas will gain contact

Aside from creating a unified system, the new national parks will of course also provide pro­ tection to threatened species. Yao Sidan, head of the Department of Forestry in Sichuan province – home to the country’s largest giant panda habitat areas – has in China Daily said that the construction of railway lines, roads and power transmission lines has resulted in the fragmentation of panda reserves.

“The fragmentation increases the level of isola­ tion for panda populations and increases the odds of extinction for small, isolated panda groups,” said Yao Sidan.

A pilot scheme to build an administration of a giant panda national park has been approved, according to the State Council. The scheme will form a cross-provincial national park that will unite more than 80 fragmented habitats.

The Chinese state has turned to the USA for help. The Poulson Institute is a Chicago-based think tank, or as they call it, a “think and do” tank, with the mission to strengthen US-China relations and to advance sustainable economic growth and environmental protection in both countries. The Poulson Institute has been consulted since the plan to establish the ten national parks was pre­ sented in 2014, with research, planning, in depth case studies etc. Also, the Institute has hosted a delegation of Chinese experts in the United States for intensive training with U.S. national parks and conservation professionals.

Nearly all the major nature conservancy orga­ nizations from North America and Europe have Chinese branches. However, many Chinese would get defensive at the suggestion that nature conservation is something that is imported from the West. True, the country is wrestling with enormous environmental problems in the wake of its rapid industrialization and urbanization.

But the notion that untouched nature and wild animals must be protected, and that such areas are of the utmost importance for humans as well, has long been a cornerstone of Daoism.

The Aishan Foundation gathers several of the world’s foremost researchers in Daoism. The purpose of the Aishan (“care for mountains”) Foundation is the study of the so-called nature sanctuaries of Daoism, which the foundation ­describes as “outstanding sites in terms of land­ scape beauty, vegetation and wildlife.”

During the 2nd century, Daoists in West ­China created what could be the first nature reserves in human history, with 24 mountain sites in the Shu region of north-west Sichuan. These “nature sanctuaries” then spread to other parts of China.

The Aishan Foundation writes on their website, that around 150 areas were saved from hunting, land clearing, plant gathering, mining or pollution – and that almost all still exist today. This comes as no surprise for the many Daoist experts in the foundation. As they see it: “Dao is nature.”

Please DO touch the animals.

Experience the world’s most amazing animals in one app. WWF TOGETHER – the new free app from World Wildlife Fund. Download it today. worldwildlife.org/together

The REI Product Sustainability Standards make it easier for customers to find and choose more sustainable products.

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RETAIL

A Rising Tide 17 million members, 152 stores and US $2.6 billion in annual revenues—when the American outdoor retailer Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) makes a move, the outdoor industry pays attention. Luckily, this is a friendly giant.

BY JONATHAN FRÆNKEL-EIDSE

R

EI has been on the Forbes’ list of the top 100 best companies to work for every year for the past 20 years, gives back nearly 70% of its profits to the outdoor community, and sources 100% renewable energy for its operations—just to name a few examples from its stellar list of CSR achievements. Now, its product sustainability initiative seeks nothing less than a quantum leap for the entire outdoor industry. More about that in a bit. But first—what exactly is the deal with REI?

Looks can be deceiving

A visit to one of their stores might fool the uninitiated to think that REI is just a regular outdoor retailer, but the truth is outfitting people is only a part of what they do. Behind the retail focus on high-end outdoor performance gear lies an organizational structure that is truly unique in the business world: REI is not just a company, it’s a cooperative. Suston asked REI’s Product ­Sustainability Manager Greg Gausewitz to explain the pragmatic origins and unfamiliar logic behind REI’s cooperative business model:

80 YEARS OLD

REI was founded in Seattle, Washington in 1938 by a group of 23 climbing buddies looking to import European climbing gear. Over the last 80 years, REI has grown into a high-end outdoor retailer with 152 stores across 36 states, with flagship stores located in Cascade and Seattle, Washington; Bloomington, Minnesota; Washington, DC; New York City; and Denver, Colorado.

“REI began 80 years ago with a group of ­climbing buddies who started to import ­quality European climbing equipment that was in short supply in the States. Outdoor enthusi­ asts were able to sign up as members and buy the gear at reasonable prices. And so, the co-op was born.”

Like a publicly traded company, whose loyalty lies with its shareholders, REI works in the best interests of its members who have paid a one-time $20 lifetime membership fee. But whereas corporations traditionally define their success in terms of profits, REI takes on a much broader ­definition: “As a co-op, we believe that financial, social and environmental sustainability is in the best interest of our members. Therefore, we use a quadruple bottom line perspective in all our actions. We focus on business, members, employees, and society at large, including the communities where we operate, the environment and animals,” Greg Gausewitz explains.

Being purpose-driven first and profit-driven second enables REI to take on CSR projects that a regular company could only dream of, which suston – 31

REI’s newest distribution center: LEED certified and net-zero with a 2.2 megawatt solar system installed on its roof.

Bluesign® materials are made using approved chemicals and resource-conserving manufacturing practices.

Using recycled materials keeps waste out of landfills and reduces the need for new materials.

brings us back to this year’s initiative, the Product Sustainability Standards.

ing with the more than 1,000 brands we stock to meet our Product Sustainability Standards, we’re making it easier for members to shop their values at REI,” says Greg Gausewitz.

New, comprehensive sustainability standards REI’s members tend to hold stronger social and environmental convictions than the general popula­ tion. Naturally, they want their gear to reflect these convictions. While REI is also focusing on promot­ ing and educating members on so-called “preferred attributes,” certifications such as Fair Trade and Bluesign, it’s a huge ask to expect members to do their own research down the supply chain to uncov­ er the products that don’t compromise their values.

This is where their brand expectations come in, which seek to ensure that rigorous standards in animal welfare, land stewardship, chemicals man­ agement, fair and safe supply chains and environ­ mental management are met by the brands they supply. Many of these expectations are already in effect, and the full-force of the initiative will apply to the Fall 2020 product lines.

“We want our members to be able to walk into our stores and feel we have this covered. By work­ 32 – suston

GREG GAUSEWITZ

Product Sustainability Manager at REI. Greg holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Economics. After several years working at tech companies in Silicon Valley, he transitioned into the retail sector working with supply chain sustainability.

Setting the bar high

Just how ambitious are these standards? As the most comprehensive sustainability standards within retail, anywhere, the short answer is “very ambitious.” But REI didn’t just pull these stan­ dards out of a hat. Together with sustainability leaders and partner brands from the outdoor industry, REI was able to put together comprehen­ sive best practices for all categories of products they carry. This means that with a little effort, they are all demonstrably and realistically achievable.

