The city of Portland, Oregon, has awarded the Outdoor Industry Association of the U.S. a $10,000 grant to finalize the development of its Outdoor Project Environmental Leadership Standard (OPELS) project. OPELS, slated to make its debut in August, is a series of environmental leadership standards for outdoor products, resulting in the Eco Index, the first environmental assessment tool for the industry. Expected to launch at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market this year, the first phase of the Eco Index will include guidelines for packaging, manufacturing, materials, greenhouse gas emissions, water use and waste. The grant comes on the heels of $30,000 the city gave the OIA in December to hire Zero Waste Alliance to manage the standards process. The OIA is also working with the European Outdoor Group to ensure global adoption of a similar tool looking at labor practices.