According to outdoor retailer REI, at least. Time
In a move that could be a new model for the retail industry, outdoor gear and clothing seller REI has established a set of environmentally-friendly standards that brands must meet if they want a place on its store shelves.
The requirements — ranging from creating a code of conduct for manufacturers to banning products that contain certain chemicals, will apply to the over 1,000 product lines sold by the 80-year-old retail co-op.
Millennials and other shoppers increasingly want to patronize companies that show a social consciousness, and a growing number of businesses are meeting that demand, by labeling and highlighting products that reflect humane and climate-friendly practices.
But REI’s actions are on a different scale, says Adam Siegel, senior vice president of innovation, research and sustainability for the Retail Industry Leaders Association, a trade group.
“Different retailers have focused on different types of suppliers and different issues, but this is certainly the most comprehensive,” Siegel says.
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The standards reflect suggestions from dozens of the brands sold at REI’s 151 stores, as well as those of groups focused on sustainability.
Companies will have to meet some of the new rules right away. For instance, they will need to make sure their supplier network adheres to a code of conduct when making their products.
But makers of sunscreen will have two years to ensure that their products no longer contain oxybenzone, a chemical that whitens coral reefs, which REI will no longer allow in goods that it sells as of 2020.
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Additionally, shoppers can go to REI’s website and type in terms like “organic cotton” to find labels and products that have the qualities that matter most to them.
While some brands, such as outdoor gear maker Patagonia, already make products designed to preserve the environment, REI says that it will help others get up to speed on climate-friendly practices. The company will also share its sustainability standards with its business peers.
Some businesses “may have a keen interest in sustainability but lack the resources to fully implement a program,” Matthew Thurston, REI’s director of sustainability, said in a statement. “We’re in a unique position to unite our brand partners around a common goal, by sharing best practices and resources that we’ve learned from both our own work and that of the brands we work with.”
The new standards will be attractive to many shoppers and further burnish REI’s image as a nature-friendly retailer.
“More and more now we’re seeing this evolution of conscious consumers,’’ Siegel says, adding that such practices also cut costs because they produce less waste and tap into recyclable materials.
“We’re seeing a trend towards more of these sorts of activities,” he says. “And this is certainly one example of where it can go.”
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