The Happy Camper: Sustainable Outdoor Products

June 13, 2022

A lake in the shape of human footprints in the middle of a lush forest as a metaphor for the impact of human activity on the landscape and nature in general. 3d rendering.

You’d think being ecologically sustainable would be a given in every outdoor company. That’s not the case. There are numerous brands that cause more harm than good when it comes to pollutants, water consumption, energy waste, C02 emissions and animal cruelty.

However, there are also businesses that consciously make the decision to ensure environmental, social and economic sustainability—and actually profit from it.

Patagonia and Arc’teryx have created used gear trade-in programs where you hand in your used clothing, they resell it at a discount price, and you receive credit based on the original price.

Badger Paddles has a FOREST EDITION project where for every canoe paddle purchased, one tree is planted. Seedling purchases and planting efforts are coordinated through One Tree Planted.

Woolpower has their own factory in Östersund and makes use of renewable electricity. The waste fabric from their production line gets recycled into felt insoles and sit pads. And the sheep that produce the wool are treated humanely, are well-fed, live natural and healthy lives, and are not subjected to harmful practices like mulesing (removal of skin strips around the sheep’s anus—without anesthetics—to deter the blowfly from laying eggs).

Smartwool is another sustainable wool clothing producer that make sure the sheep that produce their wool are treated humanely, the wool growers are treated fairly, and the farms work to minimize their impact on the environment. They also have the Second Cut program, where you send in unwanted socks (any brand) and they turn them into new goods rather than ending up in the landfill.

Kupilka is eco-dishware made from biomaterial and manufactured in Finland, achieving zero C02 emissions during the manufacturing process. At the end of the life span, Kupilka products can be recycled, incinerated for heat energy or returned to the manufacturer for re-use.

KEEN, a footwear manufacturer, has been on a journey for many years now to eliminate pollutants and use materials that favour sustainability. At this point, they are 95 per cent PFC-free and have eliminated over 150 tons of fluorinated chemicals from being released into the environment. They also created insoles that are infused with Eco Anti-Odor that uses probiotics, not pesticides. Good for the bees and still good for controlling foot odor. KEEN also uses tanneries that reduce chemicals, energy usage and water pollution.