During last week’s RV Industry Association (RVIA) Board of Directors meeting, the board unanimously approved the creation of a Sustainability Committee.
The newly created RV Sustainability Committee will be made up of people from RVIA member companies who have an interest in the success of a sustainable future for the RV industry. The committee will serve as the convening body for sustainability experts in the RV industry to share ideas and best practices, as well act as an educational resource for companies looking to increase their sustainability practices.
The new committee was announced to attendees of the RV Leadership Conference during the “A Conversation About Sustainability” panel, which featured Jill 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 respective companies and the sustainability efforts their companies are undertaking. The crowd also participated by discussing big and little ways they are implementing sustainable practices.
In its first year, the committee will be focused on the following:
Convening members for in-depth conversations and information sharing around ways to make the industry more environmentally friendly and achieve alignment around future impact on downstream members and suppliers.
Best practices on marketing the sustainability efforts of the industry. RV end-consumers are asking for more sustainable products, and this expectation will continue to grow in the future. This committee will provide a forum to discuss how to market these efforts while avoiding a perception of “greenwashing.”
Manage the development of a survey on sustainability and other corporate responsibility activities of association members. The survey results will be used as a baseline and information gathering tool to help inform further committee activities.
The new Sustainability Committee will be holding a virtual meeting in the coming month and an in-person meeting during RVs Move America Week in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 6.
If you or someone from your company would like to serve on the committee, please send an email to Monika Geraci, the staff liaison, at mgeraci@rvia.org.
