Sustainability at REI

On Monday, February 28 I went to a talk on Western's campus by Kirk Meyers, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at REI. In his talk, "Next Generation CSR: Integrating Sustainability to Thrive in a Resource-Constrained World," Meyers talked about the importance of this topic and the efforts currently under way at REI.

The core purpose at REI is "to inspire, educate, and outfit for a litfetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship." And Myers explained that they must align the way they do business with their mission in order for people to believe the company as authentic. Myers went on to say that right now is only the beginning, that sustainability will become the dominant business model because its not only greener but its a smarter way of doing business.

One of the main points to Myers' talk was that companies need to have a unified framework and vision integrating CSR into the business. Business leaders have to understand that sustainability creates value-- that they don't have to choose between the environmental or their finances when making decisions.

An example of this at REI is the way the company ships its goods. Myers said that normally the viewpoint is that to make the most money companies choose whichever transportation method is fastest to increase sales. But that doesn't take into account the environmental impact of those decisions. REI chose to transport their goods by boat through the Panama Canal because it had the smallest carbon footprint. But in addition to the green benefit, this choice also helped to shield REI from exposure to fuel price fluctuations and saved the company over $700,000 in fuel surcharges.

The next step is not an easy one but it is essential. It is difficult for two reasons. First, this means changing business practices that people are accustomed to following and changing the minds of decision makers of what really will be cost effective in the long run. And second, the expectations of customers are rising. As time goes on people are more aware of what constitutes real change and they are better at recognizing attempts that are less than genuine. But that doesn't mean its impossible or that it shouldn't happen. I'll end this post with a quote from Eric Hoffer that Myers shared in his talk:

"In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists."