REDUCE. REUSE. RECYCLE.
A GUIDE TO REYCLED PRODUCTS
Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.” This is a familiar phrase taught to us as kids to help us learn about conservation and environmental protection.
As adults, it’s important to continue these sustainable practices to help preserve the outdoors that we all enjoy and love. We must preserve it for the generations to come.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. To pursue sustainability is to create and maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support present and future generations.”
There are countless ways to reduce your environmental footprint and become more involved and aware. With many initiatives that center around environmental protection, education and clean-up at the global and local levels, it simply takes the effort and determination to do so.
One of the rst places to start an environmentally responsible journey is at home and in our own closets and garage. We all own gear, and many of us have an abundance of it. Hopefully, it’s of high quality and will last for many trips and adventures. However, if it becomes damaged, the rst step should be to consider having it xed, handed down or recycled, rather than simply throwing it away. Many outdoor brands have adopted the “planet rst” mentality and have introduced programs and products that meet these goals.
Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, launched a campaign decades ago with the headline, “Don’t Buy This Jacket,” with the intent to encourage people to consider the effect of consumerism on the environment and to purchase only what they need. This went along with Patagonia’s “Common Threads Initiative,” asking its customers to buy only what they need, repair what breaks, and re-use or recycle everything else. This philosophy holds true to this day and is one that many other brands have followed.
Bene ts of Recycling
The use of recycled products has grown exponentially in recent years. By using recycled materials, the need for raw materials decreases, which requires less energy and water to produce and cuts down the amount of plastic and other materials that end up in land lls—or even worse, left out in nature.
Current technology and innovation have decreased the stigma of poor-quality products that come from recycling. Plastic bottles are recycled and used for clothing and gear. From outerwear to backpacks and even tents, brands are nding ways to reduce their environmental impact and produce products more sustainably.
Look for the 'Bluesign'
There are options to borrow or rent gear, but if you do plan to invest in new gear and clothing, one thing to look for as you shop is Bluesign certi cation, which can often be found in the form of a label on the product.
The painstaking process toward receiving the certi cation monitors the journey of materials from factory to nal product. Certi cation is set with stringent standards in place for the highest degree of safety for the consumer; manufacturing with the lowest possible impact on people and the environment; and the responsible use of resources to help protect workers from exposure to chemicals.
You can also choose to support companies that have dedicated their business to be held accountable and are veri ed to improve their social and environmental performance. “Certi ed B” corporations balance purpose and pro t and are legally required to consider the impact of their decisions on their workers, suppliers, community and the environment.
The “B Corp” certi cation is to business what the Fair Trade certi cation is to coffee. There are close to 4,000 companies that have participated and passed this rigorous process, including Patagonia, Klean Kanteen, Kammock and others.
Making informed decisions about purchases is just one step in helping improve the environment and the outdoors, in which we spend so much time. We’ve highlighted a few products in this guide— from drawer systems to apparel and much more—that use recycled materials.
"THERE ARE COUNTLESS WAYS TO REDUCE YOUR
ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT AND BECOME MORE INVOLVED AND AWARE."