OIA studies outdoorindustry supply chain

There are few industries on Earth with more motivation to reverse the impacts of climate change than the outdoor recreation sector. Without snow, there’s little need for skis.

In an effort to improve industry sustainability, the Boulder-based trade group Outdoor Industry Association, in conjunction with corporate partners, studied ways to reduce supply-chain reliance on fossil fuels.

The result was a recently released report called “Electrification of Heating in the Textile Industry: A Technoeconomic Analysis for China, Japan, and Taiwan,” written with help from members of the OIA Climate Action Corps, including Burton, New Balance, Patagonia, REI Co-op and Gore.

“The textile and apparel industry currently accounts for approximately 2% of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,” the report said. “The sector has been growing rapidly in recent years due to increasing demand from both developed and developing countries and world population growth, which will increase its environmental and climate impacts unless effective steps are taken to abate them.”

In one of the main takeaways from the study, OIA and its partners determined that “shifting to industrial heat pumps can lead to substantial energy reductions, reduced CO2 emissions, and lower costs compared to conventional systems.”

In a prepared statement, Sarah Rykal, senior Manager of OIA’S Climate Action Corps, said, “One of the biggest issues in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in our apparel and textile supply chains is thermal energy — steam and hot water for heating processes in factories. Can we use something other than coal, natural gas, or other fossil fuels? Our study demonstrates how there is an