DARN TOUGH

Willoughby Micro Crew Sock

RRP: £30 Target price: £25

If the outdoor industry had a Prize for Painful Honesty, Darn Tough would win hands-down. Most eco-concerned brands will focus on the positives, but Vermont-based sockmakers Darn Tough want to tell you the whole truth, warts and all. Click the Sustainability tab on their website and they’ll tell you exactly what ecological issues they face and how good – or bad – they are at resolving them. They’ll explain that carbon is released by sheep burps (which clearly they can’t do much about, being as merino wool is a vital part of their offering) and that even with the strictest standards in place, the washing and dyeing process still consumes large amounts of water and releases carbon and chemicals. They’ll explain how they seek to offset these and other challenges, and tell you which self-imposed targets they’ve hit, and which they are still working on. They do the same with animal welfare too. Their primary solution to these issues is to promise you ‘the longest-lasting socks you’ve ever owned’. The brand wants to a) create less stuff, b) help us buy less stuff, and c) keep stuff out of landfill.

Thus comes their Unconditional Lifetime Guarantee: a no-quibble returns policy that applies if your socks fail or wear out before you think they should. Obviously there’s a carbon implication to exchanging products in this way, but any socks that do get returned are studied for ways to improve the design, then sent on for upcycling. But I can’t imagine they get many returns; we’re still using Darn Tough socks we tested ten years ago. If you’re looking for a new pair, try the

Willoughby Micro Crew edition: perfect for summer hiking. NH wiggle.co.uk

WHAT COULD BE BETTER?

It’d be great if any returned socks could be recycled as socks rather than sent onwards to become something else; Darn Tough say that isn’t yet possible.