For 20 years now, the EOG has been the voice of the European outdoor sector, this sector commits to lead on matters of protecting and preserving the outdoors.
There are many issues that we face as an industry. We at the EOG have tried to address all of these, through the various initiatives we have, SUP, microfibres etc.
In 2018 we adopted the sustainability charter as a means to push forward collectively, and embrace as many of these we can. However we believe that this voluntary approach is now outdated.
Climate is our largest, most impending risk and the knock-on risks to biodiversity, human rights, of our impact on the other creatures that we share the planet with.
As an industry we are still taking, and we have to start giving back, we must be part of the change, our consumers expect it, our businesses need, and the next generations have to have it.
So how do we approach this, together?
The Race to Zero (RTZ) is the UNFCCCs accepted initiatives for climate action that can move us towards achieving the Paris accord.
It mobilises a coalition of leading net-zero initiatives. All Partners must meet robust science-aligned criteria. Partner initiatives are responsible for helping to bring members to the starting line to credibly race to zero emissions.
The RTZ is NOT itself a pledge or body of activation - rather it is a grouping of partnerships put together by the UNFCCC to vet OUR climate action initiatives, and to move us all away from tailor-made, unverifiable, scattered pledges, investment, and efforts. In short, we believe it’s the accepted climate initiatives we should be joining to half emissions by 2030.
For the past few years, action around climate has been voluntary, and today we are proposing to make it mandatory.
With a seemingly endless array of available commitments, pledges, projects, and initiatives, it can be confusing to know which to invest in, which are worthy, which will actually help us arrive at our collect goal, and which way the industry as a whole is going.
That’s the problem we would like to solve.
The EOG board propose a vote, set for November 27th at the 2023 EGM.
To make it mandatory for EOG members* to commit** to a UNFCCC’s Race to Zero Initiative by the end of 2024.
*does not include Associated Membership
**public statement/ having formally agreed on an organisational level and communicated to the EOG Secretariat’. (not necessarily full entry into the RTZ)
The EOG is a membership organisation, so we the members have to agree to changes in what we do.
Through the process of these webinars, and the several one-on-one discussions we have had with members and partner organisations, we will be refining the language of this voting item, but the core message is simple: EOG members should lead on climate action, and we believe this is the way forward.
We the board are voting yes to this in November, and we encourage you all to join us.
Below is a recording of previous RTZ presentations.
Further relevant documents can be downloaded below.
contact katy.stevens@europeanoutdoorgroup.com for more information.
.png)
