Trade show news

Outdoor industry depend on healthy environment

Worldwide, the outdoor industry depends on the preservation and protection of pristine wilderness environments and the animals who habitat them. How to save the earth have been topics of heated discussion in many fields. The outdoor industry is becoming increasingly aware that it is also up to manufacturers and consumers to protect the future of outdoor sports by acting more responsibly. The European Outdoor Group (EOG) and Messe Friedrichshafen have therefore designated The Challenge of Sustainability as the central theme of the 15th European OutDoor Trade Show in Friedrichshafen, Germany.

“Along with our customers, we’re into relaxation and adventure in a natural environment — but humans have been straining nature to a worrying degree for quite a while,” says EOG president Rolf Schmid.

“Increasing concerns about climate change and, for instance, factory working conditions are clear signals that the outdoor industry needs to take its ecological and social responsibilities more seriously. This means that we have to act now to ensure that future generations will be able to enjoy an intact wilderness while using our innovative products.”

According to him, members of the outdoor business began to understand a while ago that their products could have negative effects on the environment.

“We still have a long way to go before consistently sustainable products are established in the marketplace,” he says. “For one thing, providers still have a lot of homework to do on ecological and social issues before the global and extremely complex chain of production conforms to sustainability criteria from A to Z.

It will, however, take time before a critical mass of consumers actively start demanding such products — and, what’s more, are prepared to pay more for them.

Schmid believes that the fast-growing so-called LOHAS (Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability) consumer segment should encourage the industry to develop high-quality, innovative products and services that meet the demands of this new environmentally and socially conscious clientele.

“After all, sustainability must not come at the expense of quality,” he says. “There are already sustainable manufacturing standards and interesting products out there like bluesign, organic cotton and sustainability-oriented recycled materials.

“These kinds of things are going to have an ever-increasing market presence.”

The industry promotes sustainability by sensitising manufacturers about the importance of adopting these measures through initiatives like the Association for Conservation. The EOG can coordinate incentives and motivate more of its members to commit themselves to addressing social and ecological issues, says Schmid.

“Verifying sustainability is one of the industry’s biggest challenges. Just as with any social change or trend that offers commercial opportunities, there are companies out there wrapping themselves in green just to make a fast buck from the buzz about sustainability.”

“Their existence makes it even more important to develop standards that will effectively separate the wheat from the chaff, and thereby clearly identify genuine, ecologically sound products and commitments.”