Annual review of the "Outdoor Retailer Climate Commitment" (ORCC) climate protection initiative

ORCC publishes its annual report 2023: Retailers in the outdoor industry lead the way in climate protection

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The Outdoor Retailer Climate Commitment (ORCC), an open network of European outdoor retailers for more climate protection in the outdoor industry, publishes its annual report for 2023. It provides information on the how far the eleven members of the initiative have progressed in their efforts to reduce their CO2 emissions. All members have concrete action plans to reduce their Scope 1 & 2 emissions and a total of 12,843 tonnes of CO2e of direct emission were saved over the last year. Regarding indirect emissions, all members are actively working together to tackle emission reductions throughout the supply chain. In addition, most members have signed up to the Science-Based Target initiative.

The full report will be presented at the ISPO sports trade fair at the end of November 2023.

The ORCC was founded in September 2021. Initially the open network for better climate protection in the outdoor industry consisted of five members, but has since expanded to eleven outdoor retailers from across Europe, with familiar names such as Sportler AG, Internetstores Holding GmbH, Yonderland, Bergfreunde GmbH, Bergzeit GmbH, Sport Schuster, Sport Conrad, Engelhorn, EllisBrigham Mountain Sports, Sport Pursuit and Sport Bründl. The aim is to collaborate to promote climate protection and take targeted measures to achieve the Paris climate targets.

Summary actions achieved by the ORCC to date:

• All members have reviewed their scope 1 and 2 emissions and drawn up an action plan to reduce their direct emissions.
• In 2022 a total of 12,843 tonnes of CO2e was reduced across all members’ direct emissions(Scope 1 & 2) compared to their baseline years.
• Majority of members have signed up to the Science Based Target initiative framework and have worked hard to create a holistic reduction plan across all three scopes including indirect emissions
• 4 of the 11 retailers have already set a target for their supply chain, with Supplier Engagement Targets ranging from 74-80% of suppliers to comply with Paris Agreement by latest 2028. The number of retailers with engagement targets is expected to increase next year.
•  The ORCC has established a shared database of brands and manufacturers collecting information on their climate targets, actions and emission reductions achieved in order to track the progression towards the Supplier Engagement Targets
• To date over 50 outdoor brands have committed or confirmed science-based targets (the full list is available in the ORCC annual report)

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The full ORCC annual reports for 2022 and 2023 is available to download here: ORCC-Reports

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The findings of the report will also be presented on November 28th at ISPO, the international trade fair for sporting goods and sports fashion in Munich (11:00-11:45h in Hall A1, Green Stage).

The members of the ORCC hope that their public commitment demonstrates how serious they are about reducing the climate impact of the outdoor industry and its products. As retailers they are conduits between consumers, brands and employees and thus uniquely positioned to promote climate protection along the full value chain from manufacturers and brands to end consumers. By signing up to the ORCC members have committed themselves to (1) measuring their carbon footprint according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol accounting standards, (2) setting science-based reduction targets in line with the Paris Agreement (e.g. by following the Science-based Target initiative framework or similar), (3) taking decisive actions to progress towards their climate goals and(4) submitting their emissions reduction progress to the annual ORCC report, which is made publicly available to ensure full transparency.

"At Bründl Sports, we want strong collaboration with our partners in retail and on the industry side.We need to tackle challenges such as CSDDD/supply chain law, green claims, real and trustful communication with the consumer, CSRD reporting and much more. We need to reduce our footprint and contribute to the transition to a circular economy. All this can only be achieved by working closely with all stakeholders involved,"

says Angelika Duckenfield, Sustainability Manager from Bründl Sports, the newest member of the ORCC, explaining his motives for joining the climate protection initiative.

Glossary

Under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, greenhouse gas emissions have been segmented into three scopes.

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Scope 1: includes direct CO2 emissions within the company (e.g. own vehicle fleet)‍

Scope 2: includes indirect release of CO2 by energy suppliers (electricity, heating, cooling) the stem directly from the businesses’ operation‍

Scope 3: includes the indirect emissions of CO2 in the upstream and downstream supply chain (e.g.emissions in the production of purchased goods, logistics, returns, etc.) over which the business in question has no direct control over.

About the ORCC

The Outdoor Retailer Climate Commitment (ORCC) is a voluntary network of 11 outdoor retailers across Europe that have all publicly committed to adhering to the climate targets of the ParisAgreement (namely, limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius vs pre-industrial levels). The network is open to any company that considers itself as an outdoor retailer and offers outdoor products in at least some of its product range, that is willing to make a public commitment to measure and report its carbon footprint, set targets in line with the Paris Agreement and take decisive action to achieve these climate goals. The ORCC was founded in September 2021 by the five European companies Yonderland (formerly A.S. Adventure Group), Bergfreunde GmbH, Bergzeit GmbH, SportlerAG and Internetstores Holding GmbH. A total of six other retail giants have joined the initiative to date, including Sport Schuster, Sport Conrad, Engelhorn, Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports, Sport Pursuit and Bründl Sport. The European Outdoor Group has hosted the ORCC since 2022 and provides organisational, administrative and networking support for the network.