The outdoor industry, more than most, is keenly aware of the effects of climate change and, in particular, the need to create greener supply chains. It鈥檚 the reason more than 377 outdoor brands have joined the Plastic Impact Alliance, committing to making our industry more sustainable by eradicating single-use plastic from their businesses.

Although everything from materials to manufacturing contributes to a company鈥檚 carbon footprint, it鈥檚 end-of-the-line packaging that really adds up and is often unable to be recycled curbside. Still, it鈥檚 arguably one of the easiest things to change and make more sustainable (not to mention, it serves as a significant touchpoint with customers, especially as ecommerce continues to trend upwards).

Only about 9 percent of all plastic waste is currently recycled and as such, single-use plastic packaging accounts for nearly half the plastic waste found in nature. In August, prAna, an early member of the Plastic Impact Alliance and a leader in sustainable, outdoor fashion, announced the Responsible Packaging Movement, a program designed to create industry-wide change. Since 2010, prAna has successfully eliminated more than 17 million polybags from the supply chain and its new initiative takes it a step further by collaborating with other industry brands.

In line with the Plastic Impact Alliance and prAna鈥檚 mission of sharing knowledge and transforming the industry together, we鈥檝e compiled this list as a resource for outdoor brands.聽From mailers to labels, protective wrapping to polybags, here are five companies out to revolutionize how we package and ship products. The first three innovations on this list were recent winners of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition聽2020 Protective Packaging Design Challenge.

Returnity

The Product

Chrysalis is a reusable shipping bag designed to replace poly-mailers and reusable shipping boxes.

How It Works

Brands work with Returnity to design mailbags that, once used for shipping, can be flipped inside out by the customer and transformed into a tote, duffle, or makeup bag. The boxes are made for companies engaged in a circular shipping model.

鈥淥ur view is that companies will not scale the use of reusables if it doesn’t make sense financially, so we enable them to make the switch by making it cost-effective,鈥� said Returnity CEO Michael Newman.

Returnity believes its packaging creates perfect social media moments once in the customer鈥檚 hands.

鈥淚n addition to cardboard boxes and poly-mailer bags being wasteful, they鈥檙e just boring,鈥� said Newman. 鈥淔or so many retailers, this is the one physical touch point they have with the consumer. When you ship something in a reusable package, consumers take notice and love it.鈥�

Environmental Credentials

All bags and boxes are made from recycled plastic bottles. Returnity is also working with a household name in outdoor fabric to turn used or deadstock fabrics鈥攖hings that may have failed color matching or quality control and might otherwise be landfilled鈥攊nto reusable shipping bags. Additionally, all of Returnity鈥檚 boxes have a layer of rigid plastic in between them, meaning they outperform cardboard in terms of strength, durability, and product protection. Returnity guarantees its packaging for 40 shipments and will even take products back from clients at the end of their life span in order to handle the recycling of the material.

Applications for the Outdoor Industry

Returnity鈥檚 willingness to work with brands on a case-by-case basis means its industry applications are endless. Although the company鈥檚 model is similar to LimeLoop, which is used by Toad & Co, it differs in the respect that its reusable packaging isn鈥檛 leased.

鈥淚’m super proud of our ability to adapt our reusables in a way that makes sense for almost any product,鈥� said Newman. 鈥淭he thing that we鈥檙e working on now is really enabling systems, so that if your company isn鈥檛 inherently circular we鈥檙e able to help you get there.鈥�

Returnity counts O鈥橮ros Fly Fishing and Camp Rents among its current clients. In the coming weeks they will add a yet-to-be-name gear rental company plus another big name in outdoor apparel.

Mushroom Packaging

The Product

High-performing packaging made from hemp and mycelium that resembles pulp packaging or an egg carton, and easily could replace similar plastic versions as well. Additionally, it鈥檚 cost competitive, thermally insulating, and water resistant.

How It Works

Every piece of Mushroom Packaging (powered by Evocative Design) is custom designed, using CAD software, and grown in just seven days. The product is a living material and spends four days in its tray before being removed to grow for two more days, and finally, dried for one to disable future growth.

