When I first launched Emerger Strategies in 2016, my clients were pursuing sustainability for altruistic reasons, such as doing their part to minimize their contribution to climate change and plastic pollution, and for business reasons such as reduced costs and meeting consumer demand. However, in the last five years, much has changed with the increase in sustainability-related regulations around climate, chemicals (PFAS), and EPR for Packaging, so companies must comply or pay fines, but there is a powerful market force shaping sustainability also. Pretty much every big box retailer from Home Depot to Costco are now asking their suppliers (brands) to measure and improve their sustainability performance, and because I work primarily with fishing and outdoor brands, I thought it would be helpful to compare what Walmart, REI, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Bass Pro Shop’s are asking for, and why your brand should work to exceed their expectations.

Comparing Walmart, REI, Bass Pro, and DSG

Category
GHG Emissions (Scopes 1–3)	Direct suppliers must annually report avoided, reduced, or sequestered emissions covering Scope 1, 2, and relevant Scope 3 categories via Walmart’s portal and CDP through Project Gigaton; Scope 1 and 2 data at 95%+ completeness is required for its top “Giga Guru” recognition tier	REI expects brands to measure their annual GHG emissions (Scopes 1, 2 & 3), set a reduction target, and implement a climate action plan; annual sustainability self-assessment reported to REI. More info can be found at REI Product Impact Standards.	No explicit supplier-level Scope 1-3 GHG reporting requirement identified — focus is on compliance with applicable environmental laws rather than emissions measurement/disclosure	Scope 3 emissions account for roughly 70% of Dick’s total footprint under the GHG Protocol, DSG driven largely by upstream transportation/distribution; company targets a 30% reduction in DICK’S own operational GHG emissions by 2030 (vs. 2016 baseline). More info can be found on the DSG Sustainability page.
Packaging	Sustainable Packaging Playbook: optimize design (right-size, ISTA protection standards), source materials responsibly, and support recyclability; Food Packaging Forum goals for private brands include eliminating PVC/polystyrene and using How2Recycle labeling	Preferred attributes include recyclable/compostable packaging; packaging chemical safety governed by the RSL	Reduction of excess packaging and use of non-toxic materials is required; detailed packaging specs covered in Bass Pro Vendor Guide	Vendors must act environmentally responsibly on packaging; encouraged to maximize recycled content, especially post-consumer material; company piloting reusable-bag/packaging reduction partnerships
Restricted Substances List (RSL) / Chemicals	Packaging RSL based on REACH “priority chemical” classifications (carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxicants, PBTs); textile suppliers expected to complete the Higg Index	RSL based on the bluesign® system, intended to meet or exceed global regulatory requirements, REI with specific bans (e.g., BPA in food/beverage containers, certain flame retardants in tents, long-chain PFAS on apparel, oxybenzone in sunscreens)	No dedicated public RSL identified; substance compliance addressed generally through “meets or exceeds applicable law”	Formal RSL identifying substances restricted from DSG products due to human health or environmental risk; noncompliance can trigger fines, penalties, and chargebacks; partial credit given for bluesign-aligned MRSL practices
Labor Standards (Child/Forced Labor, Wages, Hours)	Standards for Suppliers require exclusion of involuntary labor — underage, forced, coerced, bonded, trafficked, or indentured — from operations and supply chains; Walmart facility posters required on wages, hours, safety, forced labor	Minimum requirement: manufacturing code of conduct meeting practices like those of the International Labour Organization, with Fair Trade USA/Fairtrade International certification preferred	Prohibits goods produced by forced, prison, or child labor (child defined as under 16, or under compulsory school age if higher); requires non-discriminatory hiring	Vendor Code of Conduct requires compliance with labor laws; company participates in the AAFA/FLA Industry Commitment to Responsible Recruitment
Social Compliance Audits / Facility Disclosure	Suppliers must submit a valid social compliance audit from an approved program for each in-scope facility; Home Walmart also conducts risk-based investigations and unannounced reviews	Factory Code of Conduct implementation is tracked; no universal third-party audit mandate as rigid as Walmart’s, but compliance is a condition of doing business	Bass Pro reserves the right to conduct periodic, unannounced inspections of vendor facilities to verify compliance	Targeting 100% participation of vertical brands/Tier 1 suppliers in the SAC Higg Facility Environmental Module; meets Human Rights Watch Transparency Pledge disclosure minimums for vertical brands
Environmental Management (energy, water, air/water emissions in manufacturing)	Addressed via Project Gigaton’s six pillars (energy, nature, waste, packaging, transportation, product design)	System addresses energy efficiency, water use, worker health and safety, and air and water emissions throughout the supply chain REI	Vendors must operate in a way that meets or exceeds environmental standards under applicable law	Vendors must comply with environmental laws on hazardous materials, air emissions, waste, and wastewater discharge across manufacturing, transport, storage, and disposal
Sustainability Reporting Tools/Platforms	CDP Climate Change Questionnaire, Walmart Sustainability Hub/Project Gigaton Account, historically THESIS (Sustainability Index)	Annual Sustainability Assessment submitted directly to REI; Higg Index referenced as a preferred tool	No standardized third-party reporting platform identified	SAC Higg Index (Facility Environmental Module); internal vendor compliance/ESG data requests
Animal Welfare	Not a defined pillar in supplier standards reviewed	Minimum: down and wool must come from ducks, geese, and sheep treated humanely; preferred: Responsible Down Standard / Responsible Wool Standard	Not identified as a formal requirement	Not identified as a formal requirement
Preferred/Voluntary Certifications	Fair Trade USA (social audits), SBTi-aligned targets encouraged	bluesign®, Fair Trade USA/Fairtrade International, Responsible Wool/Down Standard, organic cotton, The Climate Label	Not applicable/not identified	bluesign-aligned MRSL, Higg Index

