GoLite Goes Light on Carbon
An outdoor equipment company measures and reduces its products' carbon footprint
The Challenge
GoLite, a Colorado-based outdoor apparel and equipment company, was aware that its largest environmental impact may lie outside its own four walls - in the form of its products. To demonstrate its corporate commitment to product sustainability, the company sought to measure and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from product transportation and material use.
Founded ten years ago on the premise that experiencing nature would be better with less weight and less waste, GoLite creates products that are "lighter" by using less material to perform the same function. The company had already calculated a scope 1 and 2 carbon footprint from its direct operations and utilities and, as part of demonstrating its firm commitment to the sustainability of its entire operation, looked to add scope 3 emissions to its carbon footprint, focusing in on the production of purchased materials used in manufacturing finished goods (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: The three scopes of GHG emissions.
Source: Greenhouse Gas Protocol
Our Solution
Five Winds began calculating the upstream product footprint by mapping out shipping patterns to GoLite warehouse and distribution locations, as well as the outbound shipping patterns to customers from the warehouse in Colorado. Using this information and Greenhouse Gas Protocol conversion factors, Five Winds calculated the carbon emissions resulting from transporting GoLite products.
GoLite is committed to working closely with its suppliers to reduce the upstream carbon emissions of its materials. To support this, Five Winds performed a "bottom up" footprint analysis of the materials going into GoLite products, covering the production of materials and fabrics (including feedstock, raw materials) and processing of the entire 2008 product line. Five Winds was able to analyze the production emissions of 88% of finished fabrics and 97% of raw and basic materials, based on total product mass ordered from contract manufacturers - both extremely high percentages.
The study proved valuable for GoLite and put the company's carbon impacts in clear perspective. Five Winds concluded that over 60% of GoLite's carbon footprint stems from the material production of its products, while product shipping accounts for less than 5% of total emissions, making material sourcing a priority for emissions reductions.
Benefits and Value
Seeking to reduce the carbon impact of its materials, GoLite created the GoLite IndexTM, an internal tool for measuring the sustainability aspects of its products. The Index compiles extensive material and fair labor information, breaking down each finished product into three key measures. In addition, GoLite began requiring potential suppliers to provide sustainability information on their materials before submitting orders, so as to streamline the data collection process. Seeking to set a leadership example in the outdoor industry, GoLite has created concrete targets publicized on its website and recently developed its first sustainability report.
The company has a short-term goal to reduce total greenhouse gas emissions by 30% from 2008 to 2010, and also aims to shift 100% of its materials to Environmentally Preferred Materials, or materials that have a lower impact on the environment compared to the material for which it was substituted, by 2015. By expanding the scope of its footprinting activities to include emissions outside their direct operations, GoLite discovered the greatest source of emissions - materials - and clearly outlined steps to reduce this impact for the benefit of customers and the environment.
For more information about Five Winds' Product Innovation services, contact Jeff Yorzyk at +1 (303) 442-6969 ext. 2.
