Corporate Responsibility
NATIVESOUTDOORS' 2019 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT
We believe in being transparent about the environmental impact that our products have. Toward this goal, we took the time to audit our supply chain and the methods that we use to manufacture & sell our products to ensure that we take full responsibility for the entire lifecycle. We will continue to update this page as we assess our impact.
HOW WE DID IT
We used the Economic Input-Output Life Cycle Assessment (EIO-LCA) model using internal sales numbers to estimate approximate impacts of five areas: (1) Greenhouse gas emissions; (2) Criteria air pollutants; (3) Water withdrawals; (4) Land Transformation; and (5) Toxic releases (coming soon). This approach to environmental impact assessment provides a general ball-park range of environmental impact and can have a number of uncertainties. However, this approach provides a good "first-cut" analysis.
HOW WE IMPROVED SINCE 2018
We implemented our supplier selection criteria ensuring all are ISO 14001 certified
Eliminate the use of poly-mailers & ship with materials made from 100% recycled materials
HERE'S WHAT WE FOUND
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
In 2018, we generated around 12.8 tons of CO2 equivalent from the manufacturing and sales of our products - this is the equivalent of burning 1300 gallons of gasoline. The release of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities is the primary and single most important driver of climate change. These emissions were driven by our line of technical trucker hats & shirts. Shipping materials & postage combined represent the third-largest source of emissions. The number of sales drives all of these numbers.
Criteria Air Pollutants
Air pollution can have damaging effects on the environment and human health. Unlike greenhouse gas emissions, these pollutants are often localized to the areas where they are released. The largest source of our emissions was driven by our technical trucker hats, shirts, and shipping.
Water Withdrawals
Each step of manufacturing, from base materials to a finished product, uses water. Withdrawals mean that water is used and then returned to its source. These withdrawals can change the temperature of the water or introduce pollutants that can harm ecosystems. In total our products and their shipment resulted in around 400,000 gallons of water - this is about 2/3 of an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
Land Transformation
Transformation of land for the use of land for crops, for example, and other activities that support the manufacture of our products can alter biochemical, hydrological, cycles, and can affect the climate system. Our products led to the transformation of about 0.002 hectares of land - about 200 square feet.
Toxic Releases
The number of toxic releases from our products was small however as we scale our business this will be critical to track. The process of dyeing & screen printing our products is a significant source of these emissions.
WHAT WE LEARNED
You can't change what you aren't measuring - we knew our products had an impact despite our best efforts to ensure we provided ones with the lowest impact. We believe that this is an important step for all companies to take if they truly care about the environment.
WHAT WE PLAN TO DO IN 2019
Continue to sell high-quality products made from sustainable sources & educating our customers
Continue to sell 100% organic cotton products.
Transition to manufacturers who use Oeko-Tex Standard 100 dyes.
Continue to sell high-quality products, that last longer, at an affordable price. The most sustainable NativesOutdoors product is the one in your closet.
Begin trial program to purchase back old NativesOutdoor clothing for recycling or resale.
Provide educational material about clothes washing to minimize undue wear on products.
Tweaking the way we do shipping & fulfillment
Aggregating shipments from suppliers where possible
Minimize packaging for products & ensure product packaging is manufactured from 100% post-consumer content
Offset Carbon Emissions from our products & travel
Both of these sectors comprise a significant amount of our emissions we will be taking steps to mitigate & offset.
Work Cited
Matthews, H. S. (1999). The external costs of air pollution and the environmental impact of the consumer in the US economy. Unpublished Ph. D. dissertation. Graduate School of Industrial Administration: Pittsburgh, PA.