• Walmart has the most quantified expectations and drives everything through Project Gigaton/CDP for emissions and a formal Sustainable Packaging Playbook. For more information, visit Walmart’s Supplier Requirements Hub and Walmart’s Sustainability Hub.
• REI’s Product Impact Standards (now v4.0) set explicit minimums with a preferred-attributes tier that functions like a maturity ladder. For more information, visit. REI Product Impact Standards.
• Bass Pro Shops has the least formalized sustainability-specific program of the four — its Vendor Responsibility Standards are closer to a traditional legal/ethical compliance code (labor, discrimination, basic environmental law) than a modern ESG framework with GHG targets or an RSL. For more information, visit the Bass Pro Shops Domestic Vendor Guide.
• Dick’s Sporting Goods sits in between — it has a real RSL and lists preferred attributes such as Bluesign, Leather Working Group and Organic materials. For more information, visit Dick’s Sustainability Page.

Why are Retailers Asking You to Measure & Improve Your Sustainability Performance?

These sustainability expectations are the minimum fishing and outdoor brands should working towards to meet retailer’s expectations, and don’t factor in any of the sustainability-related regulations that are in place in multiple states and countries (California, Canada, EU, etc.), but regulations are also focused on climate, chemicals, packaging, labor standards and social compliance.

That said, why are Walmart & REI asking you to measure and reduce your scopes 1-3 GHG emissions, and why is Bass Pro and Dick’s asking you to be socially compliant? Here’s why:

1. Walmart and REI have set Net-Zero GHG emissions by 2050 goals, and your brand is part of their scope 3 emissions, so if you are not also working towards net-zero, Walmart and REI can never achieve their own sustainability goals. In short, if you are not measuring and reducing your own GHG emissions, you are preventing one of your biggest customers from achieving their goals. Can you afford to lose these accounts?
2. By measuring and reducing your GHG emissions you can reduce your own operating costs, while also exceeding your customer’s expectations, and therefore strengthening your relationship with your retail partners. Why wouldn’t you want to reduce costs and strengthen your relationship with one of your biggest customers?
3. Remember back in the 90s when Nike got busted for having children make their shoes and faced huge backlash and tarnished their reputation? Similarly, retailers like Bass Pro and Dick’s Sporting Goods don’t want to get busted for child and/or forced labor, and if you are not auditing your supply chain for social compliance, you are a liability.
4. Lastly, measuring and improving your brand’s sustainability performance helps to protect the environment and fisheries your business is 100% dependent upon for its own survival, and with a global population of 8 billion humans demanding resources, we cannot continue to extract, emit harmful emissions and chemicals, litter our rivers, lakes, and oceans with plastic. We should also want to treat all humans with dignity and respect. Doing otherwise puts profits over people and the planet, which by its very definition is not sustainable.

How Emerger Strategies Can Help You Exceed Retailer Expectations

At Emerger Strategies, we help fishing and outdoor brands turn retailer sustainability requirements from a compliance burden into a competitive edge. Whether it’s building out your GHG inventory and achieving The Climate Label certification for REI’s Product Impact Standards, developing a Restricted Substances List that satisfies Dick’s and Walmart alike, or getting ahead of California’s packaging and textile EPR laws before they catch up to you, we build the systems once so you can stop scrambling every time a retailer raises the bar.

Emerger Strategies has helped Blue Sky improve their CDP scores, achieve Walmart’s Giga Guru status, and avoid costly compliance fines, and we have helped Crazy Creek reduce costs, emissions, and improve their REI Product Impact score, but don’t take my word for it:

“Emerger Strategies has been vital in helping us exceed our sustainability goals. With their comprehensive approach, we have been able to take our reporting to the next level — responding to and improving our scorecards for the annual CDP, THESIS, and Project Gigaton reporting cycles.” – Carrie Orr, Sr. Director of Production & Compliance, Blue Sky

“Working with Emerger Strategies has delivered measurable business and sustainability results for Crazy Creek. Their team helped us reduce our energy costs by 8% while simultaneously lowering our Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 26%. Beyond operational improvements, Emerger Strategies also helped us improve our REI Product Impact Standards score by over 40% compared to the previous year.” – Karson Bagby, Co-owner, Crazy Creek Products

The brands that treat these standards as a floor rather than a ceiling are the ones winning shelf space, media coverage, and customer loyalty in today’s outdoor market — let’s make sure yours is one of them.

Book a Discovery Call with Rick Today!