“Some brands won’t need to do much,” shares Greg Gausewitz, and continues: “Others will have a ways to go, but we’re committed to taking a collaborative approach with these to help them meet the standards. But if a product still cannot meet them, we will transition to another one that can.”

Thus far, Greg Gausewitz says that the ­response they’ve received from their brand partners has been mostly positive. “With these standards, we’re actually helping make their businesses stronger.”

Lessons to be learned

Why the cooperative model hasn’t become more common within the outdoor industry remains a mystery, especially when it has clearly served REI so well. REI’s unwavering commitment to its members and over 80 years of slow and steady growth have made the cooperative into the retail juggernaut it is today, impacting not only the American market, but the bottom lines of ­countless other international producers as well.

“As a co-op, we’re free from all the pres­ sures from investors and shareholders. This ­allows us not only to think of our quadruple bottom line, but also to think long-term. Not just about the next annual report,” says Greg ­Gausewitz.

But what about those who do care most about

REI BRANCHES

Aside from its retail operations and its own REI product label, REI has diversified into nonretail enterprises as well. Their Outdoor School program, for example, offers outdoor education classes for all skill levels, while REI Adventures offers vacations for active travelers across the world. REI is currently headquartered in Kent, Washington.

the next annual report? Can REI be dismissed as a curiosity? A one-off that got lucky? While many other retailers may not be able to fully identify with REI’s reality, Greg Gausewitz believes that they can still learn from REI’s Product Sustain­ ability Standards initiative: “Consumers quite simply want to feel good about the products that they’re purchasing, and retailers need to take that seriously and support their customer’s values. We also believe that this model, where we act cooperatively with our brand partners and customers, will serve as an example for others in the retail industry.”

While the impacts of their Product Sustain­ ability Standards remain to be seen, Greg ­Gausewitz is convinced that 1,000+ brands all taking a step towards sustainability together will undoubtedly have a huge impact on the outdoor industry as a whole: “We believe this will fundamentally raise the bar in product sustainability, not just at REI but across the outdoor sector. As they say, ‘a rising tide lifts all boats.’ ” suston – 33

WOOL SOURCING

Hit by the

Storm

In summer 2015, video footage showing maltreatment of sheep in Southern Argentina went viral. The animal rights organization PETA accused the Argentinean network Ovis 21 of mistreating animals. Large customers ended their cooperation with the network, once seen as a sustainability pioneer. Suston’s reporter Karen Hensel interviews Ovis 21 founder Ricardo Fenton on what has happened since that dramatic summer.

BY KAREN HENSEL PHOTO MICHELE BURGESS

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T

he sun stands vertically against the steel-blue sky and a strong wind sweeps over the grass­ lands on the vast estates sur­ rounding the Estancia Monte­ dinero. On this farm, located in the province of Santa Cruz on the southeastern tip of the Patagonia region, 14 000 “Merino Multiproposito” sheep are bred on 64,000 acres of land. The Estan­ cia Montedinero is owned by the fifth generation of the Fenton family.

Ricardo Fenton, a red-haired man wearing sturdy leather boots and a plaid shirt, studied and worked in Australia and New Zealand before ­returning to Argentina in 2003. With him, he brought important innovations in sheep hus­bandry, and he invited the agronomist Pablo B ­ orrelli to found an organ­ ization that could i­ ntroduce this knowledge at a regional level in their part of Patagonia. Their mission was to d ­ evelop a more sustainable method of sheep farming and wool production, focusing on ­grassland r­ egeneration and biodiversity. Ricardo Fenton explains: “Traditional farming in Argentina was not ­concentrating much on sustainability back then.

We saw the need for an organization that could spread knowledge of holistic land management, especially to prevent land erosion and help ­farmers with flock improvement.”

Viral footage When PETA published its video footage in 2015, they chose an alarming title with the world famous outdoor brand in focus: “Patagonia’s ‘Sustaina­ ble Wool’ supplier exposed: lambs skinned alive, throats slit, tails cut off.” Among the accused sheep farms were two members of Ovis 21.

The company Patagonia had begun cooperat­ ing with Ovis 21 in 2011. One of the reasons for this cooperation was another campaign by PETA, which exposed the painful process of mulesing sheep on Australian farms. Mulesing is not used in sheep farms in the southern end of South America.

Shortly after PETA published the footage in 2015, Patagonia announced it would cease working with Ovis 21 as the cooperation could not assure animal welfare, with other big wool purchasing companies soon following their lead.

In the media blitz that followed, few asked if PETA’s criticism was fair. When the magazine Ecotextile News investigated the case in January 2016, the reporter concluded: “This is far from a black and white story.”

The Argentinian province Santa Cruz in Patagonia is home to tens of thousands of merino sheep.

An unheard voice?

How does a company, or a network of companies like Ovis 21, react when it is hit by an international media storm like this? Can it make its own version heard in the turmoil? And how does the company find its way forward? These are questions I want suston – 35

Ricardo Fenton studied and worked in Australia and New Zealand before he returned to Argentina in 2003 and founded Ovis 21 together with the agronomist Pablo Borrelli.

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to ask Ricardo Fenton when I travel through the Santa Cruz province in Patagonia. But as phone coverage is scarce and Ricardo Fenton is constant­ ly visiting the different farms, this proves to be easier said than done. At last, we get in touch and Ricardo Fenton can tell his story – a story he says no one really bothered to listen to.

“We felt powerless in the publicity storm. It was very sad to see that our organization was blamed, and that the media was not interested in informing people about what Ovis 21 actually stands for. It was obviously unreasonable to blame Ovis 21 for the brutalities exposed by PETA.” So, what does Ovis 21 actually stand for? ­Ricardo Fenton says he gladly would have ­explained that Ovis 21 is comprised of five p ­ eople working on ­education and training, setting standards for holistic land management methods, and preserv­ ing grassland areas in Argentina. The network consists of 160 member farms learning and supporting each other, as well as technicians and accredited professionals.

“We have developed the Grassland Regeneration and Sustainability Standard (GRASS) together with Nature Conservancy, which assesses sustainable land management. 54 of our member farms have achieved the GRASS certificate already, totaling a land area of approximately 1.3 million hectares.”

He additionally points out that Ovis 21 is a vol­ untary network, not a controlling organization.

“We don’t know every property personally,” says Ricardo Fenton.

What impact did the scandal have on Ovis 21?

