Your outdoor customers aren’t just buying gear. They’re buying into a relationship with nature, and they expect the brands they support to honor that relationship. But here’s the challenge: outdoor consumers are among the most environmentally sophisticated shoppers on the planet, and they can spot greenwashing from a mile away.
The stakes have never been higher. In 2024 alone, brands like Lululemon and Shein faced lawsuits over misleading sustainability claims, with Shein fined €1 million by an Italian court for “vague, generic, overly emphatic, and in some cases misleading” environmental messaging. Meanwhile, regulators are cracking down harder than ever, with greenwashing fines reaching up to 10% of annual revenues.
Yet the opportunity is equally significant. 80% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainably produced goods, with an average premium of 9.7%. For outdoor brands specifically, where environmental values align closely with product use, authentic sustainability messaging isn’t just good ethics—it’s good business.
This guide will show you how to communicate your sustainability efforts with the transparency and authenticity that outdoor consumers demand, without falling into the greenwashing traps that have derailed other brands.
Why Sustainability Matters Critically in the Outdoor Space
The outdoor industry occupies a unique position. Your customers are the people who hike, camp, climb, and paddle through the very ecosystems that environmental degradation threatens. They experience climate change firsthand—85% of consumers say they’re experiencing the disruptive impacts of climate change in their lives, and for outdoor enthusiasts, those impacts are often literal: shorter ski seasons, wildfire smoke ruining backpacking trips, or favorite trails eroding.
This creates a deep alignment between your customers’ values and your brand’s environmental practices. But it also creates heightened scrutiny. An outdoor brand making dubious environmental claims faces more severe backlash than, say, a fast food chain, because the perceived betrayal cuts deeper.
The data backs this up: 77% of Americans are concerned about the environmental impact of the products they buy, and this concern directly influences purchasing decisions. In recent years, 85% of consumers have become “greener” in their purchasing habits, with outdoor consumers leading this shift.
Your sustainability practices aren’t a marketing nice-to-have. They’re a fundamental part of your brand promise.
Audit Your Actual Sustainability Practices Before Marketing Them
Before you write a single word about sustainability on your website, you need to conduct an honest audit of your actual environmental impact. This isn’t just about avoiding legal trouble—though that’s important—it’s about building messaging on a foundation of truth.
Start With the Hard Questions
Where do your materials actually come from? Not where you hope they come from or where your supplier claims they come from, but where can you verify they originate? What happens in your manufacturing facilities? What are the working conditions? What waste is generated?
When Patagonia announced at COP26 that it no longer wanted to call itself a “sustainable brand,” it was acknowledging a hard truth: despite being an industry leader in sustainability, the company recognized it was still very much part of the problem. That level of honesty resonates far more than performative perfectionism.
Map Your Complete Supply Chain
Document every step from raw material to customer delivery:
- Materials sourcing: Origin, environmental impact of extraction/production, certifications
- Manufacturing: Location, energy sources, waste management, labor conditions
- Shipping: Transportation methods, distances, packaging materials
- Packaging: Materials used, recyclability, end-of-life options
- Product lifespan: Durability, repairability, warranty programs
- End-of-life: Recycling programs, biodegradability, disposal impact
Quantify Where Possible
Vague claims like “eco-friendly” or “sustainable” are not only ineffective, they’re dangerous. The FTC’s Green Guides, which govern environmental marketing claims, emphasize that environmental benefits should be specific and substantiated.
Instead of “sustainable materials,” specify “recycled polyester from post-consumer plastic bottles” or “organic cotton certified by GOTS.” Instead of “carbon neutral,” explain “We offset 100% of shipping emissions through verified reforestation projects in the Pacific Northwest.”
Identify Your Gaps
Be honest about where you fall short. Every brand has environmental impacts—the question is whether you’re transparent about them and working to improve. Consumers respect brands that acknowledge their challenges while demonstrating genuine progress.
What to Communicate: The Core Elements of Sustainability Messaging
Once you understand your actual environmental footprint, you can communicate it effectively. Here are the key areas outdoor consumers expect to see addressed:
Materials and Their Impact
Your customers want to know what goes into your products and why. This means going beyond simple labels to explain the environmental trade-offs.
