The ISPO Award is to receive a new sustainable check. All applications for an award will now be subject to an anti-greenwashing evaluation conducted by the respected textiles and industry expert Louisa Smith. Smith will check things such as information about sustainability, finishing, manufacturing processes, circularity and recyclability. The anti-greenwashing evaluation was successfully tested during the first jury meeting this year.

“The complexity and requirements related to sustainability are continuously rising,” says Christoph Beaufils, who at ISPO is co-responsible for the ISPO Award with Christina Rabl. “This is why the ISPO Award Team saw a need for improving the jury’s decision-making process by providing its members with an expert’s perspective of the nominations.”

The test went so well that a decision was quickly made to include the anti-greenwashing check by Louisa Smith as a permanent part of the evaluation process for the ISPO Award.

Smith is a globally respected fashion and textiles expert and in-demand opinion leader in the sports and outdoor area. She is the leading jury member for the ISPO Textrends Awards and presents them at OutDoor by ISPO and ISPO Munich.

All products that clear an initial screening after being nominated for an ISPO Award will be subject to the neutral and expert anti-greenwashing check conducted by Louisa Smith. Since the evaluation takes place before the actual jury meeting, companies submitting applications for the award have an opportunity to provide missing or unclear information.

“We give the brands a signal well before the actual jury meeting in case they have outstanding questions,” says Christina Rabl. “They then have the opportunity to provide useful details regarding their products’ sustainability properties that can help the jury make a fact-based decision.”

The stated goal is to enable brands competing for the ISPO Award to submit improved and comprehensible applications—particularly in terms of sustainability. “The trend barometer ISPO Award rewards the real sustainability efforts of the sports and outdoor industry. This seal of quality also serves as a guide for the industry and consumers alike,” says Christoph Beaufils. “Customers want to be certain that the products they buy are really sustainable and that they are not being led astray by some sort of greenwashing.”

The next jury meeting for the ISPO Award will be in May, in good time before OutDoor by ISPO 2023. Applicants must submit their products and solutions by 14 April 2023 at the latest, if they want to be a part of the jury meeting. Trade fair visitors and journalists can then experience the winning products of the ISPO Award live at OutDoor by ISPO at the MOC in Munich from 4-6 June 2023.

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