“It has been a disappointing time for us, with many negative consequences. Due to the media attention, members decided to exit or not join the network. We also saw that environmental organi­ zations distanced themselves from Ovis 21. Mem­ bers that worked hard with improving sustainable land management within our network suddenly were looked down upon. So, you could say that the action had a negative impact on sustainable land management in our region.”

Animal welfare also in focus One reason why Ovis 21 thinks that the media coverage was unfair, was that the organization had never claimed that they control and certify animal husbandry on their farms. The main focus of Ovis 21 is on certifying sustainable grassland manage­ ment and stopping the ongoing land erosion. But this doesn’t mean that Ovis 21 neglects animal welfare, says Ricardo Fenton.

“We teach flock improvement, give shearing classes and share our best skills to achieve animal welfare out on the member farms. But it’s quite obvious that it would be an impossible task for five people to constantly inspect 160 properties with over a million sheep in total. We trust our

members to put the knowledge that they gain in our workshops into practice on their farms.

“I want to make it clear that members of Ovis 21 are pioneers when it comes to improving skills and ways of working towards sustainability. In general, these are open-minded farmers who are willing to change. They are not people who are likely to engage in animal mistreatment, as I see it. But to check animal welfare on the spot is up to each farmer—or some other organization with ­resources to take that responsibility.”

In what respect do you see the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) as a valuable certificate?

“RWS plays an important role in improving the conditions of wool production globally, and we fully support their initiative to find a global language for sheep farmers all over the world. Our teaching complies with RWS requirements—it did so already before this standard actually existed— and we recommend the RWS certification to our members.

Many of them are putting it into practice on their farms and are attaining the certification, but it’s a voluntary decision.”

With the dust from the media storm now settled, has OVIS 21 been able to move on?

“Yes. As we are convinced of the benefits of our work, we are continuing just like we have always done.”

AND WHAT ABOUT PATAGONIA – THE BRAND? In the aftermath of the criticism from PETA, Patagonia announced that they would put a pause on their wool sourcing “until we can assure our customers of a verifiable process that ensures the h ­ umane treatment of animals.”

It took three years, but in June 2018 Patagonia announced that their goals were accomplished with the introduction of two standards to their wool products: As of Fall 2018, all of their wool products would be Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) certified as a baseline, and its key wool suppliers would additionally be Patagonia Wool Standard (PWS) certified.

RWS is the most stringent industry standard for wool. To acquire RWS certification, Patagonia’s entire wool manufacturing supply chain was ­audited to ensure that certified wool was not being mixed with non-certified wool along the way.

Acknowledging that most wool comes from sheep primarily raised for meat, Patagonia also developed its own standard, the PWS. This standard includes additional animal welfare considerations for transport and off-farm slaughter of sheep.

Over 500,000 hectares on properties with the GRASS certificate have objectively had significant regeneration processes, increasing biological capital as well as improving economic and social welfare of the farmers and their community.

suston – 37

WOOL SOURCING

Responsible

HANNA DENES

Senior Standards Manager at Textile Exchange

TEXTILE EXCHANGE Textile Exchange is a global non-profit that works closely with its members to drive industry transformation in preferred fibers, integrity and standards and responsible supply networks.

Standards that has been developed by Textile Exchange include the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), the Responsble Down Standard (RDS), the Global Recycled Standard and more. textile exchange.org

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Wool Standard – a humane solution?

Larger brands are increasingly waking up to the PR nightmare when an animal rights group exposes cruel treatment of sheep in their supply chain. Can the Responsible Wool Standard guarantee that the sheep have been treated responsible and the land is managed in a sustainable way? And is the standard enough, from the point of view of an animal rights group like PETA?

BY KAREN HENSEL & JONATHAN FRAENKEL-EIDSE

T

he Responsible Wool Standard is an initiative from Textile Ex­ change. Founded in 2002, Textile Exchange is a global non-profit organization that promotes the increased use of preferred fibers, standards and sustainable supply chain practices in the textile industry. Textile Exchange’s Senior Standards Manager Hanna Denes has 16 years of experience in environmental management and sustainable development, and now heads the organization’s Responsible Wool Standard (RWS).

She explains: “The RWS is an independent, voluntary stan­ dard that verifies the process by which wool is produced. It helps improve the humane treat­ ment of sheep, the progressive management of the land on which they graze and a fully traceable supply chain. Independent, third-party audits are conducted at each stage of the supply chain on a regular and on-going basis to ensure that the stan­ dard’s requirements are met consistently.”

There are currently certified farms across all

major apparel wool growing regions of the world.

As one of the foremost global wool standards, RWS has gained widespread support in the textile and apparel industries, and its partners include such outdoor brands and retailers as REI, Moun­ tain Equipment Co-op and Vaude.

“Our standard enables textile and apparel industries to source wool in a way that meets their corporate responsibility goals, and to make claims about their wool with confidence.”

PETA still critical

As described in the article about Ovis 21, the animal rights organization PETA has accused wool suppliers and outdoor brands as being complicit in an industry where sheep are mistreated. According to Frank Schmidt, senior specialist for animals in the clothing industry at PETA Germany, mistreat­ ment in the wool industry is rather the rule than the exception.

“To begin with, sheep farming is not sustainable from an ecological point of view in many regions of the world as it demands huge water consump­

WOOL SOURCING

tion and causes land erosion especially in warmer climate zones. Furthermore, as in all industries, cost efficiency is often the highest priority. Shear­ ing is performed under immense time pressure, which easily leads to high stress levels and injuries for the sheep,” says Frank Schmidt.

As PETA sees it, the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) is not enough. Frank Schmidt goes so far as to call RWS “greenwash,” and claims that a cus­ tomer choosing between one wool product with RWS certified wool or another with regular wool can pick either one. Or rather neither of them, if PETA had its way.

“The recurring farm inspections, which RWS claims to be their primary control mechanism, are not performed often enough. And despite officially being said to be un-announced, in practice it often turns out that the farm is given a time frame in advance, within a couple of weeks, during which the inspection will occur. This contradicts the whole purpose behind the visits as it gives the farm a chance to prepare for the inspection and show a polished facade, for example, by getting rid of in­ jured or unhealthy animals. In order to make prog­ ress, these inspections would need to be performed entirely un-announced and much more frequently.”

A global benchmark

Textile Exchange strongly opposes PETA’s claim that the Responsible Wool Standard is a kind of greenwash. Hanna Denes points out that the RWS is by far the best available global tool to help im­ prove the welfare of the sheep that supply fibers.