For example, recycled polyester reduces reliance on virgin petroleum but releases microplastics when washed. Organic cotton avoids pesticides but requires significant water. Natural materials and recycled content both have legitimate benefits and limitations—being transparent about both sides builds credibility.
Specific details matter. Instead of “recycled materials,” explain: “This jacket is made from 60% recycled polyester derived from post-consumer plastic bottles, diverting approximately 12 bottles from landfills per garment.”
Manufacturing Processes
Where and how your products are made carries enormous environmental and ethical weight. Outdoor consumers increasingly expect transparency about:
- Energy sources used in manufacturing (renewable vs. fossil fuels)
- Water usage and treatment in production
- Waste generated and how it’s managed
- Labor conditions and fair wages
- Chemical use and safety standards
Brands like Toad & Co and prAna have built strong reputations by being upfront about their manufacturing processes and pursuing certifications like Bluesign, which ensures environmental safety throughout production rather than just testing the end product.
Shipping and Transportation
Ecommerce shipping accounts for significant environmental impact. Packing materials alone make up 45% of emissions produced by ecommerce businesses, and transportation adds considerably more.
Be specific about your approach:
- Shipping method defaults (ground vs. expedited)
- Packaging materials and their recyclability
- Carbon offset programs (if any) and what they support
- Consolidated shipping options for multiple items
- Regional fulfillment to reduce shipping distances
Companies like ShipBob partner with offset providers to allow customers to purchase carbon credits for their shipments. If you offer this, explain exactly where those offset dollars go—vague claims about “carbon neutral shipping” without details raise red flags.
Packaging Choices
What arrives on your customer’s doorstep makes an immediate impression. Your packaging tells them whether your sustainability claims are real or performative.
Communicate:
- Materials used (recycled content percentage, recyclability, compostability)
- Design efficiency (right-sized packaging to minimize waste)
- Reusability (can packaging serve another purpose?)
- Disposal instructions (how should customers properly recycle or compost?)
Consider brands like EcoEnclose that offer fully recyclable and biodegradable packaging options. If you use sustainable packaging, tell that story—but don’t just slap “recyclable” on your boxes. Explain what makes your packaging better and how customers should handle it.
Product End-of-Life
The outdoor industry has pioneered circular economy approaches, from Patagonia’s Worn Wear program to REI’s trade-in initiatives. What happens when your product reaches the end of its useful life?
Address:
- Product durability and expected lifespan
- Repair programs and resources
- Take-back or recycling programs
- Biodegradability (if applicable)
- Proper disposal methods
This is especially important for technical outdoor gear, which often contains mixed materials that complicate recycling.
Carbon Offset Programs
If you participate in carbon offset programs, transparency is critical. The outdoor brand REI has faced criticism for depending heavily on carbon credits rather than reducing actual emissions—a common greenwashing tactic.
If you offset, explain:
- What specific emissions you’re offsetting
- What types of projects you support (reforestation, renewable energy, etc.)
- Which offset standards you follow (Verified Carbon Standard, Gold Standard, etc.)
- What percentage of your total emissions you offset vs. directly reduce
The key is showing that offsets supplement emission reductions, not replace them.
How to Communicate: Transparent, Data-Driven, and Humble
The tone and approach of your sustainability messaging matters as much as the content. Here’s how to get it right:
Be Specific and Quantifiable
Replace vague environmental buzzwords with concrete data:
- Instead of “eco-friendly,” say “Made with 75% recycled nylon”
- Instead of “sustainable,” say “Uses 30% less water than conventional cotton production”
- Instead of “green shipping,” say “We offset 5.2 kg of CO2 per shipment through verified reforestation”
A recent report found that 60% of sustainability claims by European fashion brands are “unsubstantiated” and “misleading.” Don’t be part of that statistic.
Show Your Work
Link to certifications, third-party reports, and sources for your claims. If you state that your product uses recycled materials, explain how you verify that claim and who certifies it.
