2023 Sustainability Report

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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—assessing our business from a sustainability perspective, developing and executing a sustainability strategy, and producing an annual sustainability report.

By asking ourselves hard questions about our business, we have made many improvements from a social and environmental perspective. We continue to be aware that sustainability is not a destination and something we will always be working on.

We are proud of how far we have come and we hope you continue to follow us on our sustainability journey. We are truly grateful for your continued support and we 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 our Climate Neutral Certification.

This report includes details on what these achievements actually mean and why they are important. We see one of our roles in the fly fishing and outdoor industry as being leaders in sustainability even with a small team and limited controllable factors.

— 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 in the outdoors and conserving the resources we are privileged to use.

RepYourWater is a small but mighty team and a proud Colorado company co-founded by Corinne and Garrison Doctor in 2011. Garrison is our resident designer and Corinne wears all the hats that small businesses require, such as operations and finances. Along with the co-founders, the 2023 team included two other full-time employees who care deeply about our impact on the planet. We hope that the choices we make—including sharing our journey transparently—encourage more businesses and individuals to work to solve the climate crisis.

While this is the 2023 annual report, we’re excited to share that in February 2024, RepYourWater joined North Point Brands, a similarly conservation-minded platform of brands. With a larger organization and staff who share the ethos of doing better by our planet, we look forward to continuing to make positive change with even more energy and enthusiasm behind the brand.

Memberships, Certifications & Labels

Memberships

  • American Fly Fishing Trade Association (AFFTA): Guiding the sustainable growth of the fly fishing industry through trade development and stewardship.
  • Fly Fishing Climate Alliance (FFCA): Alliance committed to net-zero GHG emissions by 2050; RepYourWater is a founding member and is working toward a 50% Scope 1 & 2 reduction by 2030.
  • Trout Unlimited Business (Gold Level): Supporting TU in conserving, protecting, and restoring coldwater fisheries and watersheds.
  • The Conservation Alliance: Outdoor-industry collaboration supporting grassroots conservation efforts and protecting wildlands and rivers.

Certifications

  • Climate Neutral Certified: Measuring Scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions, reducing emissions, and purchasing carbon offsets for 100% of greenhouse gas emissions.
  • 1% for the Planet: Committing 1% of annual revenues to vetted environmental partners aligned with our priorities.

Label

  • Zero Waste: Diverting over 90% of operational waste from landfill through recycling, composting, and product donations (Zero Waste since 2017).

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

We hope to leave the planet better than we found it, which is why we’ve aligned our business with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We contribute to all 17 SDGs in some way, but six are particularly material to our business.

  • Good Health & Well-Being: Living wage, health & safety policies, and encouraging time outdoors (including fishing).
  • Gender Equality: 50% woman-owned and equity-seeking populations represented in senior management.
  • Decent Work & Economic Growth: Living wage, fair employment terms, and ethical treatment in our supply chain.
  • Responsible Consumption & Production: Sustainable procurement, Climate Neutral Certification, and Zero Waste operations; strong packaging practices.
  • Climate Action: Reducing our carbon footprint and maintaining Climate Neutral Certification; 8% emissions reduction in 2023 when accounting for company size changes.
  • Life Below Water: Supporting conservation partners focused on freshwater and marine resources.

Our Sustainability Journey

  • 2011: Founded; decision made to donate a percentage of sales to Colorado Trout Unlimited.
  • 2016: First 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 lifetime donations and 100 volunteer hours.
  • 2019: Continued Zero Waste; achieved $160K lifetime donations and 160 volunteer hours; introduced organic cotton & ethically sourced flannels.
  • 2020: Continued Zero Waste; achieved $250K lifetime donations and carbon offsets; achieved 200 volunteer hours; measured Scope 1–3 and achieved carbon neutrality.
  • 2021: Continued Zero Waste; achieved $291K lifetime donations and 280 volunteer hours; Climate Neutral Certified for Scope 1–3.
  • 2022: Continued Zero Waste; achieved $353K lifetime donations and offsets; 370 lifetime volunteer hours; Climate Neutral Certified; established product & packaging goals.
  • 2023: Continued Zero Waste; achieved $390K lifetime donations and offsets; 451 lifetime volunteer hours; Climate Neutral Certified; completed 100% recycled/recyclable packaging goal; set product sustainability goals for end of 2025.

Environmental & Social Impact

We’ve been measuring our environmental and social impact since 2016 and tracking the triple bottom line: people, planet, profit. We began with operations in Colorado and have expanded to include products and supply chain impacts. Highlights from 2023 include reducing our carbon footprint by 8% (accounting for operational size changes), achieving 100% recycled or recyclable product packaging, maintaining Zero Waste operations, maintaining Climate Neutral Certification, volunteering locally, and continuing to donate a percentage of sales.