“At Textile Exchange, we have worked closely with leading animal welfare experts from Four Paws, Humane Society and Wildlife Friendly, alongside industry stakeholders, to develop the standard. We are horrified by any mistreatment of animals at the hands of farmers or the workers they depend on, and find it much more effective to recognize and support those who are farming well, which the RWS provides the platform to do.”

“PETA has claimed that mistreatment of sheep is the rule, but there is no global data available to confirm this, and to the contrary, we have seen many examples of progressive farmers that work hard to ensure the health and welfare of their animals,” explains Hanna Denes.

As Textile Exchange sees it, the RWS sets a global benchmark that enables companies to align their sourcing policies, and to buy wool that meets strict animal welfare and land management criteria.

The RWS is not a guarantee but rather an instru­ ment for best practices in both animal welfare and land management, where there was no previous industry-wide standard. The standard has built-in consequences for not meeting the requirements, including certification being revoked and farms found with serious animal welfare violations being ineligible to apply again for a year or more.

“The goals of the RWS are bold, and achiev­ ing them will not happen overnight. It will take commitment from farmers, brands, suppliers, and animal welfare experts to move the industry towards the best practices we are trying to achieve on farms in regions all around the world.”

Cooperation in Argentina

Regarding the wool sourcing in Argentina, that created a heated debate in 2015 (described in the article about Ovis 21), Textile Exchange has been working together with two key wool-industry organizations since 2017.

“The RWS content, language, and best prac­ tices will be used as a basis for training regional farmers, including those associated with Ovis 21, marking the first time Textile Exchange works at a national level to implement the principles of a standard,” says Hanna Denes and continues: “Without a global standard like the RWS, this level of positive change wouldn’t be possible.

Textile Exchange remains more committed than ever to the RWS and we look forward to continued collaboration with industry leaders and animal welfare experts.”

FRANK SCHMIDT

Senior specialist for animals in the clothing industry at PETA Germany.

PETA

People for Ethical Treatment of Animals is an international nonprofit charitable organization founded in 1980 to establish and defend animal rights. PETA is based in Norfolk, Virginia, with partner organizations worldwide.

It educates policymakers and the public about animal abuse and promotes kind treatment of animals.

Main focus areas of PETA are factory farms, laboratories, clothing trade and entertainment industry. peta.org

suston – 39

THE NORWEGIAN

ECO-MOUNTAIN

Norway’s national mountain, Stetind, is not only a great climb. The sheer granite cliff rising from the sea is also a symbol for Norwegian nature preservation. Suston’s ­Editor-in-Chief Gabriel Arthur makes a pilgrimage to the mountain that the “eco-philosophers” climbed fifty years ago.

BY GABRIEL ARTHUR PHOTO HENRIK WITT

40 – suston

W

hat’s Magnus yelling, on the other side of the snowy cliff? I can’t see him. The hard wind transforms the words into a long, drawn out sound.

The rope continues to slip away from me and now there are only a few feet left until its end. Two colorful slings attach me to Stetind’s dark granite.

I find a good grip for my crampons and turn my shoulder toward the mountain to brace myself against the wind. I don’t look down. Just below me, the cliff drops away and there are 500 ­meters (1,600 ft) vertical of air. Or was it 600 meters?

I feel weak and tired, and it’s not because we have been up since half past three, struggling up the ice-caked mountain in the wind, hour by hour, step by step.

The fatigue is due to Stetind’s sheer sides. It wasn’t until 1910 that Stetind was first summited after several failed attempts. Philosophy profes­ sor, mountaineer and environmentalist Arne Næss managed to make the first winter ascent, as late as 1963.

Summiting the 1,392 meter (4,566 ft) high peak was not really the initial purpose of our trip. The goal was to visit the impressive mountain and try to understand what caused the Norwegian ­environmental movement to be born here fifty years earlier, in the summer of 1966.

But then I’ve always been bad at assessing risks. So now, here I stand, pushing myself up the mountain through a challenging, steep passage that mountain guide Magnus Strand had not foreseen. The most difficult section still lies ahead and I am already completely drained. I realized a while ago that I will not reach the top, but how do I explain it to Magnus? A new wordless voice is heard in the wind and the rope between us is now completely taught.

“What would Arne Næss have done?” I think to myself. He looks so happy and satisfied, at least in all of the photos from 1966. Was he ever afraid?

Did he ever give up?

Then, I forget Arne Næss, remove the protec­ tion, try to find a placement for my crampons and ice axe – and focus on survival.

Two movements are born

The 1960s was a breakthrough for both the rock climbing and the environmental movement, in Norway as well as many other western countries.

The idea that nature must be protected and preserved was not new. Yellowstone National Park, the world’s first national park, was founded suston – 41

Stetind was first summited in 1919.

The first winter ascent wasn’t until 1963, made by Arne Naess and a comrade.

in 1872. However, in the early 1960s, researchers, journalists and nature lovers began to wonder if this kind of nature preservation was enough. ­Modern society itself began to be questioned.

Rock climbing had previously been a pastime for the upper-middle class. Yet, in the 1950s and especially the 1960s, a small underground move­ ment was born at the foot of Yosemite’s rocks in California. A growing group of young “dropouts” abandoned the well-organized middle-class life in favor of vertical climbing adventures. “Big Wall Climbing” was born as they began scaling the cliffs no one had previously thought possible.

Over the course of two weeks, in July 1966, these two narrow streams - the new nature preser­ vation movement and the new climbing move­ ment - met at Stetind.

Arne and his disciples

As a youth, Arne Næss had been involved in ­establishing rock climbing in Norway. At 24 years old, he and his then wife Else Hertzberg were the first team to climb Stetind via the South Pillar, at that time Norway’s most difficult climbing route.

Three years later, Arne Næss became Norway’s only professor of philosophy at Oslo Univer­ sity. The combination of being Norway’s top ­climber and philosopher – and that he was a great ­humorist – made him something of a Norwegian national celebrity.

In the spring of 1966, a small group of young climbers from Trondheim, with engineer Nils 42 – suston

Faarlund in the lead, heard about the d ­ evelopment of big wall climbing in Yosemite. Nils Faarlund had also received state-of-the-art safety equip­ ment, m ­ anufactured by American climber Yvon ­Chouinard (today known as the founder of ­Patagonia.)