Environmental Credentials

Mushroom Packaging takes just 30 days to break down in a home compost, no industrial composting required. (It takes 180 days in a marine compost.) Consumers simply have to break the packaging into small pieces and place it outside in the soil, allowing nutrients to return to the earth. Additionally, the trays used to grow the packaging are reused hundreds of times.

Applications for the Outdoor Industry

Mushroom Packaging has distribution centers in the U.S., Europe, Oceania, and the U.K. Paradise Packaging, located in California, is the main hub for growth and distribution across the U.S. and does have some standard shapes available. Incredibly versatile and with custom options available, this packaging could be used on everything from ski goggles to fly rods, from solar lights to camping stoves, or anything that benefits from a more rigid form of packaging.

Flexi-Hex

The Product

A range of plastic-free packaging solutions made from recycled cardboard that use a honeycomb design and are ideal for replacing bubble wrap.

How It Works

The hexagonal cellular structure of Flexi-Hex means it can wrap a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and materials, including glass. Flexi-Hex Air is a lighter, tissue paper-based packaging ideal for smaller, fragile objects.

Environmental Credentials

Flexi-Hex鈥檚 mission is simple: remove plastic from the packaging industry and raise awareness of the threats currently facing the world鈥檚 oceans. Flexi-Hex is nontoxic, reusable, biodegrades readily, and is made of 100 percent recycled cardboard. The company is also currently investigating bio-adhesives in order to remove its reliance on petroleum-based glue.

Although much more low-volume than its plastic counterparts, Flexi-Hex is still manufactured in China and shipped around the world (distribution accounts for the majority of its carbon footprint, although the company does purchase carbon offsets to compensate). Internally, every Flexi-Hex employee also gets a personalized carbon footprint report complete with recommendations on how they can improve things like their travel habits, diet, and home energy use. As of 2020, the company is carbon-negative according to conservation organization Mossy Earth.

Applications for the Outdoor Industry

Flexi-Hex can be used to protect surf boards, skis, snowboards, bikes, small electronics, water bottles, tent poles, sunglasses, helmets, oats, lanterns, coolers鈥攜ou get the idea.

Vela

The Product

A durable, paper polybag alternative, Vela bags are weather resistant and protect their contents from humidity, moisture, and dust.

How It Works

A product of family-owned Seaman Paper, a company that now focuses on lightweight paper solutions used in packaging, the Vela bag officially launched at the beginning of this month. Although the bag was designed with apparel companies in mind, it has potential beyond that.

鈥淲e’re in testing with lots of global apparel brands whose names you would know,鈥� said Seaman Paper鈥檚 VP of business development, Julie Skibniewski. 鈥淲hat’s been surprising to us is the non-apparel inquiries we’ve had from consumer products companies.鈥�

Environmental Credentials

Vela bags are made from paper, one of the most highly recyclable products in the world. What鈥檚 more, the Vela bag is made from Forest Stewardship Council-certified, sustainably harvested paper fibers; globally, FSC is considered the strongest system of forest management. Since Vela bags can be recycled four to six times, they also promote a circular economy where maximum value is extracted from raw material. Finally, Seaman has partnered with sustainable solutions firm South Pole to calculate the carbon footprint of producing Vela bags and to purchase corresponding carbon offsets.

Applications for the Outdoor Industry

In addition to prAna, the women鈥檚 fashion brand Mara Hoffman and sustainable clothing brand Outerknown are already using Vela bags. 鈥淭here鈥檚 really a limitless opportunity for Vela bags,鈥� said Skibniewski. 鈥淎nywhere you鈥檙e currently using plastic, you can use a Vela bag.鈥�

EcoEnclose

The Product

EcoEnclose, based in Louisville, Colorado, isn鈥檛 a new company but its product line is extensive鈥攆rom mailers to boxes, packing tape to hemp twine鈥攁nd constantly evolving. We particularly like their focus on shipping supplies, specifically zero-waste shipping labels, which the company claims are the world鈥檚 most eco-friendly.

How It Works

Companies can request free, individual samples of specific products or full sample kits. EcoEnclose has the capacity to serve companies of all sizes, whether you need 1,000 units or 5 million. Additionally, the majority of its products can be custom branded.

