REI recently published an article that looks at the environmental impact of what it takes to produce their Co-op 650 Down Jacket 2.0 (pictured). Writer Sarah Grothjan takes a look at every stage of manufacturing, from producing and processing raw materials, to finishing the material and the final product. She mentions some of the certifications, like bluesign, to look out for as a consumer when shopping for outdoor goods.
Read the article here.
​I really like how this is put together. Instead of just using general terminology, they picked a specific jacket and used examples that are more easily relatable. She mentions how finishing the fabric is generally the most impactful part of the process, because dyeing the fabric involves a lot of heat.
I'd say my favorite part was at the end when she talks about buying used gear. It's only a sustainable choice if you need it in the first place, and if it replaces the purchase of something new. If you already have two rain jackets, buying a third one, albeit used, isn't a sustainable choice.

A recent report on the use of PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," outlines just how far the outdoor industry still needs to go in ridding products that touch our skin of toxic chemicals. Only a handful of main brands, including Keen, Teva and Patagonia received passing grades from the Natural Resources Defense Council. You can read the report here. To demonstrate its commitment Keen actually created instructions and shared the process they used to eliminate them so others can follow suit.

There are many chemicals used in the products we wear that cause all kinds of nasty diseases, but the hub bub around PFAS is exactly because they are "forever chemicals." Most lab-made substances break down over time, but PFAS are particularly horrible because they never break down. PFAS are generally used in waterproofing everything from jackets to shoes and bags, but they contribute to a variety of human health problems including cancer and birth defects.

I applaud Keen here for figuring out how to create the same end result, water repellency, without the crazy chemicals, and then offering to share this intel with the rest of their competitors. It goes to show that the other folks who claim that they don't know of alternatives or need many more years to figure it out, just aren't trying hard enough. Keen has even created a webpage and “Green Paper” outlining exactly how others can follow in their footsteps.

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The biggest paddling event around was held in Madison, WI recently after a pandemic hiatus. I roamed the aisles in search of real world examples of what companies are doing when it comes to sustainability. Featured in this video:

• Gas growler refillable camping gas container that reduces waste, from Ignik Outdoors.
• Plastic packaging reduction from NRS
• Carbon NEGATIVITY from Biolite Stoves
• Wetsuits made from limestone instead of petroleum from Level Six
• Solar-powered factories from Thule
• Recycling efforts and wind power from Trailtopia adventure food
• Nontoxic ingredients and packaging reduction from Redbudsuds
• Waste-to-farm from Bending Branches paddles
• Non-toxic manufacturing processes from Lendal paddles
• Hemp and vegan water shoes from Astral

Thanks to all the manufacturers for your ongoing efforts to protect the planet, your employees and customers!

Plastic is everywhere, and it's hard to get rid of. It's cheap and protects its contents. But bags are especially hard to recycle, and recycling isn't a great solution anyways. Petroleum-based plastics stay in our environment for upwards of 1,000 years, contain toxic chemicals, and break down into microplastics that get into our water and our bodies. These companies are working to eliminate plastic polybags from their products, along with the Outdoor Industry's Plastic Impact Alliance:​
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• ​Fishing gear company Grundens uses bag made from material you can compost at home
  • The problem: Plastic bags are cheap and effective, but create waste, climate change emissions and they’re hard to recycle. Most compostable packaging needs the heat and microbes of commercial composting facilities to properly break down and not create planet-warming gases, but this bag will dissolve in a home compost bin.

• Board sports apparel maker Picture Organic says “No” to the bag, “Yes” to the band
  • As Picture grew their operations and logistics, at first they went along with standard convention in the industry to put everything in plastic bags. They questioned this need and dove into the specifics of how to best package different types of clothing. Beanies and hats didn’t need to be individually packaged at all. T-shirts, dresses and shorts could be “roll-packed” with a string or paper band. Technical gear could be folded further to reduce the size of bags. And along the way REI set a high bar for any of their suppliers that would ensure packaging waste was a priority. 
• NEMO works with DAC poles to eliminate 100,000 polybags in two years
  • Camping equipment maker NEMO started pulling product off their warehouse shelves and looked at what was actually necessary when it comes to packaging. Then they reached up the supply chain to the company that makes the poles for not only their tents, but for many in the industry, and worked with them to eliminate plastic bags that just weren’t needed. Now this change will work it’s way into other companies DAC supplies. This is a great example of working within the supply chain to spread environmental practices and make it easier for other companies to follow suit.

Eric Larsen's WisconsATHON featured 9 days of hiking, biking and kayaking across the state of Wisconsin.

These days everyone talks about partnerships and collaborations, but it’s usually between complementary companies and organizations, where joining together benefits both because they aren’t competitors.

The Outdoor Industry Association has turned this idea on its head. I’ll admit, until I heard OIA’s Jennifer Pringle give a keynote address at the recent Marketing and Innovation Campsight event, I had never heard the term “pre-competitive.”

As the trade association that advocates for the outdoor industry, OIA created the Sustainability Working Group, a sub-group of companies working together to share best practices and make sure that their products contain less chemicals, are more durable, treat animals well, pollute less, and are produced by employees earning a fair wage in respectable working conditions, all while making a profit for their owners or shareholders.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Nikki Hodgson (pictured), OIA’s Sustainable Business Innovation Manager, someone who’s dedication is obvious. When I asked why she is passionate about sustainability, her response gets to the core of why these people are able to set competition to the side and come together for the greater good: “At its most basic, I believe sustainability is the practice of asking ourselves, “how do we do this better?” and that’s something I feel we should be asking ourselves personally and professionally every single day.”

