Outdoor brand REI Co-Op (Kent, Wash.) announced it has increased its minimum sustainability standards for its 1000-plus brands, and stated that suppliers that can’t meet its standards in manufacturing, labor safety and fairness, chemical usage, environmental impact and animal welfare will not be carried in its stores.
Its products will be compliant with the new policy by fall 2020, reports The Seattle Times. The move represents a drastic approach within the outdoor retailing industry, but one that meets many of its consumers’ demands.
The policy is represented in two tiers, including a set of minimums that must be considered by REI, called “brand expectations,” and a set of “preferred attributes,” which include more stringent certifications, business practices and materials used in manufacturing, according to the Times.
REI CEO Jerry Stritzke said that the new standards represent one of “the most transformative things” the brand has done, and he hopes the decision will influence other decision-makers throughout the retail industry.