Environmental Credentials

EcoEnclose offers two types of zero-waste shipping labels, the first being 100 percent recycled white labels, compatible with laser and inkjet printers, which come on EcoEnclose鈥檚 100 percent recycled and curbside recyclable liners. The second option is direct thermal labels that are compatible with standard thermal printers, also on the Zero Waste Release Liner. There are also several tape options that are better than the typical plastic stuff, including Cello Carton Sealing Tape, which combines cellulose backing with a natural rubber adhesive, making it plant-based, renewable, and biodegradable.

By 2030, EcoEnclose hopes to be an 鈥渆cologically net positive鈥� company, meaning that its products, operations, and supply chain are a positive, regenerative force for the planet. The company has a comprehensive sustainable packaging framework and is committed to innovation.

Applications for the Outdoor Industry

EcoEnclose鈥檚 outdoor industry clients already include La Sportiva, United By Blue, Adidas, and Fj盲llr盲ven.

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Patagonia has used the same booth for trade shows for the last 15 years. You know the one: it’s all corrugated metal, wood panels, natural cement floor, and messaging about sustainability. Patagonia is, of course, known as a sustainability leader within the outdoor industry, but representatives say they’ve by no means mastered the best practices for building a sustainable booth. They know they still have work left to do.

At Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, Patagonia became the first brand to take a thorough inventory of its waste at the trade show, from pallet shrink wrap to employee’s individual consumption. The audit聽shines a light on what they鈥攁nd what the entire industry鈥攃an work on to push toward a zero-waste trade show future.

“This audit opened up a lot of potential rabbit holes for us to dive into, which almost always happens when you start to dig into these topics and this kind of work,” Patagonia communications manager Corey Simpson said. “We want to share what we’ve learned in case it is applicable for others. Our hope is that it leads to a more comprehensive guide for brands so that we can all reduce our trade show footprint.”

The Outdoor Industry Has a Plastic Problem

In a huge collective effort at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, the show organizers and many brands, namely聽Plastic Impact Alliance聽members, encouraged attendees to use reusable drinking vessels and urged exhibitors to offer them at events. Overall, the heightened awareness around plastic waste was considered a success.

“Sustainability messaging dominated the June 2019 show, particularly around the need for plastics and waste reduction,” Patagonia wrote in its assessment. “But what is the industry actually doing about it, specifically at Outdoor Retailer?”

Patagonia’s internal assessment highlighted some areas where they could be more attentive to reduce even more waste.

Assessors, including Sarah Swidler and Dawnielle Tellez, found that the most waste came from the booth design, set up, and tear down phases of the trade show. Plastic packaging, plastic film, and micro-trash were thrown in the trash and in some cases, left in dozens of haphazard piles on the floor for Colorado Convention Center staff to throw in the trash.

“The brands do have the voice and the ability as customers to demand more sustainable options,” Patagonia global visual design sell-in manager Swidler said.

Even though Outdoor Retailer did away with miles and miles of single-use aisle carpet at Summer Market, flooring remains one of the biggest waste streams at the show, as exhibitors elect to carpet their booths. For every square foot of carpet on the show floor, there’s a square foot of plastic lining that’s tossed. And after the show, the carpeting is typically only reused once or twice at most. Patagonia was an early adopter of the plain concrete floor (which has a nice industrial look to it) and has never had it as long as Outdoor Retailer has been around. It’s a booth component that other exhibitors should consider nixing.

Patagonia also found that exhibitors and service providers rapidly, and often haphazardly broke down the booths following the show. Venue staff did the best they could, but they are tasked with quickly cleaning up for the next show. In the rush, back-of-house sorting and proper disposal of certain products were forgotten due to time constraints.

Patagonia said we shouldn’t forget the pack-in, pack-out mentality we use in the backcountry when we hit the trade show floor.

