The first major climate action milestone – 2030 – is closing in. Suston asks industry experts to find out who is on track to meeting their targets, what the keys to success are – and whether this will be enough?

The 2015 Paris Agreement was the starting gun for what might be the most important race humanity has ever embarked on: The race to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. The finish line?  Net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Many outdoor companies have since measured the baseline for their carbon emissions and set science-based targets to reduce them in line with a 1.5C warming pathway. Discovering that this would require breaking completely new ground, many companies selected to join various initiatives early on to tackle the challenge collaboratively.

For instance, ten large European retailers take part in the network Outdoor Retailer Climate Commitment (ORCC). Key players from the ski industry gather in Winter Sports Industry Climate Pact. And European Outdoor Group has made commitment to Race to Zero mandatory for its members.

But to make a commitment is one thing – to live up to it is another.

Michael Schragger is the co-founder and director of another such initiative, The Scandinavian Textile Initiative for Climate Action (STICA). With nearly 60 signatories – including outdoor brands like Helly Hansen, Norrøna, Reima, and Peak Performance – Schragger has a good idea of what it takes to succeed.

“We follow the yearly progress among our members. To be honest, a significant number do not have targets aligned with 1.5°C, and many are not in line even with these targets today. These do aim to catch up soon – but there are also several examples of companies that have used similar strategies to successfully cut their emissions.”

Below are Schragger’s top success factors in achieving emissions reductions. And after researching the outdoor industry, Suston has identified six companies that align with his principles.

 

Success Factor 1: Public commitment backed by clear climate goals

“Climate-leading companies make a public commitment to reduce their GHG in line with a science-based target.”

Take a closer look at the zipper on any jacket, and chances are it’s a YKK. In fact, this Tokyo-based trims supplier accounts for nearly half of the global zipper market by value. So, while a zipper may be small, emissions reductions here add up.

In 2020, YKK publicly announced its goal to reduce Scope 1 & 2 by 50% and Scope 3 by 30% before 2030, on its way to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. Since then, it has been meticulously updating its online progress tracker with the latest data. And the publicly available results are encouraging: At time of writing, YKK has already surpassed its 2030 goals, reducing both Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 56.2%, and its Scope 3 emissions by 32.7% from its 2018 baseline.

Brian La Plante, Senior Manager, Sustainability at YKK, explains that much of these reductions have been achieved by ramping up renewables:

“We have invested heavily in solar, and now have 34 production sites on-site solar PV,” shares La Plante, before continuing:

“36 facilities are now operating on 100% renewable energy. In locations where we can’t access renewable energy due to the lack of availability, we purchase I-REC’s (International Renewable Energy Certificate).”

Visit the YKK Goals & Results page or its latest Integrated Report.

 

Success Factor 2: Transparent reporting builds trust

“Climate leaders report their progress (or lack thereof) publicly.”

Reporting on progress toward climate goals helps create not only trust among stakeholders but also holds the company accountable to its promises. The result is incentive to succeed.

Some of the most in-depth yet readable sustainability reporting to be found in the outdoor industry is performed by Ortovox, which produces two reports each year: the People Report and Planet Report.

“Ortovox is committed to reducing 42% of its Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2030 compared to the 2022 baseline,” shares Andreas Wolf, Sustainability Manager Environment at Ortovox, before continuing:

“We are currently harvesting some big ‘quick wins.’”

In the 2024 Planet Report, Ortovox chose to put all its “cards on the table” – sharing that it was able to cut 37.4% of total CO2 emissions compared to its baseline year of 2022 (or 24.5% reduction adjusted for revenue – see Success Factor 5). A massive win for the climate to be sure.

But is this the whole picture? Honest reporting requires sharing both the wins and the losses. On the following page, Ortovox admits that it emitted 41.5% more CO2 in its logistics due to greater use of air freight, which it identifies as a key focus area for future reductions.

Read the latest Ortovox Planet Report.

 

Success Factor 3: Climate action must shape business strategy

“Effective climate leadership starts when a climate transition plan doesn’t sit on the sidelines – it guides strategy, shapes investment, and is championed by leadership at every level.”

In other words, climate action must be more than a pet-project. Here, one European outdoor retailer stands out for its climate performance. Yonderland has cut its total carbon footprint by 12.5 percent since 2019, achieving a 63% drop in direct emissions (Scope 1 & 2) and 10.6% in indirect emissions (Scope 3). Melanie Grünwald, Head of Sustainability at Yonderland, explains how such quick gains were achieved:

“A thorough assessment of direct emission reduction opportunities, paired with a clear investment roadmap, allowed us to identify win-win initiatives – projects that cut emissions and delivered a return on investment within 1.5 to 2 years.”

