February 26, 2025 New industry guide helps retailers cut single-use plastic waste

The European Outdoor Group (EOG) and over 30 brands are working to reduce single-use plastic in packaging. A new industry guide and film highlight key achievements, future goals, and how retailers can join the effort.

The European Outdoor Group (EOG) and more than 30 outdoor brands, retailers, and packaging firms are taking action to reduce the environmental impact of single use plastic packaging. The Single Use Plastics Project (SUPP), launched in 2018, focuses on cutting plastic waste, particularly garment poly bags.

As part of this initiative, EOG has published guidance for retailers on removing poly bags from their operations. A newly released film and website showcase the project’s progress and encourage more brands to participate.

“The Single Use Plastics Project has made really good progress, and that’s thanks to the really high level of active engagement by the partners involved,” says Dr. Verity Hardy, SUPP project lead at EOG. “We’ve done a really thorough job of identifying the key aspects of a very specific issue and then developing and testing viable solutions that will work at scale. However, what was always the right thing to do has now become essential, with packaging legislation due to take force soon that will have a direct impact on businesses in the outdoor sector. I urge brands and retailers to get in touch and be part of SUPP.”

Single-use plastic reduction achievements and next steps

SUPP has already led to several concrete outcomes:

• A collection and recycling network for single-use plastics in the UK outdoor industry.
• Industry standards for garment poly bags to improve recyclability.
• A comprehensive report on single-use plastics in the outdoor sector.

Looking ahead, the project will support the industry in adapting to new EU packaging regulations and expand a verified list of plastic recyclers across Europe.

“Poly bags are an important tool to protect our products throughout our complex supply chain,” says Debbie Read, head of corporate communications and CSR at Equip Outdoor Technologies, parent company of Rab.

“Taking part in the UK single-use plastic recycling network allows us to treat this plastic as a valuable resource, and not waste. As an industry, we could make a huge difference if we all recycled our poly bags to turn them into high-grade pellets, reducing the amount of single-use plastic sent to consumers which likely ends up as part of poor-quality recycling schemes or in landfill.”

Why this matters now

With stricter packaging laws on the horizon, outdoor brands must rethink their approach to plastic waste. Retailers and brands are invited to join the recycling network and contribute to a more sustainable supply chain.

“Being part of an industry-wide project, one where we can collectively challenge ourselves to identify joint solutions, has been the key to its success,” says Marta Pellegrino, senior sustainability specialist at The North Face.

“Thanks to the EOG’s great leadership, the numerous open conversations, and the ongoing teamwork with our industry peers, we’ve been able to reach some key milestones at The North Face. This project is a great example of how industry-wide problems do indeed demand an industry-wide response.”

To find out more about getting involved in SUPP, visit www.singleuseplasticsproject.com.

Photo: Unsplash