Teko has joined Chicago Climate Exchange, North America’s only, and the world’s first, greenhouse gas emission registry, reduction and trading system for all six greenhouse gases. As an exchange participant, Teko will purchase offsets to cover all transportation GHG emissions associated with their supply chain.

Climate change due to GHG emissions has been internationally recognized as a significant problem. Teko is the first company in the Outdoor Industry to join the CCX and hopes to bring awareness to emissions trading as a viable tool for industry-wide environmental responsibility. With the CCX Teko will be able to calculate the GHG emissions produced through their supply chain, taking into account factors like material transportation. Global acceptance of this problem and using GHG emissions trading as a proactive tool to help solve the problem is most apparent in the Kyoto protocol, which has been ratified by over 170 countries. Countries that ratify the Kyoto protocol are committed to reducing their GHG emissions and/or engaging in emissions trading for emissions above their committed reductions.

“Teko’s vision of doing business in a manner that has the least environmental impact places it in a leadership position among American companies,” said Dr. Richard Sandor, Chairman and CEO of the Chicago Climate Exchange. “We welcome Teko to the CCX family and look forward to working with the company to reduce the carbon footprint of its supply chain.”

Teko already purchases enough Wind Energy certificates to cover all of its energy used in operations and manufacturing. They see this as only part of the solution however. Greenhouse gases are created in many other aspects of day-to-day business, the number one contributor being transportation. “One of the best things anyone can do to reduce their environmental imprint is to reduce their petroleum fueled transportation,” said Jim Heiden, Teko’s founder and CEO. “Teko works to keep this to a minimum. What we can’t lower, however, we can take full responsibility for through the CCX.”