February 6, 2025 Outdoor brands unite to electrify major climate culprit

Heating processes in textile manufacturing are among the industry’s largest sources of carbon emissions. A coalition of outdoor brands has launched an open-source tool to help mills replace fossil fuel-based heating with electric solutions.

Outdoor brands target heating—one of apparel’s biggest emission sources

Heating remains one of the most difficult processes to electrify in textile manufacturing—and one of the most significant contributors to the industry’s carbon footprint. Fossil fuel-based heating systems used for dyeing, drying, and finishing fabrics release substantial greenhouse gas emissions, making decarbonization a major challenge.

To address this, Cotopaxi, L.L. Bean, New Balance, Patagonia, REI Co-op, W.L. Gore & Associates, Global Efficiency Intelligence, and Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) have introduced the Textile Heating Electrification Tool. This open-source resource is designed to help textile mills transition to electric heating technologies, supporting industry-wide emissions reductions.

Key features of the Textile Heating Electrification Tool

The tool equips textile mills with:

• A data management system
• A modeling and simulation module
• An implementation checklist
• A manufacturer and supplier finder

Building on the findings of the 2023 Electrification of Heating in the Textile Industry study, the Clean Heat CoLab refined the tool through beta testing with nominated facilities to ensure its effectiveness in real-world applications.

Industry leaders support electrification solutions

“At REI, we believe advancing climate solutions requires broad cooperation. While we have an ambitious goal to halve our emissions by 2030, we can’t meet it without the help of our brand and manufacturing partners,” said Andrew Dempsey, Director of Climate at REI.

“Electric heat technologies are a crucial component to decarbonizing textile manufacturing. This tool provides REI and our value chain partners valuable information and analysis to accelerate decision-making about decarbonization investments.”

The collaborative approach of OIA’s Clean Heat CoLab has been key to developing this resource. By bringing together brands and suppliers, the initiative fosters industry-wide solutions to complex climate challenges.

“Since 2021, Patagonia has partnered with Outdoor Industry Association, through its Clean Heat CoLab, on providing the industry with solutions to decarbonize heating emissions from textile mills,” said Kim Drenner, Head of Environmental Impact at Patagonia.

“Over the years, this work has brought together several brands and suppliers funding research and now the development of a tool that supports suppliers in identifying electrified technology to replace fossil fuel-based heat systems in their facilities. This work would not be possible if it wasn’t for the collaborative environment that OIA fosters.”

The tool is now freely available, and to encourage widespread adoption, Global Efficiency Intelligence will produce training materials, including user guides, tutorial videos, and FAQs, in five languages. Online workshops will also provide suppliers with an opportunity to interact with the tool and ask questions.

“We are thrilled with the launch of the Textile Heating Electrification Tool, a vital step in our collective effort to decarbonize the textile industry. This tool combines expertise from across the outdoor industry to provide textile mills with actionable insights to transition to cleaner, more sustainable heating technologies,” said Julie Brown, Director of Sustainable Business Innovation at Outdoor Industry Association.

Photo: Unsplash