When Arne Næss held a lecture in Trondheim, Nils Faarlund succeeded in persuading him and several others to accompany him to Stetind, in at­ tempting to climb the “impossible” west face, fully comparable to the walls of Yosemite. They made a base camp at the foot of Stetind’s west wall, and what followed was two weeks that have become mythical among environmentally conscious and philosophic outdoor enthusiasts.

The birth of Eco-philosophy

The gang completed two tough new routes that opened up Stetind’s west wall from the moun­ tain’s foot to the top. However, most important was what happened between the climbing, while resting and talking around the campfire.

The young climbers were troubled by two questions. They came from Trondheim University of Technology. How could they explain to people why they spent so much time on life-threatening climbing routes, instead of being in the center of modern Norway?

Second was that during their hikes in the moun­ tains, they saw how new roads and hydroelectric power construction destroyed one beautiful mountain after another. Was this really right?

Arne Næss introduced them to the 17th century philosopher Baruch Spinoza, and his pantheistic thoughts about how everything and everyone be­ long together, about the nature of nature and how we can identify with it and experience deep, true joy. This philosophy was well suited to the new subject of ecology, studied by Nils Faarlund, which showed how living organisms depend on each other and the environment around them.

From these discussions about the philosophy of life and science, new thoughts and ideas were born. That preserving and experiencing free ­nature, unharmed by modern society, may not only be pleasant – it may also be vital to life on a deeper level.

The discussions laid the foundation for the ­philosophical branch known as eco-philosophy.

Time for a second wave?

Today, googling the term eco-philosophy produces over twenty million hits. Several parallel defini­ tions have developed since its introduction in Norway, and the original teaching has received its share of criticism. However, one common thought – both then and now - is that science and philoso­ phy together can help us to understand nature.

Thoughts that were controversial fifty years ago have received more and more followers. The fact that science tells us that we need to take much better care of nature now feels like “com­ mon sense.” A new generation of eco-philoso­ phers has taken over, and concepts such as “slow

adventure,” “slow outdoors” and “bushcraft” are attracting more and more attention. Companies like Patagonia and Houdini say they are inspired

by Arne Næss´ thoughts.

But was there anything about this mountain that sparked the eco-philosopher’s thoughts? This is what I wanted to know. That’s why I’m fighting my way around the high, icy cliffs of Stetind, fifty years after eco-philosophy was born here.

This is the scariest pitch that I have climbed since I was in my twenties. I kick my crampons and swing my ice axe trying to find purchase, the ice supporting me is a mere inch thick.

When I finally manage to make my way up to where Magnus is belaying me, I do not want to continue.

“What does this have to do with eco-philosophy, really? What am I doing here?” I ask myself, com­ pletely exhausted.

“I want to go down,” I say to Magnus.

Mountain guide Magnus Strand had climbed Stetind several times during the summer season – but never in the winter.

A turning point on the mountain

Magnus comes with a proposal, which to me sounds more like an order.

“We will do one more pitch. From there, you can see the rest of the ridge better and you will see that it is not that hard.”

I then make my way up the ridge at a snail’s pace like a feeble, cowardly old man, using the ice axe more like a kind of walker. We arrive at Magnus’s viewpoint. I sit down in the snow and breathe out. True, the ridge ahead does not look suston – 43

The lofty peak and steep granite walls of Stetind invite reflections on life (and death).

so dangerous, but the void on either side of it does and the summit feels infinitely far away above us. At the same time, Stetind’s summit is so beautiful - standing alone, calm and proud. A whole world of mountains and fjords spreads out around us.

A sense of peace expands within me, and I relax for the first time. Suddenly, the fear is gone.

“Magnus, I really want to turn around. Maybe I would make it to the top, but I would not think it was fun,” I say, looking him in the eyes.

“Then that is what we will do,” he says, and seems to understand.

On the way back, Magnus finds an easier route, so that we don’t have to traverse above the sheer cliff. The wind is increasing and the clouds close in. Soon, the Stetind summit is completely lost in the grey.

Once we make it down to the forest and fill our water bottles in a small stream, Magnus says: “It was the right decision to turn around.”

“Yes,” I say, relieved.

While I can still feel the endorphins coursing through my body, I’m now completely and utterly exhausted, but in a good way. However, soon ­afterwards I begin to wonder what Arne Næss would have thought?

The last man standing

It’s not easy finding an answer to such a ques­ tion. Arne Næss died in 2009, at 97 years old. I’m trying to get through his book Ecology, Society 44 – suston

and Lifestyle from 1974, where each text is a kind of logically substantiated argumentation. I think I understand what he wants to say, yet at the same time time there is something that is left unsaid.

Why did he devote so much of his life to climb­ ing? And where is that joy of life that he was so famous for?

To get a clearer picture, I look up Nils Faarlund, today 80 years old and the only living member of the first generation of eco-philosophers.

I reach him when he is eating lunch at a ­roadside restaurant outside of Hemsedal, with his electric car parked outside. He explains that eco-philosophy in Norway almost died in the 1980s. “It burned up in the Norwegian oil rush.”

But today he is invited to schools and various events to tell us about eco-philosophy.

I tell him about our little adventure on Stetind.

Was it okay to turn back, even though we might have been able to get to the top? Nils Faarlund has probably received similar questions many times.

Patiently, he explains what he thinks.

“Many people are so busy performing today and telling others about their accomplishments. ­However, mountaineering, as I see it, is not about getting to the top. It is about getting c­ ompletely into what you are doing, to be immersed in nature. To experience deep and true joy. Then you will also want to protect nature even more. If that’s what you did on Stetind, then I think you ­understand what climbing and eco-philosophy is all about.”

ECO-PHILOSOPHY The term was coined in Norway in the late 1960s, by a small group of philosophers and rock climbers with philosophy professor Arne Næss at the forefront. They questioned the rapid modernization of society and argued that “free nature” had its own worth and must be preserved. They also felt that human beings must reconnect with nature in order to have a good life. The thoughts were the foundation of the Norwegian environmental movement.

Since then, the concept of eco-philosophy has been broadened and also questioned.

There is no unambiguous definition today, but one basic idea is that the division between man and nature is incorrect. In fact, eco-philosophers believe that everything and everyone belong together. Ecology can help us understand the context and philosophy can help us understand human relationships with nature, and how we can better take care of nature - and thus also ourselves.

Nils Faarlund takes a look at the South face of Stetind in 1966.

The year after he started Norway’s first mountain guide school.

Photo by climbing partner Jon Voll. suston – 45

Lake Constance, bordered by Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

From Crisis to Solutions The bluesign® system has become the industry’s highest standard for safe, sustainable and efficient manufacturing in the textile supply chain. While bluesign is well-known in the industry and end consumers have begun to recognize the label, few know the fascinating story of how it came to be.

