Could you introduce the European Outdoor Group and your role within this organisation to our audience?
Christian Schneidermeier: The EOG is the voice of the European outdoor sector, including the whole value chain within the outdoor business from supplier to retailer and brands. We are the sector’s key platform for collaboration, supporting profitable business which gives back more to the planet and people than we take. I am the Managing Director of the EOG.
What are your personal and strategic goals as Managing Director of the EOG?
My personal goal is to support the EOG in the best way so that we can reach our vision to support our members and to develop the potential of this industry as a solution provider for a flourishing life in sync with nature.
Compared to other industries and to its self-perception, how sustainable is the global outdoor industry today?
To answer this question, you need to define what exactly you mean by sustainable and what you would like to measure. There are so many aspects to sustainability, and I have the impression that the outdoor industry is leading on some of the aspects and making good progress on others. That doesn’t mean that everything is going well. There is still a huge need for further development in different aspects.
Sustainability has been a significant topic within the EOG and the broader outdoor industry for many years now. Will this commitment remain stable in light of the current political environment and a challenging economic situation?
It would be stupid to reduce efforts in sustainability, not only for the outdoor industry, but in general. There is no business on a dead planet, which is especially true for the outdoor industry. If nature is not accessible anymore, there is no business anymore. Therefore, sustainability should be the core interest of any outdoor-related business. It’s as simple as that.
How can a consumer goods industry like the outdoor industry improve in terms of environmental sustainability?
Which is the most significant area of impact when it comes to functional innovation, such as new materials, new processes or new business models? (please provide some examples)
I don’t think there is a single “most important” area. In the outdoor industry, environmental sustainability really depends on how materials, processes and business models work together. They’re completely interconnected, and progress only happens when all three evolve at the same time.
We’re seeing important innovation in materials, like lower-impact and safer fibres, bio-based options and PFAS-free treatments, as well as designs for materials that are easier to recycle. At the same time, manufacturing processes are improving through renewable energy, lower-temperature and lower-water production, better chemical management and stronger traceability across the supply chain.
But none of that is enough on its own without new business models. Moving away from “sell more, sell faster” towards repair, resale, rental and take-back systems is what really reduces overall resource use and changes consumer behaviour.
The biggest impact comes when you combine all three: durable products made from lower-impact materials, produced using cleaner processes and supported by business models that keep products in use for longer and recover value at the end of life.
The outdoor industry is in a strong position because durability and performance are already core values. That means it can lead by showing that high-performance products can also be long-lasting, repairable and truly circular. Ultimately, sustainability improvement is systemic, each area amplifies the others and real change comes from transforming the whole value chain together.
What are the biggest obstacles for outdoor brands on their way towards “net zero”?
I think the obstacles sit at three different levels: inside the business, in the wider operating context and in the supply chain.
Within companies, one of the biggest challenges is capacity. There’s often a lack of time, resources and internal expertise, and without strong management support it’s very hard for sustainability teams to drive real change. Reaching net zero requires long-term commitment and investment, which can be difficult in fast-moving, commercially pressured environments.
In the wider operating context, the challenge is both complexity and uncertainty. Climate action is technically complicated, and the political and regulatory landscape is constantly shifting, which makes long-term planning harder for brands.
And then there’s the supply chain. Most outdoor brands don’t own their manufacturing sites, so their leverage with suppliers is limited. Influencing energy use, material choices or data quality is difficult when suppliers are balancing the priorities of many different customers.
So, the barriers to net zero aren’t just technical, they’re organisational, contextual and relational, and they all need to be addressed together.
Talking about Scope 3 and the supply chain, what leverage do outdoor industry brands have to tackle the most significant climate impact that occurs in their supply chain, and how can the EOG support here?
When it comes to Scope 3, individual brands often have limited leverage on their own, especially because most don’t own their manufacturing sites. That’s why collaboration is so important. The real power comes from brands coming together, sharing peer-to-peer learning, aligning on expectations, sharing the questions they ask suppliers and even sharing the workload. There is real strength in numbers, and a much stronger signal is sent to the supply chain when brands act collectively rather than individually.
This is where the EOG can play a critical role. As a neutral, pre-competitive body, the EOG can act as an intermediary and a facilitator. It can bring brands together, coordinate joint projects and create shared approaches that reduce duplication and increase impact. Because the EOG operates independently of commercial competition, it can focus fully on what delivers the most impact for the industry as a whole, helping to build trust, align priorities and accelerate progress on the biggest climate impacts in the supply chain.
We mentioned the challenging times we are facing. What gives you hope and confidence for the future?
Besides all the negative news and crazy developments in politics, there are also so many positive examples of individuals, organisations and initiatives who all want, and do contribute to, a mindset shift and a structural change in society. We should not always be disheartened by the negative news in the media.
Final question, what is your most impressive outdoor activity or experience you want to share with our audience to motivate even more people to go “outdoors”?
It is not a specific extraordinary tour or activity; there are all these moments together with my family and my kids when we are out in nature and enjoying the time together and coming back home with more energy and a positive attitude to life. This is what we parents have to offer to our children, encouraging them to create these positive experiences for themselves in order to learn that there is so much benefit in being outside.
