Outdoor Retailers Strive to Make Nature More Accessible

Exploring nature might seem like an affordable, accessible activity, but a notable lack of diversity in the outdoor and recreation industry suggests otherwise. Until recently, packaging and ads tended to feature fit white people who also happened to be the main consumers at many outdoor retailers. Historically, people of color have faced discrimination and segregation when trying to access the outdoors, and a history of violence against native groups permeates most public lands in the country. Many outdoor spaces have also been largely inaccessible to people with disabilities. The outdoor industry has often been criticized for its lack of diversity internally, as well as appropriative or insensitive marketing that disregards the industry's tumultuous history. "Many outdoor brands introduced DEI-focused advocacy in marketing campaigns, but many have been slow to make systemic changes in how their businesses operate to deliver significant impact," said Deb Galor, founder and CEO of brand strategy consultancy Sol Marketing. However, outdoor retailers like REI, Patagonia and The North Face are trying to change what the outdoor industry looks like by redefining inclusivity outdoors and empowering marginalized groups to find sanctity in nature. Providing an opportunity Advocacy is a major part of The North Face's DEI strategy. Its Explore Fund, a grant started in 2010, provides money, free or discounted gear, and volunteer opportunities for marginalized explorers. In 2019, The North Face refined its approach to creating a safer, more welcoming outdoor environment for marginalized communities, outlining seven practices for understanding how systemic racism manifests in outdoor spaces and for promoting a more equitable outdoor experience. It widened the definition of outdoor exploration, for instance, to go beyond hiking and extend to stargazing, gardening and cultural gatherings. "Most of the [existing outdoor exploration] programs were focused on what you would call traditional outdoor activities through a traditional cultural lens," said Eric Raymond, director of social impact and advocacy at The North Face. Retailer Patagonia has worked with marginalized groups to improve its own inclusivity and recruitment of people from diverse backgrounds. For example, it partnered with Atlanta-based nonprofit The Greening Youth Foundation to offer internships to young people from diverse backgrounds, according to Outside Business Journal. Patagonia, which declined to comment for this story, has also partnered with BIPOC surf group Color the Water to provide free gear and set surfers up with custom adaptive gear. "We’ve set intention around receiving donations from companies like Patagonia, expressing gratitude and staying connected outside of public visibility," said a Color the Water spokesperson. Changing inside and out REI works alongside advocacy groups, including Black Girls Do Bike, Adaptive Adventures and All Bodies on Bikes, to foster community for people who haven't traditionally found space for themselves outdoors. Two years ago, REI also launched its Product Impact Standards, a set of guidelines the outdoor retailer provides to all partner brands. The standards ensure inclusivity in products and designs in terms of gender, sizing and skin tones with the goal of avoiding cultural appropriation, exclusion or insensitivity. By 2021, the majority of REI's 1,500 brand partners had implemented the standards. "If we do this right, we're creating economic opportunity for communities that have been historically excluded from our industry," said Nicole Browning, business manager, racial equity and inclusion initiative at REI. "We're providing better, more inclusive options for our future customer." Dearth of Diversity According to a report from the Center for American Progress, people of color are three times more likely than white communities to not have access to nature, and data from the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service show that 70% of visitors to national parks are white. REI's DEI advisory council, which helped develop the standards, also participates in workshops and education that the retailer offers through a partnership with branding hub Equitably Designed. The partnership includes an inclusivity playbook and design hackathons, the latter of which have been extended to REI's inclusion partners like Unlikely Hikers and Minority Veterans of America to create outdoor gear that meets the unique needs of marginalized outdoor groups. The retailer also partnered with FAAS Design Collab to host a certificate program for aspiring designers from marginalized backgrounds. The North Face, which sells its products through major outdoor retailers like REI and Patagonia in addition to its own stores, has adapted to meet REI's standards, but also has its own. According to Raymond, the brand puts the entirety of a product, from its design to its name, through cultural sensitivity reviews. For many outdoor adventurers, such as writer and comedian Baratunde Thurston, who is also the host of PBS' upcoming America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston series, this shift among retailers is a step toward acknowledging a problematic past and allowing marginalized groups to reclaim the outdoors. "Many of us are more conscious and aware of the history of the spaces that we're in," Thurston said. "There's a whole movement of decolonizing the outdoors."

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Outdoor Retailers Strive to Make Nature More Accessible to Marginalized Groups

Barriers to entry have created an evident DEI problem for the recreation industry

Nicole Ortiz

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Nicole Ortiz