A

wareness of the social and environmental impacts of chemicals was long in coming.

Lake Constance for example, just east of bluesign’s head office in St.Gallen, Switzerland, had been a tex­ tiles hub for hundreds of years with over 2,000 textile mills encircling its shores.

Yet as the textiles industry thrived, the lake’s waters slowly became virtually devoid of life.

It’s been said that only an acute crisis can lead to real change. On the morning of November 1, 1986, a chemicals store­ house containing pesticides, solvents and dyes along the Rhine’s riverbank caught fire. As firefighters tried to battle the blaze, 30 tons of toxic chemicals entered Europe’s most important wa­ terway, thereafter passing through four countries and finally emptying into the North Sea. Though the cause of the fire

was never determined, its consequences were all too clear.

When the people living along the Rhine awoke to the apocalyptic scene of a toxic, blood-red flow moving down the river killing everything in its path, the wheels of change were inexorably set in motion. In the aftermath of this catastro­ phe, sweeping legislation was passed in Switzerland and elsewhere where for the first time, industries’ handling of chemi­

SPONSORED CONTENT PARTNER: BLUESIGN

Vaude is one of the system partners of bluesign. These images are from Vaude’s partner’s facilities in Taiwan.

cals was heavily regulated, and they were now charged for pollution. This was nothing less than a game changer for the local textile industry, whereby among other things this increased wastewater costs by a factor of about five.

The textile company that later would start bluesign was forced to either adapt or die. Fortunately, they achieved the former. Over the years that followed, they increasingly acquired and systema­ tized know-how on how to improve effi­ ciency and remove hazardous chemicals from their manufacturing processes in a way that began to spare them on costs as well as reduce their exposure to risks. It soon became clear that this know-how could provide an invaluable service to others in the industry, and in the year 2000 bluesign technologies ag was born.

Pioneers in chemical management Drawing on the expertise of an interdis­ ciplinary team of chemical and textiles industry consultants, bluesign set out with the mission to link chemical sup­ pliers, textile manufacturers and brands

together to foster a healthy, responsible and profitable textile industry. The response? Let’s just say back in 2000 this fledgling consultancy company wasn’t exactly met with open arms. Awareness of the problems bluesign was able to solve was still in its infancy, and at first nobody quite seemed to understand what bluesign was offering.

Meanwhile, in the outdoor industry, brands and retailers were being met by increasingly concerned, conscious customers who wanted to know whether their outdoor garments were contribut­ ing to environmental and social prob­ lems. At the time, brands and retailers had no real way of assuring them that they did not. Until they met bluesign, that is. It was here, in the outdoor indus­ try, that bluesign was able to find its first foothold and prove that its Input Stream Management approach could indeed be applied to complex global supply chains.

From here the rings have spread. Aside from the outdoor industry, bluesign’s logo has since proliferated in sports­ wear and it’s making headway into an

increasingly social and environmentally conscious fashion industry. The fish have since returned to Lake Constance and the Rhine River’s recovery is well underway.

A happy ending? Not quite yet.

Of course, many of the textile industry’s problems have not been eliminated, they’ve simply been outsourced. Yet in a globalized world, out of sight is no longer out of mind, and as consumers’ awareness increases so too do their demands. It is an understatement to say that cleaning up the global, complex supply chain of today’s textiles industry is difficult, but bluesign’s track record demonstrates that it can be done with the right support.

The textiles industry remains one of the biggest polluters on the planet and consumer demands for sustainability is beginning to weigh in, making bluesign more relevant today than ever before. bluesign® is a registered trademark of bluesign technologies ag. Learn more about the bluesign system on the next page.

PARTNER: BLUESIGN SPONSORED CONTENT

How does bluesign® work?

Bluesign provides a holistic solution for safe and environmentally friendly textile production, working at each step of the supply chain to ensure that products meet rigorous benchmarks with focus on people, the environment and resources.

PEOPLE People • Consumer Consumersafety Safety • O ccupational health Occupational health and andsafety safety

ENVIRONMENT Environment • Water Wateremissions emissions • Air Airemissions emissions • Waste Waste • Soil Soil

The bluesign system Many certifications focus on the end product, but this says nothing about substances or practices used in the pre­ vious stages of production. The solution is simply to turn this approach upside down: start at the beginning. By prevent­ ing hazardous chemicals from entering the input stream in the first place, the bluesign system creates a clean process that provides consumers the confidence they are purchasing a product that is both sustainably produced and that meets the highest consumer safety standards. This is the bluesign Input Stream Manage­ ment approach.

Since its founding in 2000, bluesign has used scientific chemical assessments to evaluate the hazards of 20,000 48 – suston

RESOURCES Resources • EEnergy, nergy, water, water, chemicals, chemicals, raw material raw materials • Benchmark Benchmark

chemical formulations and assign them to one of three categories: blue – safe to use; gray – special handling required; and black – forbidden. The assessments relate to over 900 different chemical substances, whereas 600 banned sub­ stances are included. Yet it’s not enough to merely point out which chemicals to avoid – manufacturers need good and safe alternatives.

That’s why bluesign created the first and most comprehensive positive list in the industry, outlining over 11,000 safe and effective alternative chemicals in what’s known as the bluesign bluefinder.

Cooperation with system partners Together with system partners, bluesign’s industry experts prepare a roadmap for

BLUESIGN® SYSTEM bluesign® system • Risk Risk minimization minimization • Reduction Reductionofofimpacts impacts • PProtection rotection ofofpeople people and and the environment the environment • Resource productivity Resource productivity

the company to meet the benchmarks on the focus areas. Once achieved, the system partner may then use the bluesign trademark on the applicable product, one made with minimal negative social and environmental impacts.

But it doesn’t end here. While the right to use the bluesign logo is certainly a milestone along the journey, it’s not the final destination. That’s because bluesign offers more than a standard, it provides an active and growing industry forum where its over 500 system partners together find ways on collaborating on some of the industry’s most pressing sustainability challenges.

Focusing on people, environment and resources. This is the blue way. bluesign.com

SPONSORED CONTENT PARTNER: REIMA

Outfitting

the future generation Reima is the top international brand focusing on kids’ performance wear only. For spring 2019, Reima introduces sustainably designed garments that make the warm times of the year safer and more comfortable for children.

