Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility
Our Environmental Policy
Operating within the snow sport industry, we acknowledge that we must take accountability to minimise the effects that we have on the natural environment and will co-operate with all regulatory authorities to guarantee compliance.
It is the declared course of action of Absolute Snow to lessen our environmental impact, and demonstrate our commitment through:
Reducing the amount of packaging used to distribute products;
Regularly analyse and review the environmental impact of all our activities, set objectives to reduce these impacts and create policies to ensure best practices are being met;
Educate and involve employees of sustainable practices and provide necessary training and education to ensure these practices are being abided by;
Use recyclable and renewable sources wherever possible;
Reduce the amount of waste produced ;
Work with suppliers to ensure environmentally friendly practices are being adhered to all across the supply chain;
The company will foster environmentally sound practices for all employees to understand and adhere by. Ongoing examination of the organisations footprint will be undertaken to ensure goals and objectives are being met, and improvement on these findings will be continuous.
This policy will be made publicly available to exhibit environmental objectives and performances, and will be reported on regular intervals.
Here at Absolute Snow, we consider environmental and social responsibility to be one of our biggest challenges. We want to protect our planet because it is our playground. Without it Absolute Snow would not exist and therefore we must do what we can to reduce our carbon footprint and show support and love for those around us and in wider society. Over the years we’ve made lots of little changes to the way we run our offices and warehouse, which we hope will make a big difference to the environment. We support some great charities too that help on a bigger scale.
We want to make a really positive impact on our staff and suppliers, providing them with everything they need to feel safe and happy at work.
Packaging, made from 80% recycled materials and 100% recyclable.
In partnership with Patagonia, we donate 1% of all Patagonia sales to environmental causes.
We’ve banned single use plastic bottles in our offices and warehouse and have issued all staff members with reusable ones.
Environmental Responsibility
All of the lighting in our offices and warehouse are powered by 100% renewable resources and 100% carbon neutral gas, and are all motion sensor activated meaning there is no unnecessary power going to waste. Over 90% of the lights in the whole building are LED.
Our packaging is made out of 80% recycled material and is 100% recyclable.
We do not 'over-wrap' parcels we dispatch to you. We rely heavily on the original packaging materials provided by the manufacturer which 99.999% of the time are perfectly adequate for post or courier delivery. We’ve invested in a cardboard shredder to make our own filling from cardboard boxes.
We do not wrap up snowboards prior to dispatching. Instead we send your board or ski's in a free snowboard bag. This saves using tonnes of bubble wrap and cardboard and gives you a nice bag which you can use and re-use many times over.
We run a paperless office. All correspondence and invoices are sent via email rather than sent in the post.
We recycle ALL cardboard, plastics and food waste from the building, reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill. We are always looking at ways to get closer to Zero Waste status.
We’ve banned plastic bottles, wahoo! In October 2019 we banned the use of single use plastic bottles at Base Camp and issued all staff with eco friendly, reusable Camelbak water bottles and KeepCups for tea and coffee.
Before the pandemic arrived, we would carpool to reduce emissions. We used to love snuggling on the backseat together because we’re all great friends here at Absolute Snow.
Now that we are all working from home, we miss each other and our carshare antics, but it has helped us to look at things differently and explore ways in which we can be more flexible with our staff and do even more for the environment. We made a conscious decision to only stock reusable face masks on our website and all staff were issued with a free pack of Airhole masks.
Fruitful Office - We get 2 baskets of healthy fruit delivered every week. For each basket, a fruit tree is planted in Malawi - that’s 104 trees each year!
Guilt free toilet trips - The toilet paper that we use comes from UK company 'Who Gives A Crap' who only use recycled materials AND donates 50% of profits to help build toilets and improve sanitation in the developing world.
