Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) and PeopleForBikes Enter Into a Powerful Partnership to Extend the Reach and Impact of the Climate Action Corps

September 1, 2020

DENVER, Colo. — September 1, 2020 — Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) and PeopleForBikes (PFB) have announced a unique partnership through which PFB members — bicycle manufacturers and retailers — will be able to join the OIA Climate Action Corps, an unprecedented, collaborative model for alignment, action and accountability to achieve industry-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions in accordance with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidelines.

Launched in January 2020, the OIA Climate Action Corps supports and enables brands, retailers, manufacturers and suppliers to measure their greenhouse gas emissions, set reduction targets, develop company-specific reduction plans and publicly share their progress annually. More than 75 outdoor companies have joined the Corps since its launch and have begun using the Climate Action Corps Guidebook as well as the industry-relevant regular trainings and gatherings offered in the online community to take a step-by-step journey toward a climate positive future for their businesses and for the industry as a whole. This new partnership — the Corps’ first — represents the uniquely collaborative, precompetitive nature of the two trade associations as well as the intersectionality of their industries’ goals.

“Outdoor companies rely on healthy outdoor places and healthy people outdoors,” says Amy Horton, OIA’s Senior Director of Sustainable Business Innovation. “The Corps has a strong first-do-no-harm ethos. Members are taking responsibility for the gear they make to ensure it is sourced, manufactured and delivered to consumers in ways that don’t jeopardize the health of our climate, our outdoor treasures or the people who buy, sell, or make the products. They are also committing to advocating for climate policy. We are excited to have PeopleForBikes as our first industry trade partner, not only because of the potential to grow the Corps’ carbon reduction impact but also to grow its advocacy muscle.”

Through this agreement, PeopleForBikes member companies will be able to join the Corps and access its exclusive resources — including the Climate Action Corps Guidebook, on-demand webinars, free online workshops, and other community learning opportunities — at a discounted rate. In addition, members will have the option of participating in Climate Action Corps Impact CoLab projects, specific initiatives — such as widespread renewable energy procurement in the U.S., mill energy efficiency improvements in China, and increased use of recycled content — in which OIA will lead or facilitate partnerships to drive greenhouse gas reductions through collaboration, helping participating members to meet their targets in less time and for less cost and effort.

“Climate is so important to the health of the bike industry,” said JJ Trout, PFB’s Chief of Staff. “Natural disasters pose a threat to supply chains, directly impacting folks who want to ride bikes. PeopleForBikes supporters are advocating for the environment. Today’s consumer cares about the planet and wants to align with companies who are listening to their concerns and taking action.” Said Trout, “The industry needs a clean planet with safe, fun and healthy places to continue riding.”

The Climate Action Corps Guidebook is an interactive roadmap that guides members on their journey to set and meet aggressive GHG reduction targets. Most notably, membership in the Climate Action Corps provides a dramatically faster and significantly cheaper path to meaningful reduction than any company could achieve on their own.

Since launching the Corps in January 2020, OIA has welcomed more than 75 outdoor companies into the cohort, adding several companies to the roster each week, even amid the coronavirus pandemic, signaling the industry’s and businesses conviction that this work is more important than ever. The partnership with PeopleForBikes signals a moment in time like no other, and with it comes tremendous responsibility for the organization and an industry that has largely been slow to respond. The bike industry brings a unique and valuable set of business perspectives to the cohort, as the bicycle supply chain and typical material sourcing and product manufacturing standards are different from many of the Corps’ outdoor companies’. More information about the Climate Action Corps can be found at outdoorindustry.org/climateaction. Media interested in interviews with PeopleForBikes or Outdoor Industry Association or with Corps member companies can contact Deborah Williams (dwilliams@outdoorindustry.org) or JJ Trout (jj@peopleforbikes.org).

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About Outdoor Industry Association

Based in Boulder, Colo., with offices in Washington, D.C., Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) is the leading trade association for the outdoor industry and the title sponsor of Outdoor Retailer. OIA unites and serves 1300 manufacturer, supplier, sales representative and retailer members through its focus on trade and recreation policy, sustainable business innovation and outdoor participation. For more information, visit outdoorindustry.org.

About PeopleForBikes

Based in Boulder, Colo., PeopleForBikes is making biking better for everyone by uniting millions of individuals, thousands of businesses and hundreds of communities. When people ride bikes, great things happen. Join us at PeopleForBikes.org.