Orange Washing

[Jwill]

Mr. Frazier bringing the heat on this one.

Is it “conservation” or is it just Orange-Washing? — 2% for Conservation

By Jared Frasier, Executive Director A hard truth: Most hunting brands do far less for conservation and the future of hunting than they claim. At least right now, today, in 2024. And though some people will throw around numbers that sound big in defense of the industry and their favorite brands… t

www.fishandwildlife.org

TLDR - Lots of outdoor industry marketing about conservation, not much actual conservationing and trending in the wrong direction.

 

[LuketheDog]

...or TLDR: "Hey AI, write me an article about a thing called 'orange washing' that means hunting gear companies don't hire us to prove they donate enough money to conservation, and throw in some trippy graphics with animals and orange paint, and don't worry too much about data to support my argument."

 

[npaden]

For sure this is going on. For sure there are some big companies doing a lot for conservation that aren't on the list.

Licensee may include its Membership Fees as part of Licensee’s Donation total.

So if you pay the dues to 2% for conservation, that counts as spending money on conservation?

I'm sure for some of these companies the dues wouldn't be a blip on the radar, but I'm sure it would be a bit of a hassle to document and support all your conservation expenses. I know some big names that used to be in the program that aren't any longer. Maybe it is private equity making them cut back on conservation spending. Private equity is not known for long term thinking for sure.

I think there are some companies that have never been a formal part of the 2% for conservation group that are doing some heavy lifting on supporting conservation. It is more difficult to know though.

Is a company with $35m in revenues that is spending $500,000 annually on conservation better than a company with $3.5m in revenues spending $70,000 annually on conservation? The bigger company wouldn't meet the 2% threshold but the smaller one would.

 

[Irrelevant]

There's clearly an ax to grind in that "article" but it is interesting how few hunting companies that were once on their certified list no longer are. Pretty cool that Randy still is.

 

[LuketheDog]

There's clearly an ax to grind in that "article" but it is interesting how few hunting companies that were once on their certified list no longer are. Pretty cool that Randy still is.

I read through their site and I can't fault a company for not engaging, it seems a bit like a shakedown. I don't need to volunteer my employees' time and pay someone else to certify that I'm a good guy.

 

[Irrelevant]

I read through their site and I can't fault a company for not engaging, it seems a bit like a shakedown. I don't need to volunteer my employees' time and pay someone else to certify that I'm a good guy.

But you also can't inherently trust that First Lite is actually spending any money on conservation.

 

[Jwill]

It's a bummer that both Sitka and First Lite have sold out and are no longer 2% certified... Clearly both companies still donate to conservation causes, but there is basically zero chance that the commitment is as strong as it once was.

Episode EP075: Conservation Commitment with Sitka Gear, First Lite Gear, and 2% for Conservation – Hunt Talk Radio

hunttalkradio.com

 

[TheTone]

It's a bummer that both Sitka and First Lite have sold out and are no longer 2% certified... Clearly both companies still donate to conservation causes, but there is basically zero chance that the commitment is as strong as it once was.

Too busy spending money on expensive marketing hunts for their influencers to support actual conservation work

 

[Irrelevant]

Too busy spending money on expensive marketing hunts for their influencers to support actual conservation work

Better to have 5 influencers pumping up one conservation project than to have only 1 influencer pumping 5 conservation projects.

 

[geetar]

We as hunters probably don't do all that we could. Probably far less but what we do is a lot more than nothing. I'm not overly concerned about the percentages. Always thought 2 % for conservation was kind of a virtue signaling thing anyway. Some of the greatest conservationists ever gave a lot more than 2 % and never had a sticker letting everyone know.

 

[LuketheDog]

But you also can't inherently trust that First Lite is actually spending any money on conservation.

I'm pretty sure they are and that they're giving a hell of a lot more than I can, so I'm not too worried about it.