Absolute Environment
We all know the importance of protecting the environment, to help our planet to live longer and for us to enjoy the outdoor activities that we love so much.
We also know that it can be tricky to know if you're making the 'right' choices when it comes to what you buy, and that wording can be tricky too, which is why we've laid out what we can, to help support you with those choices.
There are many brands and manufacturers out there doing amazing things, and we hope to build the lists below as the outdoor industry evolves with its environmental developments.
Until then, we hope the below can help you make some of those choices.
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Repair & Care
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What are some of the outdoor brands doing?
Founded in 1993 in North East England, Montane continue to produce lightweight and breathable endurance clothing for outdoor professionals seeking the very best in single layer mountain clothing.
Having exploded globably in recent years for their highly innovative designs, Montane are now flagging their most planet-friendly products through their “More Sustainable Choice” initiative which was launched in 2022.
Montane's environmental journey is led by four guiding pillars:
Based in Derbyshire in the UK, Rab are a Climate Neutral company, certified by the independent project developer and climate solutions provider South Pole. Rab power their head office and warehouse with 100% renewable electricity, and are aiming to be net zero by 2030 - in short, adding no more greenhouse gases to the Earth's atmosphere than the amount taken out.
As part of this ongoing journey, Rab are removing unnecessary packaging, moving towards a fleet of plug-in electric fleet vehicles and increasing the use of recycled materials in their products. Within this commitment, Rab use the world’s first GRS-certified recycled down, were an early adopter of the Responsible Down Standard and are founding members of The Single Use Plastics Project set up by the European Outdoor Group.
Partnering with South Pole, Rab are involved in verified reduction and removal schemes that help to balance emissions, investing in:
Based in Denver, Colorado, The North Face have introduced the ‘Exploration Without Compromise’ badge across their products. To earn the badge, clothing equipment and accessories must be made with at least 75% recycled, regenerative and/or responsibly-sourced renewable materials by weight. If the product has a durable water repellent (DWR) finish, it must be free from non-per-fluorinated chemicals which are toxic to humans and wildlife and can take thousands of years to degrade.
Moreover, The North Face are working towards making all of their products from recycled, regenerative or responsibility-sourced renewable fabrics. This means sourcing fabrics that are derived from materials that will replenish over the course of a lifetime. They are on track to hit their clothing goal in 2025 and then all footwear and equipment by 2030.
Alongside this, their other goal is to eliminate single-use plastics by 2025 as well. As part of this, they are reducing the amount of product packaging, designing it to be recyclable, and only using recycled content and/or third-party certified content (such as Forest Stewardship Council certified) for all their paper materials, like product hangtags and cardboard shipping boxes.
Based in Burlington, Vermont, Burton have achieved their goal in 2023 to source 100% organic cotton due to it being safer for people and the planet, along with requiring less water to produce and process. They also intentionally source from countries where organic cotton is ethically grown and processed into materials that are soft on the skin and gentler on the planet.
Furthermore, in 2021, Burton achieved their goal to source 100% responsible down because they are committed to ethical and traceable supply chains. Responsibly Sourced Down is a third-party process that requires suppliers to certify parent farms where birds are raised, ensuring that animals are not subjected to unnecessary harm and gives Burton visibility into the origins of their materials.
Looking ahead, by 2024, Burton state that they are on track to achieve their goal to source 100% of their leather from tanneries that follow strict environmental and manufacturing standards to reduce air and water pollution, and are members of Leather Working Group.
Then by 2025, Burton have commited that all wool used in their products will come from farms that follow third-party verified standards to protect the Five Freedoms of animal welfare like Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), the New Merino® Standard, the ZQ® Natural Fibre standard, and Nativa™, and that never use mulesing practices.
Based in California, USA, Patagonia, championed by their founder Yvon Chouinard, have an explicit focus on addressing climate change , land-use practices. sustainability and the environmental impact of the retail and textile manufacturing industry. They commit 1% of their total sales to environmental groups, alongside being owned by the Patagonia Purpose Trust, whose profits are used to address climate change and protect land. For Spring 2024, 96^ of all of Patagonia's materials with water-repellent chemistries are made without PFAS/PFCs, whilst over 85% of all products are made in a Fair Trade Certified factory and 100% of all virgin cotton used in their clothing is grown organically. Repair is also a key consideration for Patagonia, with over 80,000 garments being repaired between May 2022 to May 2023, reducing the need for customers to throw out old items and lessening the consumerism prevalent in across the industry. Patagonia are keenly aware that there is a paradoxical element to a multinational corporation endeavouring towards sustainability whilst competing to stay profitable, yet they firmly wish to transform the entire industry landscape towards a more eco-conscious philosophy through charity, legislation and private initiatives.
Based in France, Picture are aware of the retail and textile industry's contributions towards climate change, and the prevalence of fast fashion's approach to rampant consumerism driving these exploitative practices. To combat this, Picture have set forth a multipronged strategy to aid sustainability, and are a certified B Corporation, having been successfully assessed on its social and environmental performance. 92% of cotton Picture use is organic, reducing carbon emissions by 46% comparatively. Likewise, 69% of the polyester used in their technical apparel comes from recycled bottles, resulting in 2.5 times less CO2 emissions and using 6 times less oil compared to conventional polyester sourced from oil. Similarly, Picture are committed to using PFC free water repellent treatment for ther technical products, and 60% of their technical products incorporate bio-polyester partially derived from sugar cane.
Salomon’s goal is to drive change within communities by creating more inclusive outdoor experiences. At the same time, they are committed to conducting business responsibly while delivering high performing products with the most innovative designs.
In 2025, Salomon wants to achieve:
- 100% of Salomon products have their environmental performance visible by the consumer
- 100% top tier materials suppliers have signed or otherwise demonstrated compliance with category-level Materials Compliance Programs and Restricted Substances Lists
- 100% of new Salomon products will be designed to one or several of our circular economy principles
- 100% of Salomon products are PFC- or PFCec-free by 2025: footwear and bags categories by 2020, apparel and winter sports by 2025.
Moreover, Salomon is committed to a Science-Based Target: 50% absolute reduction of their GHG emissions for scope 1 & 2, 30% absolute reduction for scope 3 by 2030 from a 2019 baseline, and Net Zero by 2050.
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