This builds trust and demonstrates that you’re not just making marketing claims—you’re backing them up with evidence.
Acknowledge Limitations
Perfect sustainability doesn’t exist. Even Patagonia, with decades of environmental leadership, produces products with environmental impacts. The difference is they’re honest about it.
Consider language like:
- “While we’ve reduced our carbon footprint by 40%, we recognize we have more work to do in our manufacturing processes.”
- “This product contains synthetic materials that will release microplastics when washed. We’re researching alternatives while recommending washing bags to capture fibers.”
- “Our packaging is recyclable, but we acknowledge that recycling infrastructure varies by location and not all customers may have access.”
This humility makes your legitimate accomplishments more credible.
Avoid Performative Language
Environmental responsibility isn’t about heroism or saving the planet—it’s about doing business responsibly. Skip the grandiose claims about “changing the world” or being “100% sustainable.”
Patagonia’s reverse marketing campaign telling customers “Don’t Buy This Jacket” was criticized as “a blatant advertisement in itself”—performative sustainability theater that ultimately encouraged consumption while claiming to discourage it.
Focus on specific actions and measurable impacts rather than emotional appeals or virtue signaling.
Use First-Party Data When Possible
Third-party certifications matter (more on those below), but your own verified data carries weight too. If you track energy usage, waste generation, or emissions, share that data transparently.
Consider annual sustainability reports, even simple ones, that show year-over-year progress. This demonstrates ongoing commitment rather than one-time marketing claims.
Where to Include Sustainability Information on Your Ecommerce Site
Strategic placement of sustainability information ensures customers find it when it matters most:
Product Pages
This is where purchase decisions happen, so sustainability information should be prominently displayed:
- Material composition and sourcing (in the main product description)
- Relevant certifications (with explanatory tooltips or links)
- Environmental impact metrics (carbon footprint, water usage, etc.)
- Care instructions that minimize environmental impact
- End-of-life options (repair, recycling, etc.)
Don’t hide this information in tabs or footnotes. Make it a core part of how you present the product.
Dedicated Sustainability or Impact Pages
A comprehensive page outlining your overall approach gives customers the full picture:
- Your environmental philosophy and commitments
- Detailed information about materials, manufacturing, and shipping
- Third-party certifications and what they mean
- Sustainability goals and progress toward them
- Honest acknowledgment of challenges and areas for improvement
This page serves as a resource for customers who want to dig deeper and as a reference point for all your sustainability claims.
Checkout Process
The point of purchase is an opportunity to reinforce your values:
- Carbon offset options for shipping
- Consolidated shipping encouragement (order complete message)
- Packaging choices (if you offer options)
- Information about sustainable packaging you use
Keep this brief—don’t create friction in the checkout process—but use it to demonstrate that sustainability extends to the entire customer experience.
Transactional Emails and Packaging Inserts
When customers receive order confirmations and unbox products, sustainability information reinforces your brand message:
- Order confirmation emails can explain your packaging choices
- Shipping notifications can include carbon offset details
- Packaging inserts can provide care instructions that extend product life
- Return packaging can include information about your take-back programs
These touchpoints turn sustainability from marketing claims into lived experiences.
Third-Party Certifications Worth Pursuing
Certifications provide independent verification of your sustainability claims, lending credibility that self-reported data can’t match. Here are the most respected certifications in the outdoor industry:
B Corp Certification
B Corp certification is often called the “gold standard” for sustainability. B Corps meet rigorous standards in social and environmental impact, public transparency, and legal accountability.
The certification process evaluates your entire business—not just environmental practices but also worker treatment, community impact, and governance. It’s demanding, which is exactly why it carries weight.
Outdoor brands like PAKA and Encircled have achieved B Corp status, signaling comprehensive commitment to sustainability.
Bluesign Certification
Bluesign focuses specifically on sustainable chemistry and environmental impact throughout the textile production process.
Unlike certifications that test finished products, Bluesign gets involved from the start, ensuring quality and environmental safety at every stage of manufacturing. This makes it particularly valuable for technical outdoor gear made with synthetic materials.