“The trade show industry itself is large, complex, and wasteful,” Patagonia environmental analyst Tellez said. “Patagonia and the Plastic Impact Alliance can spearhead a theory of change to ensure meaningful, actionable impacts through collaboration鈥搉ot just talk.鈥�

Things We Can Do Better Next Time

In an audit report shared exclusively with 国产吃瓜黑料 Business Journal, Patagonia outlined their plan for hitting the next show with a new level of awareness and action around minimizing waste, plastic and otherwise.

“The Plastic Impact Alliance has built momentum in OR鈥檚 zero-waste movement,” Patagonia wrote in its assessment. “Patagonia can capitalize on and help catalyze greater impact; share our ethos鈥攖he more you know, the less you need.“

In the report, Patagonia broke down a few quick wins and talked with OBJ about other next steps:

Easily-achievable goals for exhibitors to consider:

• Pallet wrapping: Use either reusable pallet wrap (yes, it does exist) or recyclable clear pallet wrapping in clear. Colored or black shrink pallet wrap is not recyclable, so brands should avoid those types.

• BYOC (cup): Proactively encourage staff to bring their own reusable bottles and drinking vessels, since we all have a collection at home. This push can also include messaging around reusable utensils.

• Happy hours and events: Reject plastic in all forms in your booth, even compostable plastic. The Plastic Impact Alliance has put together resources for ordering reusable drinkware, which can be gifted or sold with profits going to a non-profit.

• Carpeting and flooring: Follow in the footsteps of Outdoor Retailer and Patagonia and remove flooring from your booth. Let’s embrace the industrial, cement floor.

• Pack in/pack out mentality: Instruct all your staff and contractors of this goal, so that no one assumes that a pile of paper left on the floor will make its way to the recycle bin.
• Skip the new booth: Let鈥檚 not build new booths just for the sake of 鈥渘ew.鈥� When it is necessary to design new booths, consider upcycled or sustainable materials and modular designs that can change down the road.

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We know you鈥檙e committed to reducing single-use plastic in your daily life. And your company is committed to doing the same.

So, what are you waiting for? Join the hundreds of outdoor industry brands by becoming part of the Plastic Impact Alliance, so we can all work together to make the outdoor industry free from single-use plastic.

Joining the Plastic Impact Alliance Is Easy

Sign our and share it with your employees and personal network. By signing, you promise to bring your personal drinking vessel to future Outdoor Retailer shows and reject single-use plastic.

• If you鈥檙e an exhibitor at Outdoor Retailer or any other trade show, host a water station at your booth. Do not bring in plastic bottles and cups. Instead provide reusable bottles/cups at any beverage-related events at your booth.
• If you鈥檙e a retailer or rep agency, commit to providing a water refill station in your store or office for employees and customers to use.
• If you鈥檙e a PR company or media company, write about the Alliance and help us promote the cause and the Promise.
• Check out our complete tool kit of resources .

Join the Alliance Now

*After you fill out the below form, be sure to email your logo to khostetter@outsideinc.com so we can include you in our next newsletter!

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What do you get when a record number of climbers ascend Everest? More trash, the Nepalese government discovered this year after collecting over 11 tons from the world’s tallest mountain in May. It’s been called the “world’s highest garbage dump.”

To cut down on waste, Nepal is banning single-use plastics from its Khumbu Pasang Lhamu rural municipality, home to Mount Everest and several other peaks.

The ban, starting January 2020, covers plastic of less than 0.03 millimeters thick鈥攕uch as bags and wrappers鈥攁nd plastic bottles for drinks other than water. Trekkers won’t be allowed to bring plastic in and shops won’t be allowed to sell items in the ban.

The government hasn’t decided what the punishment will be for those who break the rules. But they’re working with trekking companies, airlines, and the Nepal Mountaineering Association to enforce the new policy, The Himalayan Times reported.

“It is important that both mountaineers and tourists visiting base camp learn to practice Leave No Trace ethics,” professional ski mountaineer Caroline Gleich said. She and her now-husband with Alpenglow Expeditions summited Everest in May.

Most of the trash on Everest is related to survival鈥攐xygen bottles, tarps, abandoned packs, batteries, and even human waste. “While the plastic ban is a noble idea, it will really come down to the responsibility of teams and of individuals to take better care of the mountain,” Gleich added. “Many people forget that base camp is not a place with regular garbage removal services. It is up to each person to carry out what they carry in. I support the efforts of the governments on the Tibet and Nepal sides of Everest to continue to push efforts to clean up Everest.”

