This year, 23 new companies have become members of the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA), which is more than in any other single year in the organisation’s history. EOCA, an initiative from the European outdoor industry dedicated to protecting wild areas, now has 150 members.

Members who have joined since January 2019 include Sunday Afternoons, Premsons, Brettschneider Fernreisebadarf, Tarrago Brands, MIZU Europe, World of Camping, Regatta Great Outdoors, Elements, Kahtoola, icebreaker, E9, ICEBUG, ECCO, Skinourishment, Leadership & Sustainability, Mund Socks, Gumbies, OutDoor by ISPO, Unterwegs, Italian Studio Moda Sport, Trangoworld, Ahorn Communication and Afydad.

The association is set to commit over €500,000 into projects this year. This is an increase from previous years made possible by the growing membership, according to EOCA joint general manager Catherine Savidge. “Companies are appreciating and supportive of our two year focus tackling the issue of plastic pollution," she said, "both by aiming to clear 3000km of habitat of plastic pollution, and reducing everyday single use plastic used by the industry.” This, she added, is in addition to the association’s other conservation initiatives around the world.