Ultimate Guide to the Most Sustainable Outdoor Brands
JUMP TO: THE IMPACT OF YOUR OUTDOOR GEAR | WHAT DOES SUSTAINABILITY MEAN? | WHAT MAKES A BRAND SUSTAINABLE? | THE MOST SUSTAINABLE OUTDOOR BRANDS
Author: Steve Edgerton | Updated: May 26, 2023
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Whether you enjoy the great outdoors through hiking, climbing, surfing, snowboarding, or beyond, developing an appreciation for and sense of responsibility towards the planet is inevitable.
By and large, outdoorsy folks care deeply about the places that nourish us. Minimizing our impact is ingrained into the ethics of every outdoor sport. But somewhat paradoxically, the gear that gets us outside and helps us deepen our appreciation for the natural world is embedded with an enormous environmental impact.
The production of outdoor gear is energy and water intensive. Products often include polluting microplastics and toxic chemicals. An average t-shirt demands 120 liters of water per wear. Multiply that a few thousand times over and… you get the idea: the outdoor gear we buy has a massive negative impact on the natural world — the very thing we purport to love and appreciate.
But not all outdoor gear is made equal. What it’s made from, how and where it’s made, how long it lasts, and what happens to it when it’s reached the end of its life can significantly minimize its environmental footprint.
Some outdoor brands do this far better than others. To help you navigate the rampant greenwashing and empty marketing claims, we’ve created this guide to help you understand the impacts of your gear, what sustainability really means, and what sustainable brands you should look for when investing in new gear.
THE IMPACT OF YOUR OUTDOOR GEAR
Fully exploring the environmental impacts of outdoor gear is beyond the scope of this article. But as part of the broader apparel industry, the extent of those impacts is sobering. Every piece of gear you own has embedded within it an enormous amount of freshwater and fossil fuels. To make it worse, the vast majority of our gear ends up in landfills, where it pollutes microplastics and emits even more greenhouse gasses.
Beyond resources used to manufacture and transport new products — and the implications for our land, water, and climate — a few key issues specific to outdoor gear include:
MICROPLASTIC POLLUTION: Gear made from synthetic fabrics like polyester and nylon are sources of microplastic pollution. Polyester fleece is particularly problematic.
Microplastics are tiny polymer particles that take millennia to degrade. They are washed into waterways before “bioaccumulating” and rising in concentrations further up the food chain: from algae to fish, and often upwards to ultimately be consumed by humans.
We’re only beginning to understand the profound effects of microplastic pollution on ecosystems and human health. But the more we learn, the worse it gets.
Microplastics under the microscope. Photo credit: Oregon Sea Grant.
FOREVER CHEMICALS: Waterproof gear — from jackets to tents to boots — often gain their water repellent properties from Per and Polyfluorinated chemicals, better known as PFCs. PFCs are “forever chemicals” because they never biodegrade. Rather, they continue to bioaccumulate, poisoning ecosystems and individual organisms.
Backcountry users swear by the maxim “pack it in, pack it out”. But if your waterproof gear contains PFCs, you’re guaranteed to be leaving behind toxic chemical residue. PFCs are the cause of fish die-offs and the development of tumors in wildlife and livestock. Prolonged human exposure is linked to certain cancers, birth defects, and autoimmune diseases.
There is a push in the industry to eliminate PFC waterproofing, but it is still widely used, thanks to its availability and exceptional performance.
ANIMAL AGRICULTURE: By many metrics, natural animal-sourced materials like merino wool and goose down are a more sustainable alternative to petroleum-based synthetic materials. They don’t shed microplastics into our water, they are biodegradable, and they can be more durable.
On the flip side, the down and wool industries are massively destructive, resource intensive, and often inhumane. Raising animals requires a lot of land and water, an inefficiency that ultimately creates more greenhouse gasses too. For example, producing a kilogram of wool emits an average of 46 kilograms of carbon dioxide, about two times more than polyester and nylon.
Further, gear like merino wool garments or goose down jackets and sleeping bags often combine natural fibers with synthetics. This improves durability but makes recycling or composting those natural fibers difficult or impossible.
Materials like wool might seem more sustainable, but even natural fibers have environmental costs.
WHAT DOES SUSTAINABILITY MEAN?
Before diving into the best sustainable outdoor brands, it is important to know exactly what “sustainability” means. The most succinct definition comes from the United Nations, which in the 1980s defined environmental sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
In more concrete terms, this means conserving land, protecting freshwater sources, avoiding toxic chemicals, and minimizing the release of polluting greenhouse gasses. Sustainability means minimizing the negative impacts of our stuff on the planet and on people. This includes people yet to be born.
Sustainability has become a buzzword, bandied about liberally by just about every brand these days, partly due to the term's somewhat ambiguous definition. But just because a brand claims to be sustainable does not necessarily always align with reality.
This empty form of environmental marketing is called greenwashing. With every brand claiming to be sustainable —and with insufficient regulations governing greenwashing claims — separating the environmental champions from the charlatans is difficult.
