RVIA’s Board of Directors last week unanimously approved creating a Sustainability Committee, comprised of RVIA member company representatives interested in sustainability practices.
The committee will serve as the convening body for RV industry sustainability experts to share ideas and best practices, RVIA said. The committee also will be an educational resource for companies looking to increase their sustainability practices.
Among the activities the committee plans to address this year are:
- Conducting in-depth conversations and sharing information around ways to make the RV industry more environmentally friendly and address future impacts on downstream members and suppliers.
- Discussing best practices on marketing the industry’s sustainability efforts. The committee will discuss how to market these efforts to end consumers while avoiding a “green-washing” perception.
- Developing a sustainability survey and addressing other member corporate responsibility activities. The survey results will be used as a baseline and information-gathering tool to inform further committee activities.
The new committee was announced to attendees of the RV Leadership Conference during the “A Conversation About Sustainability” panel which featured Jil Littlejohn Bostick, Winnebago’s vice president and head of diversity, equity and inclusion; Kartik Mekala, Lippert’s director of sustainability; and Sandy Rynalski, Thor Industries’ vice president of ESG.
The panelists discussed their own professional journeys that led them to head up sustainability at their companies and the sustainability efforts their RV companies are taking. Session attendees discussed big and little ways they are implementing sustainable practices.
The Sustainability Committee will hold a virtual meeting in the coming month and an in-person meeting during RVs Move America Week in DC on Tuesday, June 6.
Parties interested in participating on the Sustainability Committee should email Monika Geraci, the staff liaison for the committee, at [email protected].
