With the holiday season nearly upon us, most of us are looking through online catalogs and stores for those perfect gifts. For the fly fishers out there, an easy way to spice up your holiday gifts is to purchase them from environmentally-aware companies, or brands that give back to our rivers, oceans, fish, et cetera.
To make it easier for you, here’s a list of companies that give back a little to the places that we enjoy so much!
Patagonia: The Patagonia brand is without doubt the most environmentally aware outdoor brand. From their new regenerative-organic clothing items, WornWear program, or Patagonia Provisions, they make a big splash in the outdoors industry. Top-quality gear from a brand that is, according to their slogan, “in business to save our home planet”? Count us in!
Patagonia also created the 1% for the Planet program, which offers an easy way for other big companies and grassroots organizations to start giving back to the places we play in. The program takes 1% of a participating companies’ profit each month and puts it toward an environmental nonprofit organization, changing the receiver of donations each month. So far, the program has funded over 270 million dollars for the environment! Check out the Patagonia site here.
Orvis: The Orvis fly fishing brand has been popular in the fly fishing and wing shooting industries for over a century, but it was in 1989 that they made the switch to help their customers defend the environment with purchases. Before the new CEO Perk Perkins took over the company in 1992, he brought an idea to his father, former Orvis CEO.
He figured that many of their customers were passionate about protecting the environment, but not all of them were sure how to do so most efficiently. The Orvis brand decided to make it easier and donate 5% of all pre-tax profit back to the environment. Using unbiased authorities to determine which causes are the most effective, then distributing Orvis’s 5% to a variety of them, the company gives a significant amount of their profit back to the environment. In 2019, Orvis donated nearly half a million dollars spread out to 173 nonprofits, and introduced 15,000 people to the fly fishing world. Shop the Orvis catalog here. Great reasons to keep the company in mind while holiday shopping for friends and family!
RepYourWater: RYW was founded by husband and wife team Garrison and Corinne Doctor in 2011. Since the brand’s inception, they’ve pledged to give back 3% of all profits to conservation. As of July 2020, they’ve donated over $250K to conservation efforts, a huge milestone for the young brand!
RYW donates most of its 3% to assorted Trout Unlimited chapters, Wildlife Federations, and the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. To check out their products, click here.
Fishpond Products: Fishpond USA is perhaps best known for their nets and packs, but should also be recognized as “the first fly fishing business to become a certified B Corporation,” according to their website.
For those of you who don’t know, a B Corporation means a Benefit Corporation, which balances benefit and business most efficiently. They are “businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.” Learn more about B Corporations here.
From making products from recycled commercial fishing nets to spreading environmental about like the Pebble Mine through social media, Fishpond is a brand that should be on your list this holiday season.
Happy holidays everyone, and tight lines!
Ryan Rintala | Social Media @mattheronflyfishing
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