Nepal’s new policy follows in the footsteps of other governments around the globe. California, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Oregon, and Vermont, to name a few, have enacted legislation banning and phasing out single-use plastic bags. Other businesses and cities have banned plastic straws.

The outdoor industry also rallied around reducing its single-use plastic waste. The movement kicked off at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in June, when the Plastic Impact Alliance of 225 companies supported 170 water stations and refused to offer single-use plastic at events.

The individual efforts are part of a combined effort to address the world’s plastic pollution, as researchers continues to find microplastics in our water, air, and soil.

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Believe it or not, a zero-waste trade show is within our reach, especially if the industry rallies around the idea in the same way they did to ditch single-use plastic at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market last month in Denver, Colorado.

Not only were single-use water bottles few and far between, but vendors for the first time had an alternative to single-use samples cups thanks to Vessel Works. Plastic Impact Alliance members Nuun, Lono Life, Cusa Tea, and Patagonia Provisions served food and drinks in two-ounce stainless steel cups, which Vessel Works collected at the end of the night, sterilized, and returned the next day.

“Overall the whole pilot was such a success,” Vessel’s Carly Snider said. “I thought we were going to hear pushback from attendees because with anything new you always hear different things. But the vendors were like, I can’t even tell you how incredible it is to offer a zero-waste solution at events.”

Snider is in talks with other brands, as well as Outdoor Retailer and the Colorado Convention Center, about scaling the program at the next shows.

“We got dozens of comments from buyers and media and people genuinely appreciated our efforts to divert waste from the landfill,” Cusa Tea Founder and CEO Jim Lamancusa said. “On top of that, Vessel made it extremely easy. Clean cups magically showed up each morning and dirty ones were hauled away. We will definitely be doing this again.鈥�

Snider is doing a lifecycle assessment of what she calls five-second sample cups, and both Outdoor Retailer and Patagonia are awaiting results of separate audits of waste at the show to determine the next issue to tackle.

Plastic Numbers from the Trade Show Floor

• 1,315 people signed up for the Plastic Impact Promise and 225 brands are members of the Plastic Impact Alliance.

• More than 300 reusable water bottles were given away at the Snews booth.

• Yeti’s water refill vats served 5,631 people with 1,320 gallons of water鈥攆or a conversion of 14,080 12-ounce bottles.

• Vessel Works diverted 6,000 sample cups by providing four brands with a fleet of stainless steel reusable ones.

• Outdoor Retailer handed out 25,000聽Nalgene bottles to attendees.

• No single-use bottles were sold at concession stands.

• Stanley, a steadfast sponsor of Outdoor Industry Association鈥檚 Day One breakfast, invited its competitors Miir, Klean Kanteen, Yeti, CamelBak, Mizu, and EcoVessel to co-sponsor. Together, they distributed 675 insulated vessels.

• Plastic Impact Alliance members hosted 170 in-booth water refill stations around the show floor.

Objectives for Other Trade Shows

On Day Three of the show, a group of Plastic Impact Alliance members鈥攆rom Outdoor Retailer, Patagonia, Stanley, Costa, Klean Kanteen, Catapult Creative Labs, OBJ, Momentum PR, and Outdoor Industry Association鈥攎et to discuss observations and next steps.

“I can’t think of a more progressive trade show…really progressive,” said Amanda Simons with , a trade show sustainability auditing group working with OR.

Some Other Overarching Wins:

• Outdoor Retailer did away with aisle carpeting.

• The Colorado Convention Center baled and recycled plastic film in the back-of-house sorting area鈥攁vailable for all brands to use.

Some Waste-Stream Challenges to Work On:

• Carpet and flooring in booths, plus the plastic covers

• Plastic film for pallet wrapping

• Polybags

• Takeaway food, which produces single-use waste

• Filling, such as pillows, for shoes, bags, etc.

Even though there was noticeable progress, the trash still piled up at the end of the show. A large pile of product labels and bags from one big brand was left as trash on the floor next to their booth.

