The recent Innov_ex 2010, sponsored by the Outdoor Industries Association, took place in Lancaster in the UK, building on previous discussions that took place at the 2008 and 2009 conferences the event focused on sustainability within the outdoor industries.

Speakers at the conference covered many subjects around the theme including the varying approaches to carbon footprinting, collaborative working, how to focus on priorities and how sustainability should be part of the main company strategy not just an add on.

The European Outdoor Group’s Mark Held together with it’s Sustainability Working Group’s (SWG) Chair, Cortney McDermott of The North Face and the SWG’s Standards and Regulations Chair, Killian Hochrein of W L Gore created a panel that discussed the importance for the industry to work together on matters like sustainability. Although individual companies can do a lot, by working together and pooling resources a better solution can be developed for the industry as a whole. The Sustainability Working Group together with the US Outdoor Industry Association’s Eco Working Group will at OutDoor in July, launch the beta version of the Eco Index, an environmental assessment tool for apparel, equipment and footwear products. The Eco Index has been collaboratively developed in both North America and Europe by outdoor suppliers, brands and retailers.

An interactive workshop led by Ben Kellard, principal sustainability advisor at the UK’s Forum for the Future helped companies focus on priorities, overcome blockages and identify possible pathways to sustainable design led businesses.
Jeff Crook of Mountain Equipment Co-operative (MEC) in Canada, participated in the conference via video link, providing an overview of how MEC’s environmental/ sustainability policy is being built into its corporate strategy, instead of being tagged on to existing strategy.
A full report is available on the Innov_ex website: http://www.innovation-for-extremes.org/innov_ex-2010-conference-report.html
We will keep you updated about next years event.