And we don't mean that in the hackneyed way so often misused as marketing spin. We mean it in the all-encompassing way intended: people, planet and then profit. By seeking to be a high-growth business that - year on year - betters our own high standards for reduction in waste, water and energy use, and increase in reuse of waste plastic. And to do that while maintaining a 100-year vision of financial sustainability.

We're pragmatists who believe in progress over perfection, and we unquestionably acknowledge the truism that the best thing for the environment isn't more consumer products. But the world needs more companies to take the lead; to take responsibility making positive change; and far fewer of those that don't.

USING THE SMALLEST FOOTPRINT POSSIBLE

It’s a long road ahead, but we are ready for the ride. We’re only a few years into our journey, but we’ve made a pretty damn good start. Since 2019, through our commitment to using recycled fibre, and elimination of packaging & waste, we've:

We are a company based in New Zealand which is still (some might say: remarkably!) known as a clean, green part of the world, even if Kiwis have become some of the worst per capita polluters in the developed world. Our product manufacturing is done overseas in hand-picked facilities in Asia, USA, and Europe. Whilst travelling to these locations we noticed the very different levels of pollution. In China, during winter the air can be so thick with pollution that you can barely see 100m ahead. We started thinking about how terrible it is that as an outdoor brand, we are manufacturing our products in such a polluted part of the world and thus contributing to this destructive mess. We have a deep passion for the wild and believe that we have a duty to innovate in order to minimise our impact on the environment. Being able to hand the outdoor traditions down to our future generations is extremely important to us.

In November 2016 we began a 12-month review process. This review investigated the impact we have on the environment at every stage of our product lifecycle. We delved into all areas of the company, right through to our factories' supply lines, their supplier's supply lines, and the raw materials that go into our products, in order to estimate our overall waste footprint. From there we looked at what could be done to become an environmentally friendlier, more sustainable company.

During this review, we found some pretty nasty things; things we are quite ashamed of, but are not hiding from. Now that we are fully aware of these issues, we are able to turn these negatives around and contribute to the environment in a positive way. However, we have found that the price of being environmentally and socially responsible is significantly more than the industry standard. We also found the design time increases as more care has to be taken to ensure that we are doing things the sustainable way.

I would like to thank my team for supporting the company-wide initiative that we are all hoping will become an industry-wide initiative. We are continuing to review our supply lines at a great depth and as we develop new products to replace existing items, we are becoming more socially responsible and sustainable.

OUR PRODUCTION AND SUSTAINABILITY PHILOSOPHY CAN BE SUMMARISED AS:

We strive to achieve end-to-end recyclability, where our products and packaging are sourced from recycled materials and can be 100% recycled at the end of their life.

We opt for processes that are as gentle on the environment as possible, minimising consumption of water, chemicals and energy. This includes using suppliers who meet these requirements.

We make products that last longer, and we invest an immense amount of time in our R&D and product design to ensure we have uniquely innovative patterns and construction that minimise raw material wastage. This all adds up to better and more affordable for our customers who don't need to replace items as often and also results in less waste in our landfills.

This year we plan to launch our Re-worn initiative, giving our older gear a second life through our remediation and on-sale.