OIA recognises outdoor industry ‘changemakers’
30/08/2018
The annual awards programme aims to celebrate partnerships and collaborations that have resulted in progress, innovation and meaningful change in the outdoor industry. It is an extension of the organisation’s ‘Together We Are a Force’ campaign.
Nominations for the awards opened in May, and OIA has said it received more than 60 applications. A panel of judges, which included OIA staff and industry experts, selected winners in three categories: policy, sustainability and participation.
The winner in the ‘policy’ category was the ?Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness (NMW) for its ‘Save the Boundary Waters’ campaign. This initiative, which is supported by OIA members such as Patagonia, aimed to raise awareness of the risk that proposed copper-ore mining posed to the Boundary Waters Wilderness.
The ‘sustainability’ award was given to The North Face, Allied Feather & Down, Textile Exchange, Control Union Certifications and Downlite for their work to create the Responsible Down Standard (RDS). OIA said the RDS has “gained great momentum” across the supply chain since its launch.
The ‘participation’ winner was the American Hiking Society and Teresa Baker of African American Nature & Parks Experience, which created the ‘Hike Like a Girl Weekend’, an event that aimed to encourage more women to get out on hiking trails.
“The Together We Are a Force campaign is about celebrating and recognising our industry’s unique and powerful ability to collaborate on issues large and small,” said Amy Roberts, executive director of OIA. “OIA’s purpose is to be a convener and leader for the outdoor industry, and part of fulfilling that purpose is shining a light on the truly amazing work our members and partner organisations do.”
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