April 22, 2024
Found in “Community news, Gear”
It may be Earth Month, but at MEC, reflecting on our impact on the planet is a year-round commitment – and has continued to be since day one.
Every tent we make and backpack we sell has an impact on both people and planet, from sourcing materials to packaging orders. Understanding how our outdoor gear is made and produced helps us make more informed, meaningful decisions – purchase power can be a real difference-maker. That’s why we’ve got a roundup of some of our favourite outdoor brands doing big things to help the environment. Indestructible duffle bags built with never-before-seen recycled materials, PFA-free puffy jackets and brands that help plant trees, this list is chock-full of innovative gear breaking new trail on our collective climate journey.
Patagonia
Instead of “going public” Patagonia is “going purpose” by making Earth their only shareholder as of 2022. For over 50 years they’ve continued to push the innovation threshold when it comes to products that put the planet first. In the new iteration of their iconic Black Hole® collection including products like the fan-favourite Patagonia Black Hole Duffle and Patagonia Black Hole 25L Daypack, you’ll notice a matte finish instead of the recognizable sheen. Why? Because they’ve made the switch to a new recycled TPU finish that decreases their carbon emissions by up to 91% per kilogram compared to its counterpart — the shine is gone, but for good reason. This is the first use of recycled TPU in the industry and helps Patagonia work towards their goal of 100% recycled gear across their entire line – incredible! Learn more about recycled TPU and Patagonia’s Environmental Responsibility program below.
Keen
Keen has taken big strides to eliminate all PFAs, or per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, from their footwear since 2018 – a huge accomplishment. PFAs are a group of over 4,700 human-made substances that can be found in anything from non-stick cookware to cosmetics and firefighting foams (yikes). It’s no surprise that these “forever chemicals” can have adverse effects on our health and our environment and are super hard to remove because of how persistent they are. To help other brands make the change, Keen condensed their 10,000 hours of work into a 12-page Green Paper to help other brands eliminate these extremely toxic chemicals broadly used in outdoor footwear.
NEMO
NEMO Equipment created the Endless Promise® collection with one goal: to help keep products out of the landfill. Each piece of gear in this collection is engineered for total recyclability, so once you’ve racked up a lifetime of adventures with your favourite gear, you can give it new life. How cool is that?
Kathmandu
Kathmandu is also working on making their gear fully recyclable, so at the end of its life, it can become something new. The Heli R Jacket incorporates recycled polyester, liner fabric, trims, details and zipper tape. Every Heli R jacket has its own unique QR code, you can scan this to see the full history of the jacket, from inception to creation and delivery. That’s some next level transparency in the name of environmental accountability.
EDELRID
EDELRID’s 3R collection – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – is a collection of equipment that meets the highest standards of responsible manufacturing. EDELRID’s 1R line consists of their ECO Dry ropes that are PFC and PFAS free as well as their bluesign certified harnesses, ropes and chalk bags. The Swiss bluesign® system certification is one of the most rigorous standards for textile production out there. A few of our favorite EDELRID bluesign at MEC? The Tommy Caldwell Rodeo Chalk Bag and Sirana TC Harness. EDELRID’s 2R products are led by the Boa Eco 9.8mm rope, where the sheath is made from left over yarns from their standard rope production and the Drone Rope Bag, made from upcycled, remnant fabric. The 3R pinnacle products are the Zodiac 3R Helmet, the first part-recycled helmet on the market, the Neo 3R 9.8mm, the first recycled rope and made from 50% recycled content, and the Moe 3R harness, which uses recycled polyester foam and fleece. Want to learn more about EDELRID’s sustainability initiatives? Click the link below.
In the Zodiac 3R Helmet, the shell and inner foam are made from melted down ropes, plus it’s super light.” - Tommy Caldwell
tentree
tentree plants trees for every item sold, and since they started at MEC we’ve planted over 2.8 million trees together – that’s huge! All tentree products are made using only sustainably sourced fabrics or recycled materials, and they’ve even started using organic regenerative cotton in select items to help ecosystems stay healthy. This Earth Month tentree has launched a cool new project: Tune into Nature, designed to help you unwind to the natural sounds of locations from around the globe.
