POW Sunsets Bank of the West Partnership

Photo by Adam Clark

At Protect Our Winters, we believe our most impactful work results from close collaboration with our strategic brand partners and Alliance network of athletes, scientists and creatives. In our 15-year history, POW has partnered with more than 100 brands in various outdoor sectors and affiliated industries to the outdoor industry. Whether a partner has been with us since day one or has newly joined, we are all aligned on our shared mission: Protect the places we live and the lifestyles we love. 

In 2022, Protect Our Winters sunsetted our partnership with Bank of the West. The partnership goal was to highlight the importance of sustainable finance and the integral role banks can play in combating climate change through the activities they do and do not finance. Over the past two years, we collaborated on a number of successful campaigns engaging in meaningful climate finance work–most notably the Moving Mountains campaign–providing expert insight, tools and resources to brands and individuals. The goal of the campaign was to educate how their financial service providers align with their values and how to use finance decisions as a tool for action. As a result, individuals and brands big and small have taken action, which is meaningful progress.

The reason we have parted ways is because of the recent sale of Bank of the West by its parent company BNP Paribas to Bank of Montreal. As we enter 2023, POW will continue to focus on campaign work that creates awareness around climate advocacy and mobilizes our Alliance network, the Outdoor State and brand partners to protect our communities and outdoor playgrounds. We appreciate the earnest collaboration with Bank of the West and continue to see sustainable finance as a key tool in reaching our goals on climate.