Mayfly Outdoors Becomes Certified B Corporation

Mayfly Outdoors announced on June 27 that they have been recertified as a B Corporation. A B Corporation is a company that is held to extremely high standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability.

All brands under the Mayfly umbrella – Abel Reels, Ross Reels, and Airflo – are included in this certification.

You can read more about Mayfly’s efforts to become B Corporation certified below. You can view more about Mayfly Outdoors here.

Mayfly Outdoors has implemented significant sustainable practices into its manufacturing, including the use of recycled materials in its products, reducing waste and carbon emissions in its facilities, and making environmentally responsible decisions when sourcing materials. “We will continue to prioritize sustainability as a core value and work towards reducing our environmental impact,” said Wagner. 

In 2022, Mayfly announced its partnership with Terracycle to bring the recycling program to hundreds of fly fishing retailers across the United States. The company is the only fly fishing line manufacturing business to operate a nationwide recycling program. In 2023, is scheduled to open a new anodizing facility opening in Colorado that will have zero effluent and include a state-of-the-art re-circulating water system. The company has facilities in California, Colorado, and the United Kingdom. 

In its homebase in Montrose, Colorado, Mayfly is partnering with the community to restore and enhance nearly 1.5 miles of the Uncompahgre river as part of the Colorado Outdoors project. The endeavor includes the installation of nearly 2.25 miles of new river trails for families and outdoor enthusiasts, including over 40 acres of open space enhancement and wildlife preservation. In addition, Mayfly recently completed construction on its 41,000 square foot headquarters within the project, opening in 2019. In 2022, Mayfly was awarded with the Exemplary Industry Partner Award by Colorado Trout Unlimited for its work. 

“It’s a great honor to be a part of the B Corp community,” said David Dragoo, Mayfly’s founder. Dragoo noted that the certification is similar to Fair Trade or LEED certification, but for the operating businesses. “We can continue to measure our impact for our stakeholders and make improvements to how we operate. We can make money, but we also make a difference.” 

Dragoo mentioned becoming a B Corp is a way that Mayfly can also lead by example in the fly fishing and broader outdoor industry. He is also optimistic other local businesses in the region will gain interest and become certified. 

Since its inception in 2006, B Lab has focused largely on “best in class” businesses, including both small and large corporations and forward-thinking companies fully committed to adopting sustainable practices and being role models for others. Many other household names have earned similar status from B Lab, indicating a certain level of excellence as measured by the nonprofit’s B Impact Assessment, developed and re-developed over several years.