Brands like Mammut, prAna, and Deuter have substantial Bluesign-approved product lines, demonstrating their commitment to responsible textile production.
OEKO-TEX Standard 100
OEKO-TEX certifies that textile products are free from substances harmful to human health. Every component—buttons, thread, zippers, coatings, and fabric—must meet strict safety criteria.
Products carry unique QR codes allowing customers to trace how and where they were produced, providing supply chain transparency that builds trust.
Many outdoor brands, including Toad & Co, use OEKO-TEX certification alongside other standards for comprehensive product safety and sustainability verification.
Fair Trade Certification
Fair Trade ensures ethical labor practices and fair wages throughout your supply chain. For outdoor brands, this certification demonstrates commitment to the people making your products, not just the environmental impact.
Climate Neutral Certification
Climate Neutral certification verifies that a company has measured its carbon footprint, purchased offsets for it, and implemented reduction plans. It’s particularly relevant for brands using carbon offset programs, providing third-party validation of those efforts.
Strategic Certification Choices
Don’t pursue certifications just to collect badges. Each certification requires investment in compliance, auditing, and ongoing fees. Choose certifications that:
- Align with your actual practices and values
- Are recognized and respected by your target customers
- Provide meaningful accountability and verification
- Address your specific product category and supply chain
Many products and companies hold multiple certifications because they serve complementary purposes. This is fine—even advisable—but only if each certification represents genuine compliance, not just marketing.
Greenwashing Red Flags to Avoid
Understanding what not to do is as important as knowing best practices. Here are the greenwashing pitfalls that have damaged outdoor brands:
Vague, Unsubstantiated Claims
Terms like “eco-friendly,” “green,” “sustainable,” and “natural” mean almost nothing without specifics. Shein’s €1 million fine specifically cited “vague, generic, overly emphatic” claims.
The FTC’s Green Guides are clear: environmental claims must be specific, substantiated, and not misleading. If you can’t back it up with data, don’t claim it.
Hidden Trade-Offs
Promoting one environmental benefit while ignoring significant environmental costs is a classic greenwashing technique.
Patagonia faced backlash for promoting recycled PET bottles in garments while downplaying the microplastic release problem and then selling microfiber filtering bags as the solution—turning an environmental problem into another product to sell.
Be transparent about the full environmental picture, including trade-offs and limitations.
Irrelevant Claims
Highlighting environmental benefits that are legally required or irrelevant to the actual environmental impact misleads customers.
For example, claiming “CFC-free” when CFCs have been banned for decades, or promoting recyclable packaging when the real environmental impact comes from the energy-intensive product manufacturing.
False Labels and Imagery
Using imagery that suggests environmental benefits you don’t deliver—like green leaves, nature scenes, or made-up certifications—creates false impressions.
If you use certification badges, they must be real, current, and accurately represent what’s certified. Made-up or expired certifications can trigger regulatory action.
Offsetting Instead of Reducing
Carbon offsets can be part of a comprehensive strategy, but relying on offsets without reducing actual emissions is greenwashing.
REI has faced criticism for depending too heavily on carbon credits—”a greenwashing tactic which allows companies to buy their way out of taking full responsibility.”
Show emission reduction efforts first, offsets second.
Selective Disclosure
Promoting minor environmental improvements while hiding major environmental harms is deceptive.
The North Face and Patagonia both faced Greenpeace criticism for using toxic chemicals in outdoor clothing despite strong overall sustainability reputations. The brands’ environmental marketing drew extra scrutiny to these chemical use practices.
Comprehensive disclosure builds trust; selective disclosure destroys it when customers discover what you left out.
Balancing Sustainability Messaging with Commercial Goals
Let’s address the elephant in the room: you’re running a business, not a nonprofit. Sustainability messaging needs to serve both environmental values and commercial objectives.
Sustainability as Differentiation
In a crowded outdoor market, authentic sustainability practices differentiate your brand. Products marketed as sustainable grew 2.7 times faster than products not marketed as sustainable.
This isn’t about greenwashing your way to sales—it’s about investing in real sustainability practices and communicating them effectively to capture the growing segment of environmentally conscious consumers.
