The History of the Eco Index…

August 2006 - Outdoor Retailer Summer Market: Timberland officially launches its Green Index inspiring conversation around building an industry index.

January 2007 - Outdoor Retailer Winter Market: Informal discussions about an industry-wide eco initiative begin to take place.

May 2007 – First official meeting of the Eco Working Group (EWG) at the Hotel Boulderado in Boulder, Colorado. Initial principles and purpose of the Eco Working Group are set forth and the group’s mission and vision begin to be discussed.

August 2007 – Outdoor Retailer Summer Market: Mission and vision are finalized.

October 2007 – First EWG subgroups are formed.

October 2007 – Levis joins the Eco Working Group as a voting member. As the first EWG voting member not already a member of the Outdoor Industry Association, this demonstrated the early potential for the initiative to be adopted beyond the outdoor industry.

January 2008 – Outdoor Retailer Winter Market: The EWG is comprised of 15 voting members. Research presented by students from Bainbridge Graduate Institute indicates the industry has many opportunities to advance its sustainability efforts.

April 2008 – EWG vote conducted on whether to keep the developing tool industry-facing vs. making it a consumer-facing label. Overwhelmingly, the group votes that it should be an industry-facing index.

May 2008 – Second spring EWG meeting in Boulder, Colorado. The first version of the Eco Index Framework is discussed and developed; subgroups are re-formed around gear, apparel, and footwear products. There is also significant interest in developing packaging guidelines.

June 2008 – First EWG Executive Committee is formed to lead the larger, growing EWG.

June/July 2008 – Subgroup formed to revise the index framework.

July 2008 - OutDoor Friedrichshafen 2008 show: Kevin Myette, REI and Greg Scott, MEC address the European Outdoor Group (EOG) on the progress of the EWG. Kevin and Greg attend the first meeting of the EOG Sustainability Working Group, the EOG’s counterpart to the EWG.

August 2008 – Outdoor Retailer Summer Market: Zero Waste Alliance comes on-board as project facilitator. New index framework (2.0) is presented.

September 2008 – Portland Development Commission (PDC) provides a generous grant to fuel the continued development of the index.

September 2008 – EWG Meeting in Boston: New index framework is adopted. Subgroups are structured around the new framework.

May 2009 – Third spring EWG meeting in Seattle. OIA establishes a dedicated Corporate Responsibility department to support the Eco Index work.

June 2009 – The OIA Board of Directors establishes the Sustainability Advisory Council and approves formal Operating Guidelines and Board oversight of the development of the Eco Index.

September 2009 – EWG Advisory Council meeting in Hood River, Oregon: Beta Phase 1 release scheduled for summer 2010.

January 2010 – Partnership between OIA & EOG is formalized. All documents, framework and work products now completely shared between continents. Jill Dumain, Patagonia is now official chair of the EWG Advisory Council.

Spring 2010 – Subgroups work to finish the guidelines, indicators and metrics/methodology of the Eco Index framework.

July/August 2010 - The "Phase One Beta" Eco Index content is released to the outdoor industry at the OutDoor Show in Germany and the Outdoor Retailer Show in the U.S.

September-December 2010 - The Phase One Beta Pilot Program draws over 100 participants from throughout the outdoor industry and beyond.

March 2011 - The formation of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition is announced.  The SAC, which includes apparel and footwear companies Target, Walmart, H & M, Gap, and Nike, among others - in addition to a number of Eco Working Group member companies such as Patagonia, REI, and Timberland - will use the Eco Index in conjunction with tools developed by Nike to create an Index to address apparel and footwear products.  OIA Eco Working Group members begin working with the SAC to develop and revise content for the Index.

April 2011 - An Equipment subgroup forms within the OIA EWG to begin addressing specific hardgoods/gear considerations within the Eco Index.