If you’re a small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) in the fishing or outdoor industries, you’ve likely noticed that major retailers like REI, Walmart, and Target are requiring brands to measure and improve their sustainability performance. These demands can feel overwhelming, especially if you lack a full-time sustainability team or don’t know where to start. However, understanding why retailers want this data—and how it can actually help you grow your business—can turn sustainability from a compliance headache into a competitive advantage.
Why Retailers Want You to Measure Sustainability
Retailers aren’t asking for sustainability data just for the sake of it. They have strategic and financial reasons for doing so:
1. Regulatory Compliance & Risk Management
Retailers are under increasing pressure to comply with environmental regulations such as:
- Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws for packaging and waste.
- GHG emissions reporting requirements (e.g., the SEC Climate Disclosure Rule).
- PFAS restrictions in outdoor gear and apparel.
By requiring suppliers to track their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, waste, and packaging impacts, retailers ensure their supply chains meet legal standards—reducing their own regulatory risk.
2. Investor & Consumer Pressure
Institutional investors and consumers alike are demanding transparency. Investors look at Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) metrics when making decisions, and today’s consumers—especially millennials and Gen Z—favor brands that demonstrate real sustainability commitments. In fact, a Statista survey from September 2023 found that 66% of Gen Z respondents consider sustainability a driving factor in their purchasing decisions. Additionally, research by Pew Research Center reveals that Gen Z and Millennials stand out for their climate change activism and engagement with environmental issues on social media platforms. Finally, retailers want to stock products that align with these expectations.
3. Cost Savings & Operational Efficiency
Retailers know that sustainable supply chains are more resilient and cost-effective in the long run. By encouraging suppliers to reduce waste, improve energy efficiency, and optimize packaging, they cut down on logistics costs, material shortages, and reputational risks.
4. Brand Reputation & Competitive Differentiation
Retailers don’t just sell products—they sell an experience and a brand image. Companies like REI, which has built its identity around sustainability and responsible consumerism, want to partner with suppliers that strengthen that reputation. If you can show strong sustainability metrics, your can strengthen your relationship and build customer loyalty.
How Measuring Sustainability Helps You Win More Business
Understanding why retailers care about sustainability is just the first step. Here’s how measuring your sustainability performance can actually help you grow your brand and secure more retail partnerships.
1. Stay Ahead of Compliance Requirements
If your company proactively measures and improves sustainability performance, you won’t be scrambling to comply with new retailer requirements at the last minute. This gives you a competitive edge over suppliers that are still playing catch-up.
2. Win More Retail Contracts
Retailers often prioritize sustainable suppliers when making purchasing decisions. Many now use supplier sustainability scores, such as CDP, THESIS, and REI Product Impact Standards as part of their vendor selection criteria. If you’re measuring and improving sustainability, you’re not just ticking a box—you’re actively making your brand more attractive to buyers.
3. Reduce Costs & Improve Efficiency
Sustainability isn’t just good for the planet—it’s good for your bottom line. Measuring and reducing waste, energy consumption, and water use can cut operating costs. These savings help improve margins, making you more competitive in price-sensitive retail negotiations.
4. Boost Consumer Loyalty & Sales
More than ever, consumers are looking for sustainable products. Brands that can prove their environmental and social impact through data and certifications (like The Climate Label, 1% for the Planet, or B Corp) gain consumer trust. That trust translates into increased sales, both online and in retail stores.
5. Enhance Your Brand Story & Marketing
Retailers want compelling brand stories that connect with their audience. If you have concrete sustainability metrics—such as zero waste operations by 2030, or reducing packaging waste by 30% or net-zero emissions by 2050, or cutting greenhouse gas emissions 20% by 2027—you have powerful marketing material that sets you apart from competitors.
How Emerger Strategies’ Retailer Sustainability Compliance Packages Help You Exceed Expectations
At Emerger Strategies, we help fishing & outdoor brands not only meet but exceed retailer sustainability expectations while also making the business case for sustainability. Our Retailer Sustainability Compliance Packages are designed to:
✔️ Simplify complex retailer sustainability requirements so you can confidently report your progress.
✔️ Measure your Scopes 1-3 GHG emissions so you’re ready for retailer reporting and regulatory compliance.
✔️ Optimize packaging and supply chain sustainability to meet Walmart’s and REI’s evolving criteria.
✔️ Answer retailer sustainability assessments like Walmart’s Project Gigaton and REI’s Impact Standards with accurate data.
✔️ Demonstrate cost savings and risk mitigation, showing how sustainability drives profitability for your business.
How Our Clients Are Winning with Sustainability
We’ve helped our clients navigate retailer sustainability requirements, improve their sustainability scores, and secure preferred supplier status—all while cutting costs and improving efficiency. Here’s how:
✅ A leading brand we worked with that sells products to Walmart, Target and other big box retailers improved their CDP score from a “D” to a “B” while earning Walmart’s Project Gigaton “GigaGuru” status that exceeded retailer sustainability requirements, keeping their product line in stores while positioning their brand as a sustainability leader.
✅ A fishing tackle company we supported calculated their GHG emissions for the first time, making them eligible for larger retail partnerships while simultaneously reducing their costs.
Sustainability as a Competitive Advantage
Retailers like REI and Walmart aren’t just pushing sustainability for compliance reasons—they’re favoring brands that embrace it. By proactively measuring your sustainability performance, you position yourself to win more retail contracts, reduce costs, and strengthen your brand reputation.
At Emerger Strategies, we make sustainability simple, helping you stay ahead of retailer demands and turn sustainability into a business driver.
Want to exceed retailer expectations and grow your business through sustainability? Fill out the contact form below to start your sustainability journey!
