Smartwool and Vaude have been named as “Conservation Champions” for 2015 by the European Outdoor Conservation Association (Eoca). Every year, the organization gives this award to the members that have taken the initiative to raise extra money for conservation and have raised awareness of conservation issues through Eoca. Smartwool's sock vending machine, which was installed at Ispo Munich and OutDoor, proved extremely popular at these trade shows. It raised awareness of Eoca's initiative and also raised around €8,000 to date, which have been spent on conservation, according to Eoca. Vaude, a founding member of Eoca, gave the proceeds from a celebration of its 40th anniversary to a conservation project at Lake Baikal, Russia via Eoca, in addition to its usual generous donation to Eoca's Conservation Fundraiser at OutDoor. Vaude also supported and promoted the launch of an Eoca-funded project in Romania.

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