How Advocacy, Giving Back, & Improving Your Company’s Sustainability Performance is The Only Way for Fishing & Outdoor Brands in the 21st Century
2026 has been an absolute dumpster fire for conservation, public lands & waters, and climate action. The Trump administration is systematically dismantling the U.S. Forest Service, NOAA, and other federal agencies that provide extremely valuable conservation and habitat-restoration services, programs, funding and more. Taxes that I am actually happy to pay when they are put to good use. For example, NOAA provides habitat restoration funding here in South Carolina that is building new oyster reefs from recycled oyster shells, which cleans our water, stabilizes our shorelines, and enhances our fishery. Take my tax money! Our public lands are being attacked on multiple fronts, but the most recent attack was passing H.J.R. 140 to allow a foreign-owned mining company to build a toxic sulfide-ore copper mine at the headwaters of the Boundary Waters. Copper mines have a 100% failure rate for toxic leakage, which threatens 20% of all freshwater available in the U.S. National Forest system. To make matters worse, the foreign-owned mining company will then send our natural resources to be processed in China, and then we will have to buy it back! Insanity! Climate change has been completely denied by the Trump administration. In January of 2025, Trump withdrew the United States from the The Paris Agreement, which was adopted by 197 countries in December 2015 and has been the underpinning of international climate action for nearly a decade. The goals and strategies it sets out are critically important to maintaining a stable climate, which is the foundation of successful societies and economies, according to Woodwell Climate Research Center. Yet, we are seeing the impact of climate change in real-time with Hoot Owl Restrictions in Montana, sea-level rise in Charleston, SC, and this year, snowpack is 65% below the 1991-2020 average, according to Climate Matters, which will make trout fishing and wildfire season very risky. In short, we are destroying our natural resources, and the fly fishing industry, in exchange for oil & gas shareholders to be even more profitable.
Who are businesses really responsible to? Their customers? Shareholders? Employees? We would argue that it’s none of the above. Fundamentally, businesses are responsible to their resource base. Without a healthy environment there are no shareholders, no employees, no customers and no business. – Yvon Chouinard
I have always loved this quote from Patagonia founder, Yvon Chouinard, and it is more true today than ever. So, are fishing & outdoor brands that are 100% dependent upon clean air, clean water, and a healthy environment going to survive in the 21st century?
1. Advocacy: If you are not at the table, you are on the menu
As my friend, Jeff Barger, who works with Ocean Conservancy likes to say, “if you are not at the table, you are on the menu.” If our elected officials don’t understand how the decisions to cut funding for NOAA, or drilling in the Arctic Wildlife National Refuge, or killing wildlife in the Boundary Waters impacts our businesses, then they have no reason to protect them. Why? Because we didn’t show up by calling them, visiting them in D.C., and holding them accountable.
Businesses in the 21st century need to accept that advocacy is absolutely necessary, and is also the most efficient way to make systemic change that benefits the fly fishing, fishing, and outdoor industries. Outdoor brands and retailers in particular need to worry less about whether they will alienate a few boomers from purchasing their products, and worry more about whether there will be a demand for rods and reels when our fisheries decline due to toxic leaks from mines, the affects of climate change, and public access being taken away.
That’s why Emerger Strategies is proud to be a member of The Conservation Alliance (TCA), and I recommend any business in the fishing & outdoor industries to join TCA. They provide opportunities to add your brand to sign-on letters, coordinate virtual and in-person fly-ins to meet with our elected officials in D.C. to advocate for conservation and our public lands, and opportunities to learn how to become better advocates as businesses.
2. Give Back to Conservation
Conservation funding remains relatively small and insufficient to meet growing environmental challenges, creating a clear need for greater support from the private sector, especially when our own federal government is adding to the lack of funding from budgets for NOAA, U.S. Forest Service, etc. being slashed. In fact, analyses from the Paulson Institute, The Nature Conservancy, and the United Nations Environment Programme estimate a biodiversity financing gap of $700 billion or more per year. In short, conservation organizations need private funding more than ever.
I already know that most companies in the fishing & outdoor industries donate products to raise money for conservation, make monetary donations, and volunteer with local environmental nonprofits. I also know that manufacturers are already paying a 10% excise tax to support conservation, but the brands who are strategic with their nonprofit partners get the most out of their partnerships.
For example, Emerger Strategies is a 1% for the Planet member, and I would encourage any brand to join. The way it works is 1% members donate 1% of their annual revenue to approved environmental nonprofits and 1% for the Planet certifies your giving. They also provide storytelling resources to share your giving story, social media assets for their campaigns and you get to use the 1% for the Planet logo, which is extremely recognizable. The strategy here is commit to conservation by donating a minimum of 1% of your sales, then tell and share your story with your customers, which drives customer loyalty.
3. Improve Your Brand's Sustainability Performance
Do you know the most sustainable thing your company can do to help the planet? The answer is go out of business because everything we do takes resources and has an environmental impact. Since we need to provide for our families, that’s not an option, so shouldn’t we strive to minimize our environmental impact by conserving resources like energy and water, and minimizing waste, all of which reduces costs and your environmental footprint? Of course.
There is also a real business case for sustainability, which is what we help our clients prove at Emerger Strategies, but don’t take my word for it. Here’s what the dumbasses at Harvard Business Review say are the 8 Benefits of Sustainability in Business:
- Drives internal innovation
- Example: Sway packaging made from seaweed.
- Improves Environmental & Supplier Risk
- Example: Hedge rising energy cost via efficiency, renewable, and EVs.
- Attracts & Retains Employees
- Example: People want to work for companies that align with their values and anglers value conservation and sustainability.
- Expands Audience Reach & Builds Brand Loyalty
- Example: By measuring, improving, and credibly communicating their sustainability efforts, RepYourWater increased customer loyalty by 16.9%.
- Reduces Production Costs
- Example: Driftless Angler installed solar panels on their roof and reduced electricity costs by 75% while reducing their Scope 2 emissions by 94%.
- Garners Positive Publicity
- Example: Making an announcement or putting out a press release for joining 1% for the Planet, or The Conservation Alliance, will certainly garner positive publicity that leads to customer loyalty.
- Competitive Advantage
- Example: Mayfly Outdoors and Fishpond are B-Corps, which is a competitive advantage in the fly fishing industry.
- Sets the Industry Trend
- Example: Leaders typically get the first-mover advantage while their competitors try to catch up.
In short, the business case for sustainability has never been clearer.
Conclusion
Every brand in the fly fishing, fishing, and outdoor industries should be advocating for conservation, public lands, and climate action because our industry and our businesses depend on a healthy environment. In my opinion, the #1 thing your company can do is get off the sidelines and start advocating for what you value. For example, get involved by personally calling your elected officials, or participating in a trip to D.C. to advocate for what matters to you and your business. Giving back to conservation is a no-brainer and is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to protecting and restoring the places you love. Finally, improving the sustainability performance of your operations, supply chain, products, and packaging is not only the responsible thing to do, but there’s also a real business case for doing so.
If your company wants peace of mind, Emerger Strategies has been helping our clients make the business case for sustainability since 2016 by tying their sustainability initiatives to business outcomes, and we can do the same for your business. If you have questions, feel free to email me directly at: rcrawford@emergerstrategies.com or book a discovery call today!