Snowsports Industries America Launches ClimateUnited

SIA has announced the launch of their new climate initiative, ClimateUnited, specifically designed to provide the winter outdoor community with the tools to address climate change.

The $72 billion winter outdoor industry is entirely dependent on consistent winter seasons. Meaningful action is crucial for the future of our industry. Under current emissions scenarios, virtually every location in the U.S is projected to see some reductions in winter recreation season lengths, exceeding 50% by 2050 and 80% in 2090 for some downhill skiing locations.* Climate impacts are already disrupting business across the winter outdoor industry’s supply chains and retail networks. Science tells us that our carbon emissions need to be cut in half by 2030 and entirely by 2050 at the very latest. The next decade is critical to begin avoiding the worst impacts of climate change and where the winter outdoor industry can make a lasting impact.

ClimateUnited is a two-part initiative that unites companies around an industry climate pact and provides a proven roadmap and guidance to meet these commitments. SIA’s goal is to unite the winter outdoor industry around an achievable climate action program specific to the needs of their members, offered as part of their annual SIA membership.

The Winter Outdoor Industry Climate Pact is an industry-wide commitment designed to unite the winter outdoor community around a set of principles and science-based goals that will help guide the industry towards meaningful climate action. It is a demonstration that the industry is serious about urgent action on climate change, setting an example around the level of commitment required to meet the scale of the climate challenge. Brands including Burton, K2 Sports, Rossignol, Seirus Innovation and 22Designs have already joined the Winter Outdoor Industry Climate Pact. Any brand, retailer, resort, rep or supplier of the winter outdoor community is welcome to sign the pact whether or not they are an SIA member. SIA will provide annual updates and celebrate those businesses who sign the pact at their annual meeting in January and to consumers via their Snowbound Festivals.

For those SIA-member companies that want additional guidance to effectively address climate change, ClimateUnited provides a roadmap with tools and resources to help any company of any size. It focuses a company’s efforts on the most impactful areas that take the biggest bite out of climate change: emissions reductions, political advocacy and responsible business.

The ClimateUnited roadmap is modeled on the “1.5C Business Playbook” developed by Exponential Roadmap, a proven approach already being used by businesses worldwide, large and small, that want to align with the science-based targets in a realistic and achievable way.

Another tool of ClimateUnited is the SIA Climate Hub, which provides educational resources to help members achieve the benchmarks outlined in their individual climate plans. Resources include “Playbook Briefs,” webinars, workshops and custom content, vetted collaborations with outside experts and an open-source sharing platform that will help identify and amplify best practices, strengthen existing efforts, and facilitate/strengthen collaboration.

“The future of our industry depends on us taking urgent action to address climate change – it is our obligation to tackle this issue head-on and provide our members with the leadership and the tools to do this,” said SIA’s President Nick Sargent. “We listened to the needs of our members, and we’ve delivered a platform that unites the industry and helps every winter outdoor company lead on this issue, at a cost included in their annual membership.”

ClimateUnited is a free program for SIA-members. SIA is hosting a webinar to review the platform, explain all the details and answer questions next Thursday, October 29, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. MDT. This webinar is open to all – you can register for free here.

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