In coordination with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, and using measurement tools from the likes of Patagonia, Walmart and Nike, the Higg Index was developed. The index is “a suite of tools that enables brands, retailers, and facilities of all sizes — at every stage in their sustainability journey — to accurately measure and score a company or product’s sustainability performance. The Higg Index delivers a holistic overview that empowers businesses to make meaningful improvements that protect the well-being of factory workers, local communities, and the environment.” This video gives a great overview of the what and the why when it comes to OIA’s work on the Higg Index:

In true circular-economy fashion, there are a number of tools available for various steps in the lifecycle of a product, from design to manufacturing, retailing and finally the consumer. This is a massive project, and up until now the index has been mainly focused on industry professionals within the supply chain, and primarily for soft goods like clothing and accessories. The next step is integrating a model that consumers can use to differentiate products, and expanding to hard goods like snowboards, bikes and tents. They’ve already accomplished an enormous feat with over 130 outdoor companies adopting the Higg Index, representing over 8,000 factories worldwide.  

Think about this. In most industries players keep their cards close to their chest, keeping secret any new technology they’ve developed in order to get a competitive advantage. But here we have straight up direct competitors, literally sitting down at the same table and sharing what they are doing in an effort to be, well, GOOD HUMAN BEINGS. In an age of division and confrontation, these people are setting aside their own interests for the interests of all. It is truly a unique situation in the business world, an attitude that we could benefit from and I applaud them for doing what they can to make the world a better place.

When my lovely lady Elizabeth and I took a road trip to Asheville, NC for our anniversary I knew we had to visit a company called Astral. The core of their business has been PFDs (Personal Floatation Devices, or life jackets), but in recent years they’ve expanded into footwear. Their most unique products are basically water shoes that look like...well, shoes. Most paddlers are used to the standard issue footwear being something like a pair of Keens, Chacos or Tevas, and though they are great, Astral throws them for a loop by making essentially a shoe that drains and is meant to get soaked. We've done quite a bit of paddling this summer, and our Astrals have been perfect for walking on rocky bottoms, dragging the canoe to the put in, and walking around town after.

What’s the most surprising aspect of their sustainability? Well, first of all they’re vegan. Yes, there is such a thing as a vegan shoe. Basically, almost every shoe out there connects the upper to the sole using glue, and if you’re unaware, glue is made with animal products. So Astral has begun stitching their shoes together, harming no animals in the process.

Their PFDs also use a cool new filler that’s starting to really gain some traction, Kapok foam. The Kapok tree produces these crazy little pods that are filled with seeds and soft fibers, which can be turned into everything from fabric to foam. Since they are harvested after they naturally fall off trees there’s no harm done to the environment, and no toxic chemicals involved.  

They also use hemp as a material for some of their uppers, a plant that grows fast and dense, is resistant to many herbicides and pesticides, and is great for soil health.

Astral definitely likes to re-use leftover materials, since their LE9 jacket is made from scrap fabric, and their dog beds are made from extra pieces of foam. And aside from composting, recycling and managing water usage in their operations, they promote a love of the outdoors and the environment with #NatureFirst.

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Recently I took a snowboarding trip to Utah and needed to do a little pre-trip shopping. For someone with such an interest in outdoor gear I’m not one of those people with a garage full of goodies. The most sustainable piece of outdoor gear is the one you DON’T buy. But the couple pair I had were so stretched out from years of use that it was finally time to bite the bullet. So I went to REI and picked up a pair of Farm to Feet socks.
The sustainability story at Farm to Feet is overwhelmingly focused on Made in the United States. Sustainability is such a fluid concept with very few absolutes about which strategy is better than another in the inevitable give-and-take world of business, and I think this company brings up some interesting topics.

• For instance, the wool in their socks is made from American sheep. The good part is that the greenhouse gases from transportation for their raw materials from farm to manufacturing is low, and it supports American farmers. But they don’t address animal welfare, in particular the act of mulesing (Info on Responsible Wool). This may be more than you ever wanted to know about sheep butts, but this painful practice involves cutting away the skin around their anus so the hair doesn’t collect feces and attract flies that cause disease. It is a practice that has alternatives that are starting to become more common, but it is not addressed by either the manufacturer or the American Wool Council they refer to on the website.
• 100% U.S. Nylon and Spandex: Again, I think it’s great that they are sourcing locally, but what is the nylon and spandex made from? The positive is less greenhouse gases from American production and resulting American jobs, but it’s most likely made from traditional sources of petroleum.
• Paperboard and inks used in packaging are made in the USA as well, but the content itself isn’t addressed. If it’s virgin wood pulp from old growth forests with toxic inks, then that isn’t really helping too much.
• They also don’t address the dyeing process, one which is inevitably filled with a variety of toxic chemicals that can pollute the waterways around the factories and subject employees to off-gassing from working around the chemicals everyday.

So as for Farm to Feet the jury is still out for me. I think producing in the USA is a great goal and is very admirable to employ our fellow Americans. Sourcing local materials also cuts down on greenhouse gas production and keeps domestic jobs at the suppliers as well, but it seems like little attention is paid to the toxicity of the materials themselves, renewable materials, or animal welfare. Hopefully this is just the start of their sustainability journey.

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