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Elements: B Corp Distribution of Premium Outdoor Brands

Elements is a Belgian B2B distributor of curated outdoor and eco-lifestyle brands like Patagonia, Osprey, and Helinox, selling into retailers such as A.S. Adventure and Bever across six European countries. It was the first distributor in the Benelux region to become a Certified B Corporation.

Elements homepage

What Elements actually distributes

Elements is a B2B distributor of premium outdoor, adventure, and eco-lifestyle brands, selling roughly 21 curated labels through a dedicated ordering portal to independent outdoor retailers and large retail chains across Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, and Austria. The brand roster includes Patagonia, Osprey, Klean Kanteen, Helinox, Nordisk, Zamberlan, Craghoppers, Houdini, Icebug, Dopper, WakaWaka, Katadyn, and Care Plus, sold on to named retail clients including A.S. Adventure and Bever.

Elements became the first distributor in the Benelux region to achieve B Corp certification, in June 2023, after a five-year journey that started in 2018.

Where the distribution model shows up

  • Outdoor retail: curated brand selection sold into independent outdoor shops and chains across six European countries
  • Showrooms and warehouses: operations in Edegem (Belgium), Maarsbergen (Netherlands), and Lint
  • Supplier vetting: brand and supply chain responsibility screening built into which labels Elements agrees to carry

Proof, not just claims

51%of revenue from B Corp–certified brands
64%of product spend on environmentally certified items
−51%CO2 reduction, 2019–2021

Elements also donated €301,223 to more than 20 nonprofits, reports 93% employee satisfaction, and maintains an average supplier relationship of 71 months — a proxy for how long-term its brand vetting relationships run rather than churning through cheaper alternatives.

Trusted by

A.S. AdventureRetail chain
BeverRetail chain
PatagoniaOutdoor brand
OspreyOutdoor brand
HelinoxOutdoor brand
Klean KanteenOutdoor brand

Why this belongs on a sustainability directory

Distributors sit at a leverage point most sustainability efforts skip past: which brands even reach a retailer’s shelf in the first place. By screening suppliers for environmental and social practices before they ever get listed, Elements shifts demand toward better-vetted goods at the wholesale layer, not just at the point of sale. That is the concrete link between Elements’ distribution model and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) — embedding supplier accountability upstream of the retailers and consumers who never see that screening happen.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Elements based, and who does it sell to?

Elements is headquartered in Edegem, Belgium, with additional operations in Maarsbergen, Netherlands, and Lint. It distributes outdoor and eco-lifestyle brands B2B to independent retailers and chains including A.S. Adventure and Bever across six European countries.

Which SDG does Elements support, and how?

SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), by screening the brands it distributes for environmental and social practices before they reach retail shelves, and tracking metrics like the share of revenue tied to certified suppliers.

How is Elements verified as a sustainability project?

Elements is a Certified B Corporation and the first distributor in the Benelux region to achieve that certification, cross-referenced by Keys for Tomorrow against B Lab’s own directory of certified companies.

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Arnaud Michel, founder of Keys for Tomorrow
About the curator

Arnaud Michel is the founder and curator of Keys for Tomorrow. In 2014, his master’s thesis on community currencies and sustainable development won the Prix Recherche at Belgium’s Prix de l’Économie Sociale; the research was later published in Ecological Economics (Elsevier, 2015). He curates this directory to the same standard, cross-checking every project against B Corp, 1% for the Planet, and Solar Impulse Foundation records. Connect on LinkedIn.

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