Loopt Receives Excellence in Education Award

Loopt Foundation was honored to receive the Excellence in Education Award in January 2024 from the University of Oregon's Sports Product Management Program for developing and teaching the Sustainability in Sports Products Course (SPM 610).

The University of Oregon partnered with the sports and outdoor product industry to create a Master of Science in Sports Product Management in 2013. Over the past decade, this program has become a global leader building the next generation of leaders in the sports product industry.

Loopt joined the partnership in 2021 to develop and implement a course providing students with the fundamentals of sustainability pertaining to the apparel and footwear industries with a focus on illuminating the people around the world building the clothes we wear.

2024 SPM Cohort

Students learn about the environmental, social, and economic impacts of textiles; where these impacts occur, and how they can be reduced. Throughout the course, industry experts in circularity, chemistry, materials, and production present current practices, share their professional experiences, as well as discuss impacts and potential solutions.

Loopt Board Member and Guest Speaker Patrick Wolfert

“When I took a sustainability class in my undergraduate education it was very surface level and mostly focused on reducing waste, making more efficient markers, and what textiles can be recycled,” a current student commented on a recent discussion post assignment. “So far after only one class I can see that that was a very narrow scope of what sustainability actually means for this industry. It encompasses not just how we can better protect and care for the environment but also how we can care for the people working in our industry.”

Special thanks to the SPM students, faculty, and program administration. Their inspiration drives continued improvement and the best practices learned inform other Loopt curriculum programs.