S

ince its founding in Finland in 1944, Reima has gradually evolved from a Nordic specialist into a global market leader in its niche: premium functional tip-to-toe wear for children aged 0 to 12. The brand consid­ ers its main export item tone kids’ joy of movement, made possible by a compre­ hensive collection of protective function­ al apparel for all seasons and climates.

For Reima, products that are versatile, durable, and natural are key to sustain­ ability. Spring 2019 is no exception.

Considering the wellbeing of generations to come, Reima actively offers versatile, transformable products that can reduce consumption. Many key items of the

Reima SS19 collection are 2-in-1 or 3-in-1.

They are easily adaptable from early spring to summer, and they can even be used all year round as part of multi-layer outfits.

Durable design Durability from one child to another is another key element in Reima design, and when it comes to synthetic fibres, it pays to give them a long product life.

While Reima’s current cooperation with Finland’s largest second-hand web store Emmy is proving this in practice, reuse isn’t enough – the goal must be to close the loop on synthetics in order to prevent them ending up in landfills and the

environment. This is why Reima is taking part in the EU funded recycling project Trash2Cash, which aims at recycling post-consumer clothes back to fibres, fabric and new clothing items.

Also, while synthetic fibres are utter­ ly practical, they can cause trouble by shedding microscopic particles of fibres during use, in the wash and especially during tumble-drying. While the industry is working to find other alternatives, Re­ ima is offering the Guppyfriend washing bag to its consumers and retailers, which catches 99% of microplastic shedding that would otherwise end up directly in marine environments.

Go natural In autumn 2018, Reima Reima intro­ duced its Green Line range consisting of products made out of GOTS certified organic cotton, guaranteed to be non-tox­ ic and ecological. In Spring 2019, Reima will continue its sustainability efforts using fluorocarbon-free water and dirt repellent finishes that allow consumers to launder less, and adding more organic cotton and more of the nature-friendly fiber Tencel® to its products.

Reima’s Spring Collection is indeed another strong step towards Reima’s mission to enable kids to explore the great outdoors, and rule over water, wind, sun – with safe and sustainable solu­ tions. While this all should be enough to keep the Earth and parents happy, it is ultimately the world’s most honest and tough test group who matter most to Reima: children. reima.com

suston – 49

80 billion pieces of clothes are purchased per year. They could be produced out of recycled material and in a recyclable manner by now – without any compromise on quality and performance.

Unstoppable

– until the loop is closed

Two years ago, the functional textile supplier Sympatex set sail on a mission: to close the loop in the outdoor apparel industry without compromising performance.

F

ive hundred years ago, Ferdinand Magellan set sail on the first circumnavigation of the earth.

After centuries of humanity’s confined nautical experience, he finally demonstrated that the earth is round by closing the loop.

Closing the apparel loop can be seen as a similar endeavor. After decades of a global culture of denial of the industry’s

50 – suston

ecological side effects, many players in the apparel industry still hang on to the idea of continuous growth. Others prefer to stay on land for fear of leaving their habitual economic models. Only a few, fearless pioneers have dared to leave that safe harbor and venture into the head­ wind, often with improvised equipment and navigating by sketchy maps.

Yet just as the earth has always been

round despite centuries of almost fanati­ cal denial, our clothing industry has long passed the point of business-as-usual; it needs to be reinvented.

Shoes: 15 times to the moon and back Lining up the 23,000,000,000 pairs of shoes produced every year, the line would run 15 times to the moon and back – produced by an industry that uses 97%

SPONSORED CONTENT PARTNER: SYMPATEX

Functional Jacket 4.0 made of 32 recycled PET bottles.

90 % of the children’s shoe recycled.

virgin feedstock to create these products.

Such an incredible waste. A waste that could be cut down instantly by 90%, as Sympatex demonstrated in a lighthouse project last year with a children’s outdoor shoe composed almost completely of recycled materials.

Of the 80,000,000,000 pieces of cloth­ ing produced per year, largely designed with the singular focus of constantly inventing new trends, over 80% ends up in the in landfill or in largely uncon­ trolled incineration; the rest is buried in downcycling applications. Yet if garments are designed for recycling, like the outdoor jacket co-created in a hackathon organized by Sympatex in 2017, synthetic polyester can emulate the broad range of high performance textile qualities and additionally be kept in circulation endlessly – without any compromise to its performance.

warming, an 80% emission cut in the in­ dustry will be required by 2050. To return to a level where resource consumption matches the planet’s limits, we need to return to the level of consumption found in 2005. In light of the apparel indus­ try’s current growth trajectory that has doubled its output in the past 15 years, it would be naive to believe that a call to decelerate will be sufficient within the time remaining.

Nor can shifting to natural fibers solve the ecological challenge. The one quarter of global apparel that utilizes cotton consumes massive quantities of water in countries with water scarcity and is responsible for about 1/5 of the world’s pesticide and insecticide use. A similar situation can be found in the shoe indus­ try where one quarter of the material is leather – 85% of which is tanned using chromium salts.

Slowing down will be too late In order to maintain the Paris Agree­ ment’s commitment to limit global

Upgrade industry to close the loop Designing-in the possibility to close the loop through a closed polyester material

circuit has the potential to transform an industry currently believed to be the second dirtiest in the world into an enjoyable, yet responsible system that sustainably serves humanity. And we already have all the required technology in our hands. sympatex.com

suston – 51

PETER HANEY SENIOR MANAGER OF CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY, COLUMBIA

DANIEL URETSKY PRESIDENT, ALLIED FEATHER AND DOWN

A FORCE FOR SUSTAINABILITY. Writing a sustainability statement is easy. Committing to and nurturing it are more difficult, but that hasn’t stopped Peter Haney and Columbia from making sustainability one of the brand’s top priorities. Enter Daniel and Allied, who are recognized as one of the world’s most responsible down producers. A vetted and trusted ingredient supplier for Columbia, Allied is influencing other down suppliers with its responsible approach to sourcing and treating down. Through their joint participation in OIA’s Sustainability Working Group and their business relationship, Columbia and Allied Feather and Down represent our industry’s leadership in global manufacturing.

THOMAS CHUI CONNECT & DEVELOP DEPT. SENIOR MANAGER, EVEREST TEXTILE CO., LTD.

JILL DUMAIN CEO, BLUESIGN

A FORCE FOR SUSTAINABILITY. Together, Thomas, Jill and David work to ensure the textile supply chain is clean, from end to end. Everest Textile, bluesign and MEC are each a link in the sustainability chain, doing their part to ensure people and the environment are treated right in the making of outdoor apparel.

