The EOG will manage the project on behalf of its IAF initiative members and the outdoor sector and it is being led by the joint venture Act Renewable.
Taiwan holds a significant amount of technical fabric suppliers and Act Renewable hopes to deliver a comprehensive understanding of three potential options for procuring renewable energy in the country.
The work will also assess the feasibility of suppliers' participation and support the implementation of agreed solutions through individual or group processes.
Dr Verity Hardy of the EOG, who will be managing the project said: “We look forward to working with Act Renewable to deliver the project in Taiwan, which has very significant potential to benefit a lot of brands. I hope this news will encourage more companies to consider supporting the fund, and contributing to its vital work, which will ultimately benefit the whole outdoor sector.”
Established in 2023, the Impact Accelerator Fund is a collective endeavour funded by EOG membership and fundraising activities. Its primary objective is to support decarbonisation projects and climate change mitigation actions within the outdoor industry's supply chains.
Recognising the substantial investment required to achieve net-zero targets, the EOG acknowledged that companies must collaborate and pool resources beyond their standard corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability budgets.
The outdoor industry has demonstrated a strong commitment to decarbonisation through improved sustainability practices and innovation. The IAF seeks to harness this momentum and amplify it through collaboration. Alongside the EOG, the brands funding the IAF's work thus far include Ortovox, Gore-Tex, Icebug and Vaude.
The IAF accepts contributions from brands, retailers, and other stakeholders throughout the value chain. Project nominations are reviewed and assessed against a set of predetermined criteria. Act Renewable's proposal for Taiwan is the first to complete this rigorous process.
Dr Katy Stevens who is leading the IAF initiative for the EOG remarked: "This is a really important moment for the Impact Accelerator Fund and for the European outdoor sector.
She said: “This ‘blended’ financial approach really is giving our industry the best opportunity, taking what can be done through a firm’s annual CSR budgets to a much higher level. The level of engagement that the IAF has generated so far is very encouraging, but to achieve proper critical mass, we need more companies to get involved.”
Katrin Bauer director of CSR at Ortovox, a founding funder of the Impact Accelerator Fund added: “As a small player in the industry, we can only really foster big change when we cooperate with others. We believe that, if we all find ways to financially contribute, our leverage is much larger to achieve our common climate action goals. This is how the idea for the Impact Accelerator Fund was born.”
