REI introduces green label

REI , America’s largest consumer cooperative and outdoor gear seller has added a label to help shoppers find of Eco-Sensitive materials. Garments made from the bamboo, organic cotton, hemp, post-industrial recycled polyester, recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, polylactic acid (PLA), or organic wool will wear a little hang tag, such as you see pictured above. On its Web site is a link which rounds up all the apparel. The tags themselves are post-consumer recycled content, which is a good move, because by REI’s own estimates its own brand packaging used about 370 tons of paper last year.

It's part of a growing trend in green outdoor gear, in which companies are trying to eliminated useless packaging and develop sustainable raw materials. REI is working with 40 other stakeholders from the Outdoor Industry Association's (OIA) Eco-Working Group to develop standards to measure, report and ultimately improve on the environmental impact of outdoor gear and clothing.