German retailer Globetrotter and others within the Frilufts Retail group have used their own standard for years. Suston talks to Fabian Nendza, Senior Sustainability Manager, about plans for A Greener Choice and the future of private “eco-labels.”

Within Frilufts Retail, thousands of products are evaluated each year, from ten criteria. Also, ten “no go’s” are defined. From your perspective – why is this important?

Balancing transparency with guidance has always been central to our retail philosophy. Early on, we saw the benefit in an overarching layer that takes all the granular data, categorize and consolidate it, and then come to a conclusion that is easy to understand for customers as well. And, not stopping at this point and saying, “this is our evaluation, take it or leave it”, but instead allowing customers that are really interested to go deeper in the different layers, in a best case scenario all the way to the raw data.

So, we equip customers with information that aligns with their level of sustainability awareness. To find ways to continue doing so is definitely our ambition.

Does A Greener Choice live up to the upcoming EU laws, or do you need to adjust it in some ways? What are the major aspects you are looking at?

We have been following the legislation process closely. If nothing unexpected happens in the coming years, we recognize a few important aspects that we need to address, to align with the directives.

One might be the necessity for external accreditation. Without any doubt – establishing such a standard will be a lengthy and bureaucratic process. Here, we foresee the need for an A Greener Choice advisory board, an expert panel to support the ongoing development of the standard.

Our focus now has been on creating a handbook that defines all processes, policies, and responsibilities necessary to establish A Greener Choice as an accredited third-party standard. This handbook guides everything from product evaluation to updates when a product’s sustainability profile changes over time.

If external accreditation proves too challenging, we might consider alternative approaches, such as adjusting our evaluation criteria or leveraging established sustainability labels. This could involve providing more direct data on products. However, this can be overwhelming for consumers. A layer of interpretation helps make the information actionable.

And, not to forget, to constantly improve A Greener Choice, has been our mindset all along.

Do you see a common standard for the outdoor industry as an option?

As the industry evolves, there may come a time when a standardized approach across companies fulfills this role without additional certifications. We are not near that yet, though. While the European Outdoor Group’s SDEX database offers raw data, using this as consumer-facing may not be realistic as it lacks the guidance structure we’re aiming for.

But there are existing initiatives within the industry that could evolve into a broader standard, like Vaude’s Green Shape and – in our opinion – A Greener Choice.

We’ve also discussed scenarios where the EU’s Digital Product Passport initiative and the Product Environmental Footprint could eventually make A Greener Choice and other labels unnecessary.

To create a future proof standard will take a lot of time and resources – what are the reasons to choose this rocky road?

Ultimately, transparency alone isn’t enough to create the empowerment the EU is asking for. Consumers will benefit when we distill complex data into understandable insights, allowing them to make informed decisions. For instance, knowing a product’s CO2 footprint is only helpful if consumers understand how it compares to others within the category. And according to our research most people will rather not dive into such details. By consolidating and simplifying data, we equip customers with information that aligns with their level of sustainability awareness.

Several labels have been taken off the market the recent years – do you see this as “green- hushing”?

Not really. The directive aims to create a fair market for sustainability claims, helping consumers identify companies and products that genuinely uphold environmental standards. I think many of us agree that this is something we want, within the outdoor industry. But this journey underscores the communication challenges around sustainability – such as the need to highlight top performers.

Our ultimate goal remains clear: empowering consumers to make responsible choices with confidence in the standards we uphold. So that A Greener Choice provides a clear, at-a-glance evaluation on product level, allowing consumers to prioritize sustainability in their purchasing decisions.

 

 

Lead Photo: Globetrotter