As we start the New Year, the European Outdoor Group is pleased to be able to announce the appointment of Chair and Vice Chairs to ensure the continued success of its Sustainability Working Group.

At the Steering Group meeting of the Sustainability Working Group (part of the European Outdoor Group) in November, Cortney McDermott (CSR & Sustainability Manager, The North Face EMEA) was re-elected as Chair of the Steering Group. Cortney has been a strong leader for the Group since it first started in 2008; she commented, ‘I am delighted that the whole Group has shown confidence and support of the work that I have been doing; as a team we are working well together, and without the Group’s support I wouldn’t be able to do the work necessary. During 2010 the Steering Group and the various committees working under our guidance will start bringing sustainable solutions to the industry that can be utilised by small and large companies alike. This is a fantastic collaborative industry initiative and we encourage more companies and individuals to become involved.’

At a vote just prior to Christmas the Steering Group also voted on the Vice Chairs of the Steering Group, retaining Anne Girard, Petzl and voting in a new replacement Vice Chair for Kilian Hochrein. Saskia Preenen, from Salomon has accepted the position of Vice Chair. Kilian Hochrein will continue as Chair of the Standards and Regulations Committee, a sub committee of the Sustainability Working Group and will now be able to concentrate on the progression of the work being undertaken in the area of standards, regulations and labels.

Saskia brings different skills to the position of Vice-Chair including a global overview of the product creation process and project management experience to bring real time solutions. On hearing that she had been voted in to the position of Vice-Chair Saskia commented ‘I am eager to take on the additional responsibility within the Steering Group, because I firmly believe in the work we are doing. The Sustainability Working Group can do so much more for the outdoor industry than as a single company and by working together we can make a difference.’

The work of the SWG is NOT exclusive to members of the European Outdoor Group; it is operating on an open source basis and welcomes involvement from all areas of the value chain.
To get involved go to: www.europeanoutdoorsustainability.org