Back in 2019, we took a hard look at the impact our business makes on the environment (directly and indirectly), and set ambitious goals to mitigate any harm and move towards being completely sustainable. The beginning of a new year is a great time to reflect on the progress we've made, and what is left to do.
One of our primary sustainability goals is to make more of our lineup with recycled content. This year, we're really excited to release our Ecolyte Elite jacket, with the most environmentally friendly construction of any item we've produced. It features 100% recycled face fabric and lining, the vent and pocket zippers are also made from 100% recycled materials, and the waterproof membrane is Polypropylene, which has a lower environmental impact than PTFE or PU.
Other items new to the line this year, the Timberline Jacket and Timberline Pants, feature not just recycled material, but also 100% bio-based nylon face fabric. Both items are part of our Clean Color series, avoiding harmful chemicals and using bluesign® certified dyes.
It's not all new, though: it's important to continue doing more of what works. We're continuing our reused shipping boxes program, as well as reconditioning and reselling used gear at our annual warehouse sale. When jackets and other items are returned for defects or fixable wear and tear, we can give them an extended life.
As we expand our wool collection, we're also sourcing wool from farms that meet the Responsible Wool Standard. All of our new wool items arriving this year will all meet this standard.
Reducing consumer waste through responsible packaging is also a priority: and we've been continuing to reduce the amount of paper and plastic used on our hang tags and product packaging. Those annoying little plastic tags that poke through your garment after you thought they were gone? They're not just annoying to your neck, they're also a source of micro plastics in the food chain (which is more than just annoying). We're switching to string and renewable materials that don't add plastic pollution to our environment this year in all new arrivals.
We continue to do the basics as well: recycling, reducing energy usage, biking and walking whenever possible, and we're purchasing renewable sources of electricity.
What's left to do? A lot. While we've made great progress in the last two years, there are still a couple areas where we're falling short. We're still working towards an end of life program for our garments and gear, and we're still making plans on how we’ll generate more energy than we consume in our corporate HQ. While we might not be as far along in those areas, we're confident we can hit our timeline for completion by 2025, and continue to renew our Climate Neutral status.
Like you, we love the great outdoors, and it's important that we all do everything we can to take a hard look at the daily choices we make, and how they impact the world around us. We take our commitment to our sustainability goals very seriously, because we believe we have a responsibility to each other and the planet to do so.