Patagonia environmental analyst Dawnielle Tellez said Patagonia has a pack in/pack out mentality at the show. “Our visual design team brings everything from our booth back to our headquarters to ensure it鈥檚 sorted, repurposed, recycled, composted, or disposed of responsibly,” Tellez said. “Our team goes so far as to use reusable, inflatable bladders to fill our backpacks and duffle bags for display during the show.”

Patagonia, member of the Alliance since May, is creating a tool to enable themselves and other apparel brands to evaluate the overall waste footprint throughout the trade show, including a way to identify single-use plastic 鈥渉otspots.”

“We鈥檙e also in the process of developing a roadmap for how Patagonia can ultimately reach zero-waste in our trade show operations,” Tellez said. Evaluating the trade show operations is part of Patagonia’s effort to drastically reduce its waste globally, eliminate virgin petroleum sources, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2025.

国产吃瓜黑料 of OR, the Alliance聽is working with Outdoor Media Summit (about 150 attendees) to create a totally zero-waste, carbon neutral April 2020 event in Estes Park, Colorado. Grassroots Outdoor Alliance is also moving forward with a plan and a new level of mindfulness around their bi-annual Connect shows.

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As I sat in the audience of the Industry Breakfast at the most recent Outdoor Retailer Snow Show, my eyes kept drifting to the side of the stage. The esteemed panelists were discussing the Outdoor Business Climate Partnership, a new collaboration between Outdoor Industry Association, Snowsports Industries America, and National Ski Areas Association to unite against climate change.

But I couldn鈥檛 stop focusing on the ripped open, plastic-wrapped eight-pack of Evian bottles that sat unceremoniously on stage right. Two of those panelists had Evian bottles on the floor beneath their chairs. One was holding a paper Starbucks cup.

As I walked the show floor over the next few days, I started noticing a lot of single-use plastic. Too much. Way too much for an industry that鈥檚 working so hard to stop climate change and minimize our impact on the planet. During booth appointments, I was offered dozens of single-use bottles of water (some were even those ridiculous toddler-size, four-ounce bottles). At happy hours, I was offered beer in plastic (albeit compostable) cups, and at breakfast events, paper plates and plastic cutlery.

I started to feel guilty鈥攆or all of us鈥攁bout the amount of disposable single-use products littering the show floor.

We have to do better. And in our daily lives, most of us do. But when we travel for work, it鈥檚 often easier to just grab what鈥檚 available, whether it鈥檚 a bottle of Fuji water or a 16-ounce latte at Starbucks in a paper cup.

We all know the evils of single-use plastic. Sure, we recycle that discarded plastic into jackets and sunglasses and T-shirts. But we use too much of them to begin with. Initiatives to reduce plastic鈥攕hopping bags, straws, bottles鈥攁re happening all over the globe. In Europe, several event planners are already starting to ban single use plastic trade shows and festivals.

Let鈥檚 do the same at our trade show.

Because shouldn鈥檛 Outdoor Retailer be the first plastic-free, zero waste trade show in the U.S.? We think it should. Let鈥檚 do it together one bottle at a time.

(Note: We reached out to Outdoor Retailer to ask about their plans to make OR a more sustainable show. At this time there are no plans to stop selling single-use plastic bottles at the show. They referred us to a November quote from Marisa Nicholson, vice president of the outdoor group: “We鈥檙e always looking for ways to reduce Outdoor Retailer鈥檚 environmental footprint…we are proud to be leaders on this front, developing initiatives and programs together with our sponsors, partners, and the Colorado Convention Center like recycling programs, water fill stations, and the use of compostable products. There鈥檚 always more that we can and will do and look forward to what we can achieve as an industry.” A spokesperson for OR also said: 鈥淎s we get closer to Summer Market and have more details in place, we can definitely connect on a story around sustainability efforts at the shows.”)

Stay tuned for updates on The Plastic Impact Promise including a map of exhibitors who will be offering refill stations throughout the show and shout-outs to those of you who sign on.

The post Editor鈥檚 Note: Let鈥檚 Reject Single-Use Plastic at the Next OR Show appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.