Plastic Impact Alliance is now more than 200 brands strong
One thing’s for sure: No one will go thirsty at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market
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The massive collaborative effort to eliminate single-use plastic from Outdoor Retailer continues to gain steam, with less than two weeks until show time. Of the 200+ members of the Plastic Impact Alliance about 120 of them are exhibitors at OR and will be hosting in-booth water stations where attendees can stop and refill their bottles.
Although neither Outdoor Retailer nor Nalgene has yet joined hands with these 200+ brands by entering the Alliance—or credited Alliance members for stepping up to create all those in-booth water stations on the show floor—the two companies have partnered to support the goals of the larger collaboration: OR is gifting each attendee a new plastic Nalgene bottle.
“Congratulations to Outdoor Retailer and Nalgene for joining the movement started by Stanley, SNEWS, Catapult and so many other eco-minded companies to reduce single-use plastic at the Outdoor Retailer trade show,” says Michelle Fleming, marketing manager at Stanley. “The Plastic Impact Alliance was formed in March, 2019, and it quickly grew to become a strong voice for change at OR. We’re proud to have paved the way for a plastic-free trade show by getting 200+ brands to commit to reject plastic bottles. It’s great to see two more brands – Nalgene and Outdoor Retailer – join our effort and help PIA take a big step forward. The planet is better today for the movement they’ve joined.”
In the spirit of coopetition
At Outdoor Industry Association’s Industry Breakfast on June 18th, nine Alliance member brands—YETI, GSI Outdoors, Mizu, MiiR, EcoVessel, Klean Kanteen, CamelBak, and Stanley—have banded together to supply attendees with double-wall vaccuum insulated mugs. Stanley has been the sole mug sponsor of the breakfast for the last several shows, but Fleming saw the value in coopetition: sharing that space with her competitors for the greater good. “At the end of the day, we’re all in it to do the right thing: reduce our use of single-use plastic at our trade show and beyond,” she says.
Bottom line: No one should be dehydrated and no one should need to resort to single-use plastic at the show.
In the last week, 23 more brands have signed on to the Alliance, including Adventure Medical Kits, Body Glove, Bonfire Collective, EarlyBird Power, Eastman, Exped, Filson, Good To-Go, La Sportiva, Marmot, MSR, NRI Distribution, PackTowel, Platypus, SealLine, Sea to Summit, Sherpa Adventure Gear, Skyline Sales & Consulting, Team Talent, Therm-a-Rest, and Vasque.
We predict that there will be a lot less plastic on the show floor at Summer Market, thanks to the huge collaborative spirit and effort of Alliance members, who have pledged to go green come happy hour time, offering reusable cups and encouraging guests to BYO cups.
Plastic Impact Alliance featured at KEENFEST
At KEENFEST, which happen in the parking lot across the street from the Colorado Convention Center during the show (look for the ferris wheel, it will be hard to miss), Plastic Impact Alliance member KEEN will be highlighting our industry’s plastic efforts and encouraging people to sign the Plastic Impact Promise in the on-site “advocacy hut.”
“KEEN’S mission is to create original and surprisingly versatile products, improve lives, and inspire outside adventures,” says Ashley Williams, senior marketing director of global marketing at KEEN. “With this at our core, having a consciously constructed approach to everything we do leads very naturally into our journey to reduce our usage of single use plastics. We’re proud to be a partner of the Plastic Impact Alliance and use our KEENFEST celebration at this summer’s Outdoor Retailer as a platform to help spread that message.”
Please join SNEWS, The Voice, and the Plastic Impact Alliance for a sustainable happy hour on Day 1 of the show (June 18th) from 4 to 6 p.m. at booth 46073-UL.
In related news, United By Blue, one of the first companies to join the Plastic Impact Alliance, is announcing a bold, brave goal: to remove the company’s use of single-use plastic from their waste stream within one year. By World Oceans Day 2020, United By Blue will eliminate the most prevalent plastics in their waste stream including plastic polybags, plastic swift tags, plastic bubble wrap sleeves, plastic trim bags and more.
“There’s a chance we won’t completely achieve that goal by the deadline,” says Mike Cangi, co-founder and brand director. “But we need to set the framework and hold ourselves accountable to the goals.”
To join the Plastic Impact Alliance, check out our tool kit to get up to speed, then send a note and your logo to snewsedit@aimmedia.com.
