Outdoor store MEC commits to cutting carbon emissions from products, supply chain
VANCOUVER –
Canadian out of doors retailer Mountain Equipment Co. has set sweeping new emissions targets for its provide chain, a part of what the corporate is looking a stronger, science-based plan to assist handle the local weather disaster.
MEC stated its objective is to slash emissions by 55 per cent by 2030 and 90 per cent by 2050.
The targets apply to each direct operations, like MEC shops and buildings, and its provide chain, from the manufacturing of its in-house model merchandise to the seller gear and clothes it carries, the corporate stated.
“It’s easy in the environmental movement to have jazz hands,” stated Adam Ketcheson, MEC’s chief business officer, referring to actions which will assist the atmosphere however do not considerably cut back an organization’s carbon footprint.
“What we are really trying to focus on right now is doing things that are measured and have the greatest impact.”
MEC has deep roots in Canada’s environmental motion. The out of doors recreation model was one of many first retailers within the nation to get rid of single-use buying baggage from its shops and pull plastic bottles with sure chemical substances from its cabinets. It additionally beforehand dedicated to a inexperienced constructing program, and solely makes use of 100 per cent natural cotton in its MEC-branded attire.
“It’s nice to remove plastic and reduce the size of your cardboard boxes and have LEED-certified buildings,” Ketcheson stated.
“All of those things are good and important. But when we did the hard work to really look at the impacts of the business, the place where we can do the most good is really around product and supply chain.”
One of the areas that MEC is specializing in is its private-label model, a emblem with a stylized inexperienced mountain with two peaks.
“It’s a significant part of our footprint and one that we have the most control over,” Ketcheson stated. “We have visibility to the entire supply chain.”
The firm goals to make use of extra recycled supplies, which have a a lot smaller carbon footprint than new supplies, he stated.
MEC can also be targeted on consolidating its mills and factories to cut back the transport required to make a product, Ketcheson stated.
“In the past, we sourced materials from all over the world,” he stated. “We could have discovered a terrific recycled nylon in Taiwan but when we now have to ship all of it the best way to El Salvador … we could have simply undone the nice.
“We need to consider the ripple effects of choosing that fabric on the total supply chain and carbon footprint. We’re trying to avoid putting something on a boat or, even worse, on a plane.”
MEC can also be planning to encourage suppliers to set comparable objectives and supply merchandise with a smaller carbon footprint.
While huge manufacturers akin to North Face, Patagonia and Prana typically “share the same ethos” as MEC and have a excessive degree of transparency inside their provide chain, Ketcheson stated it may be more durable for smaller manufacturers “because it’s very expensive.”
“We audit aggressively our factories and mills and supply chain because we’ve made a choice to do that … but it’s not cheap,” he stated.
MEC has set its targets to do extra to battle local weather change, Ketcheson stated.
“For too long the onus has been on the consumer,” he stated. “We’re talking about it publicly because this is such a huge challenge for the world. We’re going to try to be as transparent as we can … our the hope is it will be infectious across the industry.”
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This report by The Canadian Press was first printed April 21, 2023.