Grünwald suggests that these early wins helped build internal momentum and confidence, thereby laying the groundwork for tackling more complex and capital-intensive efforts. And in agreement with Schragger, she has no doubts as to what the key ingredient behind their achievements has been:

“The success of our climate action strategy has been driven by strong alignment across all levels of the organization—from investors and shareholders to the board, management teams, and employees on the shop floor,” concludes Grünwald.

Read the latest Yonderland Annual Sustainability Report.

 

Success Factor 4: Supplier engagement is key to tackling Scope 3

“There needs to be a clear strategy for collaborating and financially incentivizing suppliers in decarbonization.”

The German outdoor retailer Bergfreunde is ahead of schedule in tackling its Scope 1 and 2 emissions: From an initial public pledge to reduce these by 70% by 2030, they have achieved 80% reduction in 2024 from a 2019 base year – thanks in large part to a switch over to renewable electricity.

The overwhelming majority of Bergfreunde’s emissions, however, come from the products it sells. In other words, Bergfreunde’s success at tackling its emissions depends on its brand partners taking action. But this doesn’t mean it’s out of their power to affect change.  David Galla, Sustainability Manager at the German outdoor retailer Bergfreunde explains:

“We have committed that 75% of our suppliers by spend will have science-based targets (or equivalent) by 2026. With this target, we want to encourage our suppliers to engage with climate action and thereby achieve emission reductions in our supply chain. At the end of 2024, we stood at 50% with this target.”

Anchoring the responsibility for this target with the buying team has been a “game changer” according to Michael Vieweger, Head of Buying at Bergfreunde.

“Since we took that step roughly two years ago, we saw a significant increase in the number of suppliers that started working on their climate targets.”

Visit the Bergfreunde Climate & Environmental Protection page.

 

Success Factor 5: True leadership decouples growth from emissions

“The real challenge that will set climate leaders apart is their ability to decouple growth and emissions.”

Often a company will report substantial carbon emissions reductions, but all carbon reduction claims should be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism. Was this due to the company’s successful efforts? Or simply a drop in its sales?

One outdoor company has demonstrated that it is indeed possible to increase sales while reducing emissions in line with science-based climate targets. In 2023, Vaude announced that it had cut its global greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent compared to 2019 while growing company revenue by 32 percent. And according to Hilke Patzwall, Head of Corporate Sustainability at Vaude, it looks like this was not just a one-time win:

“We have just finalized our 2024 Corporate Carbon Footprint, and I can share that we achieved a 40% reduction in emissions compared to 2019.”

Patzwall explains that the bulk of emissions reductions was achieved by phasing out coal in its supplier factories, in collaboration with the European Outdoor Group’s Carbon Reduction Project.

“The second largest share of emissions at Vaude is caused by the choice of raw materials used in Vaude products,” shares Patzwall.

“By incorporating recycled or renewable raw materials, we avoid the use of fossil resources and significantly reduce CO2 emissions.”

Read the latest Vaude Sustainability Report.

 

Final Success Factor: Policy advocacy ensures long-term success

“Climate leaders actively engage in policy advocacy to influence progressive climate legislation.”

The outdoor footwear brand Icebug aims to halve its carbon emissions by 2030, targeting an average of 6 kg CO₂ per pair of shoes – down from 12.9 kg in 2015 – and has set its net-zero target for 2050.

The climate action success of individual companies like Icebug is encouraging. But will this make a difference on a broader level? Here, Schragger is unequivocable:

“This will not be enough. Shareholder and owner demands for short-term financial growth and the lack of sufficient financial incentives will continue to make absolute GHG emissions reductions difficult.”

According to Schragger, the only way to overcome this barrier at the scale needed is with smarter legislation. And when it comes to advocacy for better laws, few are as outspoken as Icebug.

The Swedish footwear brand has been a staunch proponent of a higher carbon price in the EU, for example, and has voluntarily implemented its own internal carbon pricing of €100 per ton of CO₂ to influence product development decisions. It has also teamed up with other climate legislation advocacy initiatives together with Protect Our Winters, WWF and B Corp.

“Why speak up?” asks David Ekelund, Icebug Co-CEO and Co-Founder, rhetorically.

“It’s something of moral obligation. And there is no business on a dead planet.”

Read the latest Icebug Impact Report.

 

Is your company also among the Race to Zero leaders? Reach out to Suston’s editorial team and share your milestones and achievements.

Lead Photo: Max Draeger / Ortovox