I am a sustainability nerd, and I find the history of the sustainability movement fascinating, which is why I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to interview 40-year outdoor industry veteran, Kevin Myette on the latest episode of The Sustainable Angler podcast.
The Outdoor Industry’s Sustainability Origin Story Starts in 2006
In this episode, we talk about Kevin’s 40-year career journey in outdoor from working in a bike shop to REI to Bluesign (now rebranded as bluepass). We discussed the history of sustainability in the Outdoor Industry and how REI was focused on getting the outdoor industry to work together towards sustainability, which first began at Outdoor Retailer in 2006 which became the Sustainability Working Group at the Outdoor Industry Association that led into creating the ECO Index and ultimately the HIGG Index, Sustainable Apparel Coalition (now called Cascale). Maybe I am just a nerd, but getting to talk to someone who created the tools that are the foundation of what all sustainability professionals who measure value chain impact of apparel and footwear is unbelievable! These tools built the foundation of what the sustainability movement is today, and Kevin helped create them. For context, the vast majority of a brand’s environmental impact comes from their value chain (80-90% of emissions occur in the upstream value chain).
What began as a handshake agreement between a handful of brands at a trade show is now the global measurement infrastructure that much of the apparel world runs on. Kevin helped build that. When he talks about where the industry has been and where it needs to go, he’s not speculating — he lived it.
What Is Bluesign, and Why Does It Matter?
If you’re in the outdoor or fishing apparel space and you’re not familiar with Bluesign, that’s the first gap to close. Bluesign is a certification system focused on chemical and material integrity throughout the manufacturing value chain. Where many sustainability frameworks operate at the brand or product level, Bluesign works at the factory and supplier level — verifying that the chemicals, processes, and materials used to make a product meet strict standards for human health, environmental impact, and resource efficiency.
For brands serious about supply chain transparency, Bluesign certification is one of the most credible signals available. And for consumers who want to know that the gear they’re buying was made responsibly, it’s one of the few third-party marks that holds up under scrutiny.
Why Tier 2 Suppliers Are Your Brand’s Biggest Sustainability Risk
Kevin says that the most important work a brand can do to understand their impact is to know their supply chain, and the most impactful stage is Tier 2 suppliers, especially related to adding color dyes.
When we talk about supply chains, most brands are reasonably familiar with their Tier 1 suppliers — the factories that cut, sew, and assemble their products. Many have visited them. Some audit them. But Tier 2? That’s where it gets murky — and where the real impact happens.
Tier 2 suppliers are the mills, fabric manufacturers, and dye houses that supply your Tier 1 factories. They’re the ones spinning yarn, weaving fabric, and — critically — adding color. The dyeing and finishing stage of textile production is one of the most chemically intensive steps in the entire manufacturing process. The chemicals used at this stage have direct implications for worker health, water quality, and the safety of the final product.
If you don’t know who your Tier 2 suppliers are, you don’t know your impact. Full stop.
Sustainability Isn’t the Right Word. Here’s What Kevin Calls It Instead.
I’ve wrestled with the language of sustainability for years. It’s a word that has been stretched, diluted, and weaponized to the point where it barely means anything to most people outside our industry — and even inside it, the definition varies widely. We talked about how sustainability should really be rebranded as “business excellence” because that’s what it is.
When a brand truly understands its supply chain, it reduces material waste, lowers energy consumption, minimizes chemical inputs, and builds stronger supplier relationships. Those outcomes don’t just reduce environmental impact — they lower costs, reduce risk, improve product quality, and build the kind of operational resilience that makes companies more competitive over time.
This is something I’ve been saying through Emerger Strategies for years: sustainability isn’t the product. The outcomes are the product. Cost reduction. Risk mitigation. Customer loyalty. Regulatory readiness. These are the reasons smart brands invest in sustainability performance — and they’re the reasons that framing this work as “business excellence” actually makes it more accessible, more fundable, and more durable inside an organization.
The Recycled Plastic Bottle Problem Nobody Wants to Talk About
Here’s a truth bomb that might make some people uncomfortable: apparel made from recycled plastic bottles may actually be worse for the environment than it appears.
I’ll let Kevin explain the details in the episode — this isn’t my place to oversimplify a complex topic — but the short version is that the recycled polyester story has some significant gaps in it.
This doesn’t mean recycled polyester is always wrong. It means the conversation needs to be more honest and more complete. And it means brands that are leaning on recycled content as their primary sustainability story may be more exposed than they realize — both to scrutiny and to genuine impact.
“Packaging Is the Gateway Drug to Sustainability”
On a more accessible note, Kevin offered one of my favorite reframes of the conversation: if you’re a brand trying to figure out where to start on sustainability, start with packaging.
Why? Because packaging is visible, tangible, and relatively easy to change. Consumers interact with it directly. The impact is legible. The improvements are measurable. And getting it right builds the organizational muscle — the cross-functional habits, the supplier conversations, the measurement mindset — that makes tackling harder supply chain challenges possible later.
Packaging isn’t where the biggest impact lives. But it’s where sustainability programs often find their footing, build internal champions, and earn the credibility to go deeper. As an entry point, it’s hard to beat.
Listen to the Full Episode