Smack in the middle of the third year of its groundbreaking #OptOutside campaign, which began with a bold stand against the shopping rampage of Black Friday and has expanded into a global movement to empower its customers to embrace the great outdoor... View More
With the launch of its #OptOutside campaign in 2015, REI set a new precedent in retail, shuttering its stores on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, giving its employees a paid day off and – on a day that has come to represent consumerism at its most ex... View More
News Deeply, in partnership with Sustainable Brands, has produced a series of profiles looking at how brands are tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges. The goal is to examine trends and gather insights from a new wave of corporate citizen... View More
This Friday will be one of the biggest days in the global retail calendar (just behind Alibaba’s Singles’ Day earlier in November). Black Friday sales have begun encroaching on Thanksgiving Day in the U.S., with some stores remaining open on the ... View More
REI, the specialty outdoor co-op, has designed its new distribution center to be Net Zero Energy and is pursuing LEED Platinum—the highest level in the U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC) rating system. Situated in the Arizona desert, the facilit... View More
To celebrate Thanksgiving this year, outdoor gear and apparel retailer REI is taking a bold stand against the chaotic caricature of capitalism that is Black Friday by closing its doors and paying its employees to live the company ethos — by spendin... View More
REI has announced its support of the 100-year anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016 through a multi-year, multimillion-dollar partnership with the National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks. The partnershi... View More
$2.2 billion in sales; $168 million for members; $8 million for outdoor accessToday, leading outdoor retailer REI announced that it is sharing more than ever with the outdoor community through its annual dividend, returning $168 million to its memb... View More
Six more global brands have committed to the Textile Exchange’s Responsible Down Standard (RDS). The adidas Group, Black Diamond, Kathmandu, NAU, REI and Timberland have agreed to bring certified, responsible down to the marketplace. ... View More
REI is on track to powering all of its stores and distribution centers by renewable energy, through a combination of renewable energy projects and certified renewable energy certificates (RECs).With 26 solar electric systems generating energy and a s... View More
SEATTLE and ST. GALLEN, SWITZERLAND – REI’s Private Brands division, which is the largest source of apparel and equipment sold by the U.S outdoor retailer, has committed to using only 100 percent bluesign-certified fabrics by the time the company... View More
SEATTLE – Energy use is the largest contributor to REI's climate impact. In recent years, the leading outdoor retailer has taken actions to reduce its greenhouse gas impact. A retrofit of its data center is its latest effort, resulting in a 93 perc... View More
This is the fourth in a series of posts on things Kevin Hagen learned while leading Corporate Social Responsibility at REI for the past seven years (read parts one, ... View More
This is the third in a series of posts on things I learned while leading Corporate Social Responsibility at REI for the past seven years (read parts one and two).I’m often asked if incremental improvements can really lead to sustainable business ou... View More
This is the second in a series of posts on things I learned while leading Corporate Social Responsibility at REI for the past seven years (read part one). ... View More