REMEMBER YOUR Rs
Reduce
It’s estimated that we Britons have around £10bn of clothing loitering unworn in our wardrobes. We produce over 200,000 tonnes of textile waste each year, of which more than half ends up in landfill. So before you click the ‘buy’ button, it’s worth asking yourself whether you really need that new jacket/rucksack/pair of boots.
When you do need to buy new, aim for versatility and durability. While the initial outlay may be higher, you’ll find yourself repaid many times over in performance and longevity.
Repair & reproof
Perhaps someone you know is handy with a sewing machine. Or you could give it a go yourself – it’s amazing how achievable simple repairs can be with YouTube as your guide. And Patagonia’s online repair tutorials are both useful and entertaining. For more technical repairs, many brands offer a service for their own products, while companies such as Alpkit, Lancashire Sports Repairs and Scottish Mountain Gear will mend any brand for a reasonable fee.
Cleaning and reproofing kit is an easy and effective way to give it a new lease of life. Look for non-toxic options such as those from Grangers and Nikwax to restore the beading to soggy waterproofs, the loft to flattened feathers, and the freshness to anti-social base layers.
Reuse & repurpose
There’s a wealth of places to pick up secondhand or unwanted gear at a fraction of RRP. Charity shops are well worth a look, particularly in outdoorsy towns, while the Outdoor Gear Exchange and Outdoor Kit Exchange Facebook groups are good places to buy and sell kit online. Unwanted kit can also be donated to worthy causes: Gift Your Gear, Alpkit’s Continuum Project and Gear Forward all supply outdoor gear to youth projects; ReRun and the No Wear To Run campaign reuse active wear; while tents and sleeping bags can be distributed by homeless charities.
Old kit can be really handy for repairs. Worn-out jackets and rucksacks can be dismantled and cut up for patches and spares. Some brands are embracing their leftovers too. Fjällräven’s brand-new Samlaren range is made using offcuts. Finisterre’s
Fabric Use Up Project repurposes scrap material to make accessories. And many of Cotopaxi’s products are made entirely from remnants.
Recycle
If you’ve exhausted all other options, some brands, like Paramo, will take their own gear back for responsible recycling. Local doorstep schemes and clothing banks accept kit to be recycled or reused. French company Re:Down works with textile banks across Europe, collecting down products to be cleaned and reused, reducing the amount of energy and water required compared with processing the raw materials. Mountain Equipment’s Down Cycle project works with Re:Down, producing clothing and sleeping bags insulated with 100% recycled down.
Many items of outdoor kit are made from multiple fabrics, making them difficult to recycle. When buying new, look for recyclable products, designed to be part of a circular system rather than single-use. Natural fabrics, such as cotton, bamboo and wool will naturally biodegrade and can also be composted.
Rebel
Lobby your local government to improve biodiversity and car-free travel. Support organisations that are doing things well, and research thoroughly before carbon offsetting. Tree planting is easy, but catastrophic if not done properly. Choose organisations that plant native trees and look after them as they grow, such as Trees for Life and Trees not Tees here in the UK, or internationally the Global Trees Campaign.