Following the support of a number of its members, and the generosity of consumers, the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) is delighted to announce that nearly €50,000 has been raised for conservation as a result of events leading up to and around the Green (black) Friday weekend at the end of last year. Not only this, but the fundraising event held on the association’s stand at the ISPO tradeshow which followed immediately afterwards helped raise another €10,000.
Determined to counter the consumerism associated with Black Friday and make it a force for good, the figures that have come in since the November event have underlined the fact that customers are keen to make sure that the ‘reach’ of their purchases goes further than simply acquiring more material possessions. This could also be seen in the creative way that brands who got involved raised money. As well as raising money through its website, deuter used the date to stage the last event of its Promise Tour at the company’s HQ in Gersthofen to repair outdoor gear free of charge and make it fit again for its next adventure! McKinley made a donation to one of 3 charities (one of which was EOCA) every day during December based on the most creative Winter Wishlist submitted by customers. Other brands which got involved in raising money through online events were Adventure.ie, AKU, La Sportiva, Nikwax Germany, Osprey and Pajak. Added to this was the many items donated to EOCA’s fundraiser on its stand during the ISPO tradeshow, which followed Green Friday, and included Camelbak, whose coffee promotion on its stand to raise funds for EOCA was so popular it sold out of mugs and coffee midway through the show.
Fabrizio Farinoni of La Sportiva HQ commented, ”This is the sixth Green Friday we have used to raise funds for EOCA and the results get better every time. We are proud to be able to use our membership to inform and involve our fans and clients to take action and encourage them to be more responsible in protecting the most precious thing we have and belong to: planet earth”.
Tanya Bascombe, Joint General Manager for EOCA said, “It is heartening to see that, not only can a negative event such as Black Friday be turned into something much more positive, but so many companies are keen to get involved in this way and prove that fact. Adding Green Friday and ISPO together, we have raised a total of almost €60,000. It shows that by all working together we can really make a difference in support of vital and urgent conservation work around the world.”
Designed to harness the incredible power of the outdoor industry and to raise money to donate to grassroots conservation groups, the European Outdoor Conservation Association is funded by membership and other fundraising activities within the outdoor industry. 100% of membership fees go to the support of projects. Membership is open to anyone that can demonstrate an involvement in the European outdoor industry.
From January 2015, a select group of ‘Sustaining Members’ pledged their support to EOCA by committing to fund the sustainable growth of the organisation with an extra €10,000 per year over and above their annual membership fee. This money is being used to finance the Association’s core running costs, supporting its sustainable growth, and has enabled a move to 2 funding rounds per year.
The current EOCA Sustaining Members are: Pertex, KEEN Footwear, The North Face, Nikwax, Stanley – a brand of PMI, Osprey and the European Outdoor Group (EOG), which is also the Founder Member of the Association.
To find out more about the Association please go to: www.eocaconservation.org
