Outdoor Retailer - December 2020 - 14

THE PULSE

TAKING ACTION
SIA's ClimateUnited
initiative hopes to unify the
snowsports industry to
combat climate change.

HEADLINES

Climate Commitment
IT'S A GRIM OUTLOOK: EVEN IF WE STOPPED
emitting greenhouse gases today, global warming would continue for at least several more
decades, if not centuries. But we may still have
time to curb some of its worst effects, including the disappearance of snow. Under current
emissions scenarios, virtually every location in
the U.S. is projected to see winter-recreationseason lengths cut in half by 2050 and reduced
to 20% by 2090. But Snowsports Industries
America (SIA) is committed to giving its members tangible ways to help solve the problem.
In October, SIA unveiled ClimateUnited, a
platform to unify the winter outdoor recreation industry around meaningful climate
action. To join the initiative, companies
must first sign the Winter Outdoor Industry
Climate Pact, a set of six achievable principles
aimed at slowing global warming. And they
must provide SIA with a plan for how they'll
meet these principles within the following 12
months. Then, for SIA members that want the
guidance to meet those commitments, SIA

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/ December 2020

will step in, providing a proven roadmap for
companies to help them lead on climate in areas including emissions reductions, political
advocacy, and business strategy.
Spearheading the mission is Chris
Steinkamp, former executive director of
Protect Our Winters (POW). " We didn't want
to re-create a whole playbook for how to tackle
the issue, " Steinkamp says. " So I went out
and talked to a number of people (including
climate-conscious European brands) about
building a climate platform that is truly effective, that addresses the needs of SIA members,
and leverages existing resources and expertise. "
Once a brand signs the pact-assuming
that brand wants more-it'll get hands-on
guidance around steps it can take to lowering
its emissions to net zero by 2050. By signing,
brands will " exemplify ambition and unity
as an industry, " says SIA. Advocacy will also
be expected-Steinkamp says SIA will direct
participating companies to work with nonprofits such as POW. " But ClimateUnited isn't

competing with POW, " he adds. " We're a B2B
platform for SIA members that will hopefully
bring more winter outdoor industry businesses-that might otherwise not have engaged-
into the climate discussion. "
ClimateUnited and the Winter Outdoor
Industry Climate Pact represent two steps
in the right direction in terms of showing the
world that the snowsports industry is serious. They offer brands a chance to show that
the industry is serious about urgent action on
climate change and set an example around
the level of commitment required to meet the
challenge.
In case anyone needs more motivation
to step up and make the commitment to
ClimateUnited, Steinkamp adds this: " The
ski industry is a 76 billion-dollar industry, but
our economic weight hasn't been wielded yet
to its fullest potential. And study after study
shows that the companies that take action on
climate are the ones that are well positioned
for the future. "

Courtesy SIA

SIA's new ClimateUnited initiative will give ski brands a roadmap to saving
snow for future generations by Tracy Ross

https://snowsports.org/climate/

Outdoor Retailer - December 2020

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