REI Co-op to pursue new Climate Label certification

REI Co-op, the nation’s largest specialist outdoor retailer and consumer cooperative, today announced its intention to pursue certification under The Change Climate Project’s new Climate Label standard. This initiative marks a significant step in REI's longstanding and ongoing commitment to sustainability and climate action, formalizing its commitment to invest in climate solutions. 

The co-op first achieved Climate Neutral certification in 2020, pledging to hold itself financially accountable for each unit of carbon it emits in its operations as part of a larger strategy to directly reduce emissions while investing in and advocating for solutions that will help accelerate decarbonization at scale. That means investing in projects that actively pull carbon out of the atmosphere, like planting more trees in cities and suburbs or supporting reforestation projects and active forest management. In addition, REI will continue to advocate for nationwide policies that reduce future emissions, like cleaner transportation infrastructure and clean energy solutions. 

The new Climate Label certification will further this commitment by requiring brands to create and deploy a climate transition budget towards qualifying emissions reduction projects within their own value chains and beyond. This approach incentivizes brands to prioritize direct and indirect emissions reductions, rather than focusing exclusively on offsetting emissions elsewhere via carbon credits. It also introduces a first-of-its-kind requirement for companies to adopt a standardized approach to setting an internal carbon fee, which helps make the cost of climate change visible across the business. 

“We expect the Climate Label to become a powerful platform for companies looking to take accountability for their emissions and invest in climate action,” said Greg Gausewitz, senior sustainability manager at REI. “We encourage our partner brands—dozens of which are already Climate Neutral Certified—as well as other retailers to consider pursuing certification under The Climate Label as well.” 

The Climate Label certification also requires that certifying brands have in place climate strategies that include carbon measurement, science-aligned target-setting, and action planning. These are essential actions for any robust climate strategy and areas where REI has engaged our brand partners for years. REI and Change Climate have collaborated to provide guidance and access to Change Climate’s user-friendly tools, helping lower barriers to effective climate action across the outdoor industry. 

”The outdoor industry has always shown a deep capacity to lead on sustainability,” said Austin Whitman, CEO and co-founder of The Change Climate Project.” We’re thrilled to be working with REI as it takes another step forward in its climate leadership. The REI team has been a thoughtful stakeholder in the evolution of our Standard. We are now eager to work with them to get our accessible tools into the hands of thousands of new users, and to nudge the whole industry forward on its path toward net zero.”  

REI has made Climate Label certification a preferred attribute in the 2025 version of its Product Impact Standards to encourage partners to consider whether the certification is right for their brand. 

The revised standards also include updates to the co-op's chemicals management expectations to be consistent with new and emergent PFAS regulations and the addition of Regenerative Organic Certified as a preferred attribute.  

To learn more about REI’s Product Impact Standards, we encourage you to explore our Impact Report. 

About the REI Co-op