Premium Pricing Justification
Consumers are willing to pay 9.7% more on average for sustainably produced goods. For outdoor consumers, that premium can be even higher, given their environmental values.
Transparent sustainability messaging justifies premium pricing by demonstrating where that extra cost goes: better materials, ethical manufacturing, environmental certifications, or carbon offsets.
Customer Loyalty and Lifetime Value
Environmental values create emotional connections that drive customer loyalty. Outdoor enthusiasts who believe your brand shares their environmental commitment become long-term advocates, not one-time buyers.
This loyalty increases customer lifetime value, reduces customer acquisition costs, and generates word-of-mouth marketing—powerful commercial benefits that emerge from authentic environmental commitment.
Risk Mitigation
Strong sustainability practices and transparent communication reduce regulatory risk, lawsuit risk, and reputational risk. As greenwashing enforcement increases, brands with genuine practices and careful messaging avoid the fines, legal costs, and brand damage affecting companies with looser environmental claims.
Talent Attraction and Retention
While this guide focuses on customer-facing messaging, don’t underestimate the internal value. Strong sustainability commitments attract talented employees who share those values, particularly important for small outdoor brands competing for skilled team members.
The key to balancing sustainability and commercial success is recognizing they’re not opposing forces. Done right, environmental responsibility drives business performance.
Real-World Examples: What Works and What Backfires
Let’s look at how outdoor brands have navigated sustainability messaging in practice:
What Works: Authenticity and Transparency
Patagonia’s Self-Awareness: Despite facing criticism for specific practices, Patagonia’s willingness to publicly state it no longer wants to call itself a “sustainable brand” demonstrates refreshing honesty. Rather than claiming perfection, they acknowledge being “part of the problem” while working toward solutions.
Allbirds’ Carbon Footprint Transparency: Allbirds provides transparent supply chain information and educates consumers about sustainable fashion and environmental conservation, making sustainability a core part of their customer experience rather than a marketing afterthought.
Toad & Co’s Multiple Certifications: By pursuing both Bluesign and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certifications for their products, Toad & Co demonstrates comprehensive commitment to both environmental impact and product safety, backing marketing claims with third-party verification.
What Backfires: Unsubstantiated Claims and Hidden Problems
Lululemon’s Greenwashing Lawsuit: Lululemon faced legal action regarding its “Be Planet” initiative, highlighting the risk of ambitious sustainability messaging that outpaces actual practices.
Shein’s €1 Million Fine: Shein’s vague sustainability claims—including false claims about recyclability while actual emissions increased—resulted in significant financial penalties and reputational damage.
Patagonia’s Microplastic Problem: Even sustainability leaders face criticism when they promote environmental benefits (recycled materials) while downplaying environmental costs (microplastic release) and then selling products to address the problems their other products create.
The North Face’s Toxic Chemical Use: Greenpeace’s criticism of The North Face for using toxic chemicals demonstrated that strong sustainability marketing amplifies scrutiny of any environmental shortcomings.
The pattern is clear: brands succeed when their messaging accurately reflects their practices and acknowledges limitations. They fail when claims exceed reality or when they hide significant environmental impacts.
Final Thoughts: Authenticity Is Your Competitive Advantage
Your outdoor customers aren’t naive. They understand that every product has environmental impact. They’re not looking for perfection—they’re looking for honesty, accountability, and genuine effort to minimize harm.
The outdoor industry has the opportunity—and the responsibility—to lead on environmental practices. Your customers are already outside experiencing the natural world. They know what’s at stake. They’re willing to support brands that share their values and back up their claims.
Start with an honest audit of your practices. Identify what you’re doing well and where you need to improve. Pursue meaningful certifications that provide independent verification. Communicate transparently, with specific data instead of vague claims. Acknowledge your limitations while demonstrating progress.
Most importantly, remember that sustainability messaging isn’t about marketing—it’s about accountability. When you make environmental claims on your ecommerce site, you’re making promises to your customers and to the places they love to explore.
Keep those promises, and your customers will keep coming back.