Free delivery on orders over £80Things That Your Favourite Brands Are Doing For The Planet
Photo credit: Angela Benito/Unsplash
With the news from Patagonia, that the Earth is effectively their only shareholder, we wanted to shine a spotlight on some of our brands’ less-publicised sustainable actions that you may not know about yet. We think it’s very important to highlight and celebrate practices that reduce environmental impact, both big and small, to encourage every company and individual to continue making better choices for the planet.
Find out more about the creative ways in which eight of your favourite outdoor brands are helping the environment.
Patagonia
Patagonia have always put their money where their mouth is when it comes to saving the earth and many of us are familiar with the brand’s famous mission statement: “We’re in business to save our home planet”. They’ve now gone “all in” by transferring the ownership to a trust, which will protect the company values, and a not for profit, which is dedicated to fighting the environmental crisis and defending nature. It certainly feels like a defining moment and perhaps provides a blueprint of how business and nature could actually survive together.
One of Patagonia’s lesser known initiatives is Patagonia Action Works, a platform that connects committed individuals to local organisations working on environmental issues. Patagonia recognised that it can be difficult for people to figure out the best way to fight the climate crisis. As a solution to this problem, they created a space where anyone can easily see how to get involved. You can find events, sign petitions, donate to organisations, or even volunteer your skills through Action Works.
inov-8
Durability and longevity are key elements in inov-8's sustainability strategy. Producing durable and long-lasting products is ultimately better for the environment because it reduces the need to repurchase items as often. Our outdoor gear is under significant pressure, and it can wear down much quicker than other items, so it's crucial to create products that can withstand that level of use.
inov-8 has several practices in place to ensure the longevity of their products. Rigorous testing and communicating about product care are two important pieces of the durability puzzle, but they also took it a step further by developing a custom Graphene grip. The added strength of Graphene makes their rubber outsoles harder-wearing and longer-lasting compared to other grippy sole materials. Outsoles are also often the first thing to wear down, but G-grip increases the active life of inov-8’s footwear substantially.
Although inov-8’s level of testing for wet and dry materials is more than double the industry standard, they have been able to reduce the number of sample shoes by 38% between AW21 and AW20. Additionally, all excess samples always get a second life as inov-8 donates them to ReRun, who distribute them to those in need.
Rab & Lowe Alpine
Owned by the same parent company, Rab & Lowe Alpine are on a mutual path to Net Zero. What you probably didn't know is that since 2019, both brands have been offsetting their carbon emissions and, therefore, become climate neutral. However, they’ve also acknowledged that it’s not a long term solution. That is why they’ve started their ascent to Net Zero, aiming to reach it by 2030.
Because it is impossible to stop emitting carbon altogether, reaching Net Zero means that all unnecessary carbon emissions have been eliminated and the remaining emissions are captured with carbon removal projects.
Some of the changes that the brands have already made include switching to 100% renewable energy in their UK HQ and warehouse, using more recycled materials, and swapping to GRS certified recycled down.
Adidas Terrex
Adidas partnered with Parley for the Oceans in 2015 to make the world’s first running shoe from upcycled marine plastic waste and other recycled materials. Each pair of Adidas x Parley shoes salvages around 11 PET bottles from the oceans. Now, almost six years and over 30 million pairs later, the brand continues to expand the range and aims to make all of their shoes and clothing from 100% recycled polyester by 2024.
Our selection from Adidas Terrex includes the versatile Free Hiker Parley boots that utilise a lightweight Primeknit upper made from Parley Ocean Plastic.
icebreaker
icebreaker’s ‘Move to Natural’ campaign aims to spread information about the environmental benefits of using natural fibres in specific merino wool. Their business philosophy is based on three distinct rules that exist in nature: adaptation, symbiosis, and sustainability.
Currently, icebreaker uses 87% natural fibres in combination with 13% synthetic fibres that enhance the functionality of merino. However, the brand is searching for natural alternatives to replace the remaining synthetic fibres, and they aim to switch to 100% natural and plastic-free fibres by 2023.
Vango
Vango have a 50-year history of upcycling and recycling camping equipment, and last year, they’ve also introduced an Earth Collection that utilises 100% recycled materials. The collection ensures that you get all the best Vango features in an eco-friendly form.
Their Earth Collection tents focus on reducing plastic waste from the environment by transforming single-use waste plastics into their highly waterproof and extremely durable Sentinel Eco fabric. Vango also produces Earth Collection sleeping bags with 100% recycled fabric, filling, shell, and lining.
Browse our selection of Vango’s Earth Collection here and keep an eye out for more products arriving before the camping season starts.
The North Face
You've probably seen that little RDS tag on your down clothing before, but did you know that The North Face initiated the standard? A few years back, the brand became aware of some potential mistreatment of animals in their down supply chain. That is when the realisation hit that their suppliers' self-declarations were simply not enough to guarantee that the ducks and geese didn't experience any unnecessary harm. The North Face wanted to find a way to ensure the animals' fair treatment, so they started developing the Responsible Down Standard in collaboration with Textile Exchange and Control Union Certifications.
The North Face have been using RDS certified down since 2015, with many other industry-leading brands following suit.
Hydro Flask
These reusable insulated water bottles and flasks help reduce single-use plastics but they also support another good cause. Hydro Flask has launched a Parks For All programme that supports non-profit organisations focused on looking after our green spaces. From maintenance and restoration to cleaning up and providing better access, Hydro Flask has been able to support 122 organisations globally since 2017.
Use the sustainability filters when browsing the site to see our full range of eco-friendly outdoor kit.
To find out how we here at Ellis Brigham are doing our part to help the planet, take a look at our Social & Environmental Responsibility page that lists our commitments.
