Clean Chemistry and Materials Coalition Announced

Clean Chemistry and Materials Coalition Launched Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) announced the launch of the new Clean Chemistry and Materials Coalition (CCMC). The comprehensive program offers working groups and advisory services to OIA members with strategies, scalable action plans and solutions to carefully phase out PFAS and other harmful chemicals from their products and to guide members through complex sustainability regulations across the country. CCMC is designed to support outdoor retailers, brands, manufacturers and distributors in a manner suited to product categories and life stages. The program's central objective is to help OIA members balance financial and product management risks by executing material transitions and to provide transparency in supply chain, recycling and emissions disclosures. It will also inform members about future chemical and sustainability compliance laws and regulations that are likely to affect the outdoor industry. "Finding safer replacement materials for the outdoor industry on the path to phasing out persistent chemicals means finding materials that do not sacrifice performance," said OIA President Kent Ebersole. "Recently, many leading outdoor brands have become committed to eliminating PFAS, and members such as REI, Keen and Patagonia support these goals by screening their products for PFAS and eliminating toxic materials from their own product lines. With the new CCMC, OIA aims to accelerate broader industry-wide compliance by bringing this vital chemical phaseout process to the forefront of the entire industry," Ebersole added. Sarah Rykal, Director of Sustainable Business Innovation at OIA, said "Our sustainability commitment has always been about balance and urgency, which means enhancing our members' ability to reduce harm, implement safe alternatives in the supply chain, and become a climate-positive industry by 2030." "We are here to support our members in researching and innovating in their sustainability practices. We continue to strengthen consumer confidence and loyalty in their favorite outdoor brands and equipment. For any issues that may arise in this context, OIA has every necessary resource. We are investing in sharing our collective resources and expertise for this program, so that outdoor companies do not have to invest alone in costly but valuable new sustainability measures." OIA will work to share implementation plans such as legal and technical resources, a roadmap of market and product restrictions by state, complex compliance timelines, so that all members can comply with regulations with minimum impact and reduced risk to hard and soft goods operations. OIA members will also have access to CCMC technical and legal experts and can receive consulting on customized approaches to identify and eliminate harmful chemicals from the supply chain. Additionally, members can participate in discussions in monthly working groups hosted by industry leaders and experts to learn more about current and future strategies for chemical action. Member-supported working groups will be established to provide further guidance on key issues such as ongoing supply chain management and testing, chemical testing laboratories and methods, templates and talking points for communicating with suppliers, inventory management and waste, consumer-facing messaging and marketing best practices. "Whether our members are just starting out on the route or climbing to the summit toward PFAS elimination or other sustainability measures, CCMC is ready to provide the industry overall with timely, user-friendly information and insights on 'getting started,'" Ebersole said, adding "Together we can create more sustainable practices and thus ensure that the outdoor industry business succeeds for the health of people and the planet."   Source