DAVID LABISTOUR CEO, MEC

EVENT CALENDAR

Sustainability events at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market O

IA’s Sustainability Working Group (SWG) wants to push environmental and social best practices as core values when the outdoor industry gathers at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

November 6 and 7, just prior to Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, the SWG will host meetings dedicated to sustainability, including speakers and workshops focused at identifying and scaling best practices in outdoor industry supply chains.

On November 8 the Winter Show takes off, where there will also be plenty of seminars and get-togethers covering different aspects of sustainability and CSR. And be sure to drop by the OIA stand in hall (30001-UL), where you can discuss and mingle with their representatives.

TUESDAY, NOV 6 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Must-haves for a successful sustainability strategy. | Chamber Room, Kevin Taylor | Do you know what it takes to make true progress on your company’s sustainability efforts?

Come and hear from experts on what every brand needs in order to establish or evolve your sustainability strategy.

WEDNESDAY, NOV 7 7:00 am – 9:00 am*

OIA SWG leadership member breakfast An exclusive SWG Group Leadership Member Breakfast with OIA’s Executive Director, Amy Roberts. Hear from Amy about the state of sustainability in the outdoor industry, where we’ve been, and where we’re going! *OIA SWG leadership members only.

9:00 am – 10:00 am

OIA Sustainability – Welcome and keynote speaker | Loft at Kevin Taylor | Continental breakfast and keynote speaker to kick off the day’s events.

54 – suston

10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Sustainability standards and chemicals management | Loft at Kevin Taylor | Intended for organizations who are just beginning to build out their chemicals management program and are looking for guidance on best practices, certifications and standards, and communicating progress to business partners.

10:00 am – 12:30 pm

Advanced topics: climate change | Chambers Room at Kevin Taylor | Explore advanced topics around climate change and emissions reduction. Intended for organizations who have adopted the Higg Index or who have a climate strategy already in place.

1:30 pm – 2:45 pm

Social responsibility session | Loft at Kevin Taylor | This session will provide some key updates and new resources for those just getting started or who have a robust social program in place.

3:15 pm – 5:00 pm

Sustainability standards and preferred materials | Loft at Kevin Taylor | This session is designed for organizations who are just beginning to build out their preferred materials strategy

fiber types degrade in specific aquatic environments.

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm

Microfibers Roundtable Updates will be provided on the four key initiatives currently in progress around microfiber shedding within the OIA SWG and Microfibers Task Force

1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

and looking for guidance on best practices, certifications and standards, and communicating progress to business partners.

Climate Roundtable Discussion A review of the Getting Started Guide for Scope 1 Emissions Reduction and a Q&A about getting your climate strategy off the ground.

3:15 pm – 5:00 pm

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

Advanced topics: material efficiency and end of life options | Chambers Room at Kevin Taylor | This session will look at advanced topics around circular economy for both soft goods and hard goods. The target audience for this session is organizations who have adopted the Higg Index or who have a robust sustainability strategy in place.

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

OIA SWG happy hour | Venue to be announced. |

THURSDAY, NOV 8 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

OIA SWG roundtable discussions | All roundtable discussions will be in the Quartz room at Hyatt Regency Convention Center |

9:00 am – 10:00 am

Flame Retardant Cohort Meeting

10:00 am – 11:00 am

Footwear Roundtable Discussion

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

Ethical Rubber Sourcing Roundtable Learn about opportunities for responsible sourcing in the latex supply chain, as shared by FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)

11:00 am – 12:00 pm

From micro-fibers to macroproblems: how long could microfibers really last? | Trend + Design Center (Booth 54121-UL) | Learn more about how different

Marketing Sustainability Roundtable Intended for companies adopting or considering adopting the Higg Index, a roundtable discussion to review and discuss the updates from the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and timeline for 2019 communication efforts.

FRIDAY, NOV 9 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm

OIA industry lunch - How change happens | Colorado Convention Center Room 301 | Social change expert and “How Change Happens” author Leslie Crutchfield explores some of the most dramatic social and environmental changes of the 21st century and reveals why pressing environmental problems like acid rain could be solved in North America, but climate action is getting stuck.

She also looks at how companies can have real impact on – and be impacted by – the major movements of our time.

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Driving your sustainability strategy | Colorado Convention Center Room 302 | Learn how the Higg Index suite of tools can help guide your organization’s internal sustainability conversations and enable brands, retailers and facilities of all sizes to accurately measure and score a company’s or product’s sustainability performance.

SUSTON: Not just a magazine Suston publishes three print magazines per year, with the next issue scheduled ahead of Outdoor Retailer Snow Show in Denver and ISPO Munich 2019.

But you don’t have to wait until then to collect more news, knowhow and inspiration about sustainability within the outdoor community. Visit our editorial website, sign up for our monthly newsletter or follow us on social media – where we regularly post both feature stories and shorter news updates.

We are also looking out for pioneering outdoor brands and retailers to become partners in this project. Is your company working systematically towards sustainability? Do you have interesting news or stories that you want to communicate to the outdoor community? Do you want to know more about Suston’s plans to bridge the sustainability information gap? Just get in touch!

STAY UPDATED !

sustonmagazine.com

BECOME A SUSTON PARTNER

Contact us for more information:

ILLUSTRATION: NADIA NÖRBOM

Jonathan Fraenkel-Eidse jonathan.eidse@ norragency.com +47 91240101 Karen Hensel (German speaking countries) karen.hensel@ norragency.com +49 1743712871 Suston Office: +46 8 462 0707

CONSIDER JOINING AS A SUSTAINABILITY WORKING GROUP LEADERSHIP MEMBER. This membership is an add-on to your OIA membership and includes: • Discounted rates on SWG events and workshops at Outdoor Retailer • Voting rights to ratify collaboratively developed tools (where applicable) • Access to exclusive SWG Leadership Member breakfast at Outdoor Retailer • 50% discount off Higg Index Brand and Retail Module for companies under $500 million USD • Discounted rates on Sustainability Support Services launching in 2019, including in-market “boot camps”

WAIT! Higgins the Goat says there’s more!

• Discounted rates on bluesign • Exclusive opportunities to system partnerships collective lobbying visits, events, signed letters • Discounted rates on Renewal and support Workshop partnerships • Collaboration opportunities • Early access to sponsorship with your industry peers opportunities • Media/communications recognition

• Recognition as a global leader • Reduced fee for OIA Members – OIA members receive 50% off SWG Leadership Member fees (up to $12,000 value)

oia.outdoorindustry.org/SB Join the Sustainable Business Movement today.

56 – suston