“Businesses, governments, and civil society are equally responsible for taking action against the climate crisis and lighting the spark to accelerate change towards a green, prosperous, and equitable future,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of earthday.org, in Oct. 2022 at the announcement of this year’s Earth Day theme.
With that in mind, we take a look at some of the efforts being made by sporting goods and outdoor brands to mark Earth Day 2023.
Held annually on April 22 since 1970, for the first time in its history, Earth Day is repeating the theme from the previous year: “Invest in Our Planet.”
Businesses are this year being pitched as central to the efforts needed to overcome climate change. They must drive value for their institutions and society through green innovation and practices, with the private sector having the power to drive the most significant change with both the necessary scale and speed. For Rogers: “We must join together in our fight for the green revolution and for the health of future generations. The time is now to Invest In Our Planet.”
So what are businesses in the sporting goods and outdoor world doing to support Earth Day this year?
Earth Day actions from European Outdoor Conservation Association members
The European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) – an initiative from the European outdoor industry which raises money to donate to grassroots conservation groups – and some of its members are holding an online fundraiser, as well as calling on outdoor enthusiasts to look after their local environments. Money raised by the members’ activities will enable EOCA to continue to support and invest in a range of conservation projects around the world.
Polish down product manufacturer Cumulus will donate 20 percent of its profits to the EOCA from the weekend of April 21-23, while Osprey will do the same from sales made between 00:01 on April 22 until 23:59 on April 23. Ternua is likewise donating a fifth of its sales for a whole week, until 26 April, from all purchases of their urban collection, new earth spirit.
Offline, The North Face, in partnership with EOCA, is supporting not-for-profit organizations across Europe to organize clean-up hikes in France, Italy, Germany, the UK, and Switzerland and is offering tools for individuals to organize their own clean-up hikes.
The data ecosystem for outdoor and sports brands, Outra donated a total of €5,000 to EOCA whilst HD Wool is holding a bake sale at its HQ to raise funds for the association.
Brands’ Earth Day-inspired environmental actions
Patagonia’s Action Works – which connects committed individuals to organizations working on environmental issues in the same community – have many events in the calendar for Earth Day 2023. Some are encouraging people to get outside, like the Social Solidarity Sea Dip hosted by Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland. Others encourage care and restoration of natural spaces, with beach cleanups in Seaside, Oregon, and river cleanups in Wilmington, New York, and Medford, Massachusetts. And Patagonia Action Works network members are also hosting film screenings and community events.
Dutch clothing brand Protest Sportswear is to partner with Nu Cycle, an AI-powered waste offset service. The Nu Cycle system uses AI to track and collect waste where it actually washes up (like the ocean). Its network of partners then upcycles the collected waste into usable materials again. Protest plans to neutralize the annual waste impact of all their employees by collaborating with Nu Cycle to remove pollutants like plastic, glass, and food from the environment. In one year, the collaboration will be responsible for removing and converting 33,000 kg of waste. The action came from Protest’s own PVRE Green Challenge, which encourages its team riders to think about preserving the natural environments they love and was suggested by snowboarder Maria Kuzma.
Earth Day product releases
Whilst encouraging people to buy may somewhat contradict the principles of Earth Day, some brands are using it to showcase and push consumers towards more environmentally conscious choices by releasing more sustainable products to mark Earth Day.
Marmot, for example, has released an Earth Day hoodie and t-shirt. The garments are made with BCI-certified cotton and are screen printed with water-based Living Ink made from algae.
Spanish sportswear brand Joma is marking the day with a blog post outlining how it is committed to looking after the environment, along with highlighting its “sustainable” product line. The Joma website is offering €25 off consumers’ next order with the purchase of any sustainable product from March 17 until April 23, 2023.
Adidas is marking the day with a drop of its Stan Smith sneakers, which swap out conventional materials with more sustainable and renewable ones. The special Earth Day edition features a natural rubber midsole and outsole, and instead of leather, the uppers are made with a minimum of 50 percent hemp. The shoes are a natural, undyed finish, but crochet finishing pays tribute to the counterculture movement of the ’70s that inspired generational change.
According to ESPN, Adidas has also partnered with the USA’s Major League Soccer (MLS) for a release of special-edition kits to be worn by every team this weekend to mark Earth Day. The designs are manufactured from plastic waste and draw “inspiration from the ocean floor.”
Earth Day: You can take part
If all this has left you feeling inspired and ready to take part in either this year’s Earth Day, next year’s Earth Day, or simply engage in more environmentally conscious business practices every day of the year, the EarthDay.org website is full of resources for both individuals and organizations.
However, if you’re still feeling skeptical, our industry expert Charles Ross has one single action that all sporting and outdoor brands should take to boost their environmental contribution. Read it here now.
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