Sustainable Brands and Eco-Friendly Products
We love being ambassadors for some really super sustainable brands who are leading the way in sustainable fashion. Patagonia are considered the ultimate pros of the fashion industry when it comes to sustainability and we are very proud to stock a huge range of Patagonia products. Every time you purchase Patagonia products through us, we donate 1% For The Planet. Luckily for us, and for the planet, plenty of great outdoor and ski/snowboard brands are joining them in the race to become more sustainable, including Kathmandu, Prana, Picture Organic and TenTree. We are always on the lookout for up and coming brands who have sustainability at their very core.
There are some truly impressive ethical products out there that can help us enjoy the outdoors in a way that’s kinder to the planet. If you’re an outdoor enthusiast like us, you’ll be passionate about nature and biodiversity, so it’s important to make informed choices when we’re buying clothes and equipment.
Plankers and park rats - think about what’s beneath your feet. Take the time to read about your chosen brands. What do they stand for? What are their skis or snowboards made from? Burton Snowboards and bindings are 100% PFC-Free and made only from materials that are not harmful to people and the environment. Phantom Wax is a real game changer and is a must-buy. This permanent wax is an eco-friendly alternative to traditional wax and is the first of its kind, but hopefully not the last. Want to learn more about Phantom Wax? Read our article here and learn the truth about harmful chemicals used in traditional kinds of ski wax and how Phantom Wax is changing the market.
To reduce your carbon footprint, look after the products you invest in. If you have a waterproof product that’s starting to let in moisture, don’t replace it, treat it! If you have a down insulated product, protect it! Grangers sell a range of environmentally friendly products which aim to protect and renew products of different kinds to increase their lifespan, allowing you to reuse those items that may well have been heading for landfill otherwise.
If you’re off on a camping trip and in need of equipment, consider sustainable and ethical brands such as Vaude or Cotopaxi who also produce some excellent rock climbing equipment. For the climbers, hikers and runners out there, be sustainably savvy with your footwear too and go for a top quality, ethically sound brand like La Sportiva.
Some brands now include a special code with their down insulated products which allows you to track exactly where your down has come from.
Social Responsibility
Not only is it important to us to support top sustainable brands, but also those with excellent ethical standards and who sell Fair Trade Certified products. Once again, Patagonia and Prana are exemplary when it comes to offering ethical clothing and accessories. We aim to support those brands who show transparency in their supply chains, ensuring safe conditions and fair pay for all those who work in their factories.
We have a real family vibe here at Base Camp. From the boot fitters to the managerial staff, everyone who works for us is considered ‘faaaaamily’ (queue Peggy Mitchell). All employees are actively encouraged to voice their ideas and dreams for the company and we celebrate their individuality. We love watching our staff members grow, recognising their strengths and helping them to achieve success within the company. We pay fairly and offer flexible working. With so many employees being active sportsmen and women, we are always happy to support our staff in any way we can in their charitable endeavours.
We go above and beyond here at Absolute Snow to ensure our customers get exactly what they need. We make sure there is always someone to hand with the right knowledge and experience. In doing so, we are able to reduce the number of returns and reduce unnecessary travel. From our excellent customer service team to the warehouse crew and everyone in between, at Absolute Snow we do our utmost to ensure swift and safe delivery of our customer orders.
It’s our responsibility at Absolute Snow to give something back to society and to the planet that gives us so much. We donate 1% of our profits from Patagonia sales to environmental causes. Also look out for the WaterAid logo on all water and water filtration-related products on our website. Absolute Snow has committed to donating 5% of all profits generated through the sale of such products to WaterAid. WaterAid provides clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene to those who need it.
We support many other charities with help from our many brands. To see a list of all the charities we support at Absolute Snow and learn more about them, see here.
The climate change clock is always ticking and that is why we will continue to make every effort to reduce our environmental impact. You, our customers, will always be the first to know of any changes we make that will improve us as a company.
We are about to launch a new ‘Sleep Well’ campaign which will encourage and inspire our customers to donate old sleeping bags, tents and rucksacks to charities that help the homeless, refugees and others who need a safe and warm place to sleep.
By bettering ourselves as a company, we can make a better future.