RUSH TO SUSTAINABLE
Reduce, reuse, recycle and, in some cases, grow it. Sustainability continues to be the buzzword from just about every apparel brand. They continue to cut nasty chemicals and reduce water and energy consumption. Among all the competition, a few efforts stand out.
Hestra Sarek Ecocuir Gloves
Not only does it make some of the best-fitting and longest-lasting gloves, it does it with third-partycertified, environmentally friendly manufacturing and management—and has been since the mid-’90s. Of note, the Sarek Ecocuir is one of several models that come with leather tanned without the use of heavy metals like chromium. $200; hestragloves.com
Primaloft Bio
With synthetic clothing shedding tiny bits into watersheds and the food chain, PrimaLoft developed Bio to stop the micro-plastic problem. Bio is a 100% recycled plastic insulation that contains glucose. Chuck a Bio product into a landfill and bacteria will break it down until it’s undetectable. Find it in Maloja’s Lobessa Jacket, an insulated, resortfocused beauty. $439; maloja.de, primaloft.com
Salomon runner to ski boot
As part of the French company’s efforts to create a circular economy, designers spent 18 months creating a fully recyclable running shoe made from thermoplastic polyurethane, or TPU. When the concept shoe has run its final kilometre, Salomon can break it down into TPU beads, melt those down, inject them into a boot mould and voila (providing that owners are committed to returning them to Salomon). What was once a running shoe is now a ski boot shell. Still in development, the running shoe and subsequent ski boot should be available in 2021. salomon.com
MountainFLOW Eco-wax
Replacing petroleum for plants—that’s MountainFLOW’s mission. The company has spent the last two years testing 200 formulations