2022 Sustainability Report
A Message from our Co-Founders
Our sustainability journey began in 2011 when we designed our first hat and decided to donate a percentage of sales back to Colorado Trout Unlimited. Since then, we have taken many steps to measure and improve our sustainability performance—from assessing our business from a sustainability perspective to developing and executing a strategy and producing an annual sustainability report.
We are proud of how far we have come and hope you continue to follow us on our sustainability journey. We are grateful for your continued support and look forward to giving back to environmental nonprofits. We will continue to be a zero-waste operation and look for ways to improve our products and packaging. Finally, we will remain a carbon neutral company and find ways to reduce and offset our carbon footprint through Climate Neutral Certification.
— Corinne and Garrison Doctor
Who We Are
RepYourWater is a design-driven apparel brand dedicated to providing top quality gear for anglers, hunters, and outdoor enthusiasts while inspiring exploration and conserving the resources we are privileged to use.
We are a small but mighty team and a proud Colorado company co-founded by Corinne and Garrison Doctor in 2011. Through our business, we hope to inspire other anglers to become conservationists.
Membership Organizations
- American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA): Supporting the sustainable growth of the fly fishing industry through trade development and stewardship.
- Fly Fishing Climate Alliance (FFCA): Alliance committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050; RepYourWater is a founding member.
- Trout Unlimited (TU) Business – Gold Level: Proud partner supporting conservation and restoration of coldwater fisheries and watersheds.
- 1% for the Planet: Commits 1% of annual sales to environmental causes that align with our impact priorities.
Certifications & Labels
Climate Neutral Certified
Climate Neutral Certified is a standard earned by companies that measure and reduce their carbon emissions. RepYourWater has been Climate Neutral Certified since 2020 and continues to measure Scope 1, 2 & 3 greenhouse gas emissions, reduce emissions, and purchase carbon offsets for 100% of emissions.
Zero Waste
RepYourWater has operated as a Zero Waste operation since 2017 by diverting over 90% of operational waste from landfill through recycling, composting, and product donations (and has maintained 95%+ waste diversion since 2018).
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), also known as the Global Goals, were adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity. From the 17 SDGs, we’ve selected six that are particularly material to our business.
RepYourWater’s Priority SDGs
- Good Health & Well-Being: Healthy lives and well-being, supported through governance and outdoor connection.
- Gender Equality: Achieve gender equality and empower women and girls.
- Decent Work & Economic Growth: Promote sustained, inclusive, sustainable economic growth and decent work.
- Responsible Consumption & Production: Sustainable consumption and production patterns.
- Climate Action: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
- Life Below Water: Conserve and sustainably use oceans, seas, and marine resources.
2022 Sustainability Highlights
Governance
- 50% Women-Owned
- 100% of policies, practices, and processes have sustainability at their core
- 100% of public reporting includes environmental and social performance
Environmental
- Carbon footprint: 1,957.27 mtCO2e (mitigated 100% through carbon offsets)
- Scope 1: 0.73 mtCO2e • Scope 2: 3.14 mtCO2e • Scope 3: 1,953.39 mtCO2e
- Energy purchased: 1,604 therms of natural gas; 7,770 kWh of electricity
- Waste: 97.41% diverted from landfill (composted or recycled)
Social
- 100% of employees paid a living wage
- Zero health and safety issues in 2022
- Volunteered 90 hours in the community
- $62,936 in cash donations to nonprofits
- $47,129 in-kind donations to nonprofits
Our Sustainability Journey
- 2011: Founded; began donating a percentage of sales to Colorado Trout Unlimited.
- 2016: Sustainability assessment; established 2020 goals (Carbon Neutral, Zero Waste, $250K donations, 200 volunteer hours).
- 2017: Achieved Zero Waste operations; produced first annual sustainability report.
- 2018: Continued Zero Waste; achieved $100K in donations & 100 volunteer hours.
- 2019: Continued Zero Waste; $160K in donations & 160 volunteer hours; introduced organic cotton & ethically sourced flannels.
- 2020: Continued Zero Waste; $250K in donations & 200 volunteer hours; measured Scope 1–3 emissions and achieved carbon neutrality.
- 2021: Continued Zero Waste; $291K in donations & 280 volunteer hours; Climate Neutral Certified for Scope 1–3.
- 2022: Continued Zero Waste; $353K in donations & 370 volunteer hours; Climate Neutral Certified; established product & packaging sustainability goals.
2022 Priority Impact Areas
Environmental Impact
We know every product we make has an environmental impact, and we work to minimize our footprint. We maintained Zero Waste operations and Climate Neutral Certification across Scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions. We are also working to reduce product impacts by increasing recycled content and improving packaging.
- Transitioning 25% of material used in wearable product lines to include recycled content; reached 17% in 2023 with a goal to achieve 25% by the end of 2024.
- By the end of 2024, 100% of packaging will be made from recycled material, recyclable, or both.
Zero Waste Operations
Zero Waste is designing and managing products and processes to reduce and recover resources so that nothing is burned or buried. To be considered Zero Waste, overall diversion from landfill must exceed 90%. RepYourWater has successfully diverted over 90% of operational waste since 2017.
Social Impact
We measure social impact by paying employees a living wage, ensuring health and safety, and supporting conservation nonprofits through volunteering and donations. We are proud to report zero health & safety incidents in 2022.
Economic Impact
We’re a small company, but we aim to punch above our weight by proving there is a business case for sustainability. Since 2016, we’ve tracked customer loyalty and repeat purchases as one indicator of business health while we improve sustainability performance.
- Customer loyalty increased 90% compared to our 2016 baseline.
- Repeat customer sales increased 195% compared to our 2016 baseline.
Sustainability Goals: Where We are Headed
As we look toward the future and our mid- to long-term sustainability goals, we will continue to measure and improve our sustainability performance. We are not perfect, but we will continue to strive to protect what we love.
Mid- & Long-Term Sustainability Goals
- 2024: Transitioning 25% of material used in wearable product lines to include recycled content.
- 2025: Donate $500K to nonprofit conservation partners.
- 2025: Volunteer 500 hours to nonprofits.
- 2030: 50% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 GHG emissions.
- 2030: 100% recycled packaging.
- 2050: Achieve net-zero GHG emissions.
Thank you
We look forward to continuing to measure the success of our business in large part by how much we can give back and by reducing our carbon footprint, while improving the livelihoods of the people who are making our products.
Thank you for your support as we work to protect what we love!