Raccoon Media Group, organisers of ISPO the world’s most influential trade event for the sporting goods, outdoor and winter sports industries, confirms its commitment to ensuring an enduring impact by joining the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) as a Sustaining Member and revealing more details of the newly established ISPO Impact Fund.
Recognising that sustainability is non-negotiable, these announcements underscore ISPO’s long-term dedication to environmental responsibility, industry stewardship and collaborative action across the global outdoor community.
Tracy Bebbington, Managing Director, ISPO at Raccoon Media Group, said; “As ISPO enters a new era under new management and prepares for its next chapter in Amsterdam, it is essential that sustainability sits at the heart of everything we do. Joining EOCA and launching the ISPO Impact Fund reflect our belief in collective action and our responsibility to drive direct and meaningful change. We’re not just advocating for change; we are committed to making it happen. Not only that, we have appointed an external agency to closely analyse the carbon footprint of the event itself and we will make a solid commitment to being transparent about the footprint and, from day one, actively take steps to reduce it.”
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Respecting and safeguarding the natural environments in which we play
ISPO is proud to announce its formal commitment as both a member and Sustaining Member of the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA). By becoming a Sustaining Member, ISPO will provide ongoing funding and strategic support to EOCA’s mission to conserve and restore wild places, support biodiversity, and enable outdoor participation that respects and safeguards nature. The partnership further aligns ISPO’s environmental values with those championed by brands, retailers and industry associations across the sector.
Dan Yates, Executive Director of EOCA, said: “We are delighted to welcome ISPO, and the newly expanded team at Raccoon Media Group, as a member, and importantly, a Sustaining Member of EOCA. Their commitment sends a powerful message: that major industry platforms must not only showcase innovation but actively support the landscapes and ecosystems that inspire it. ISPO’s involvement will allow us to reach more organisations, fund more conservation projects, and amplify the urgency of protecting the wild places the outdoor community depends on.”
The €1 million ISPO Impact Fund
As part of their long-term commitment to supporting positive change, ISPO is investing one million euros into a new charitable organisation, the ISPO Impact Fund. The fund will support grassroots, charitable and non-profit initiatives that originate within the sports, outdoor and winter sports communities, or that have a direct and meaningful connection to these sectors.
The ISPO Impact Fund has been established as an independent organisation to ensure transparency, structure and the highest levels of governance expected of grant awarding bodies. The three founding trustees, Hannah Lewis, Finance Director at Raccoon Media Group, Andrew Denton, CEO at the Outdoor Industries Association, and Mark Held, founding Secretary General of the European Outdoor
Group are responsible for shaping the ISPO Impact Fund to ensure high standards of fairness, transparency and responsibility.
The Impact Fund will focus on three core areas:
- Nature Conservation & Environmental Stewardship – Supporting projects that protect biodiversity, restore natural environments, and reduce the environmental impact of sport and outdoor recreation.
- Equitable Access & Participation – Enabling more people – regardless of gender, ethnicity, ability, income, or background to access and enjoy sport, winter sports and outdoor recreation.
- Fair, Ethical & Responsible Supply Chains – Investing in initiatives that improve the welfare of workers throughout the supply chain and strengthen the processes through which sport and outdoor products are made, marketed and sold.
An independent advisory panel of industry experts and community representatives is currently being recruited to oversee the allocation of the €1 million fund, assessing all applications, reviewing their potential impact, and awarding grants based on clear and transparent criteria.
The team are actively recruiting members of this panel and welcome applications from the Sports, Outdoor and Winter sports industries.
“Our advisory panel will help ensure that the funding is fairly and appropriately allocated across projects which get more people active, protect the places in which we play and ensure products are ethically created. From local community initiatives to huge global projects, we expect hundreds of applications. It’s important that these are assessed for their impact so that funds can be carefully allocated, and more importantly actually invested correctly to impact change on an individual level.” said Andrew Denton.
The application process for the ISPO Impact Fund will open online in Spring 2026, with the awarded grants being announced in November at ISPO 2026 at RAI Amsterdam.