With this guide, our goal is to help you identify the outdoor brands genuinely committed to minimizing their impact.
WHAT MAKES A BRAND SUSTAINABLE?
Perhaps the hardest part about identifying the most sustainable outdoor gear is the tradeoffs inherent in every product. Merino wool is non-toxic and biodegradable, but is less durable and requires more land to produce. Waterproof chemicals and synthetic microfibers are sources of toxic pollution, but using less effective alternatives might mean replacing garments more frequently.
Ultimately, no brand or piece of gear is truly, completely sustainable. So, let’s state the simple, unsexy truth: the most sustainable gear is the gear you already have. Treat it with care and learn some gear repair essentials. Buying secondhand gear is the next best option.
But when buying new gear is necessary, some options are more sustainable than others. Certain brands are deeply invested in materials research, supply chain innovation, funding environmental initiatives, repair and recycling services, creating high-quality, durable products, and committing to sustainability certification programs.
This guide to the most sustainable outdoor brands strives to include a mix of big names you’re almost certain to find in your local gear store, along with some smaller trailblazers in sustainable gear.
While all have room to improve, they all back up their sustainability claims with legitimate action and transparent reporting on their environmental impact.
Patagonia
Patagonia’s commitment to the planet is synonymous with the brand itself. For decades, Patagonia was the industry leader in sustainable outdoor apparel. They were one of the first certified B Corporations and have always invested heavily in material design, supply chain sustainability, and product innovation. Their apparel prioritizes recycled synthetics, regenerative, organically grown cotton, and ethical merino wool.
Patagonia is aiming for their waterproof gear to be PFC-free by 2024, and they are nearly there. Through their Worn Wear program, Patagonia has created a secondhand gear marketplace and gear repair services. And perhaps best of all, the brand’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, recently transferred ownership of the company to the Patagonia Purpose Trust. This move guarantees that all corporate profits now go towards funding environmental programs around the world. It doesn’t get much better than that!
Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi is an American outdoor company specializing in packs and technical outerwear. Founded as a B Corp, solving poverty is central to the brand’s mission. Cotopaxi recognizes the role climate change and environmental degradation play in exacerbating economic inequality and has shown a commitment to minimizing the impact of its product line.
Cotopaxi aims to only use materials designated as responsible, recycled, or repurposed by 2025. The company is also certified as Climate Neutral and runs a gear repair and trade-in program.
Alpkit
Alpkit strives to make affordable cycling and mountain sports gear that sacrifices neither performance nor sustainability. The UK-based brand is a certified B Corp committed to an impressive list of environmental initiatives and certifications.
Alpkit’s design ethos is driven by its recognition that the most sustainable product is the one you never buy. They make products with a clear purpose, outstanding durability, and as much cross-over use as possible, all to minimize the number of items in a multi-sport athlete's closet. Through consumer surveys, they found that the average Alpkit down jacket is used for 11 years.
Since the vast majority of a product’s footprint comes from its manufacture and distribution, prioritizing durable, well-made gear is one of the best ways to minimize its impact. Alpkit has figured this out as well as anyone.
Vaude
Vaude is a German mountain sports gear manufacturer. Though perhaps not as recognizable to North Americans as other big-name outdoor gear manufacturers, Vaude has been designing high-quality gear since the 70s, and sustainability has always been the brand’s core value. They were the first outdoor brand to track the entire lifecycle of materials to eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals.
Vaude is Climate Neutral certified and uses materials in line with the sustainable and ethical standards of the Fair Trade Foundation, Bluesign, and the Global Organic Textile Standards. Their product line is 100% free of PFCs. Many items adhere to Vaude’s Green Shape label which strives to create energy-efficient, durable, and fully recyclable outdoor apparel and equipment.
Houdini
Most outdoor gear is still designed to follow a linear life cycle: it progresses from manufacturer to consumer to landfill. Swedish sportswear company Houdini is dedicated to reinventing that outdated and unsustainable approach to product design.
Houdini designs its gear in accord with the principles of circularity, or “closed loop” systems. At the end of a product’s useful life, all of its elements can be recycled into new gear or otherwise repurposed. Houdini stores and partner retailers have recycling units where you can return worn-out garments.
This approach means not mixing synthetic and biodegradable materials. For example, Houdini blends merino wool pieces with silk and lyocell Tencel to add durability without sacrificing biodegradability. The industry norm is to spin wool around a nylon core, which effectively cancels out the biodegradable benefits of wool.
The brand only uses materials that are recycled, recyclable, renewable, biodegradable, or Bluesign-certified. They are serious about eliminating microplastics and PFCs. And by emphasizing versatile, durable, and high-performing products that enable smaller wardrobes, Houdini ultimately strives to encourage less consumption.
Páramo
Páramo creates high-performing outdoor apparel. They were among the first clothing brands to offer a 100% PFC product line and the first outdoor company to sign onto the Greenpeace Detox Commitment, a campaign dedicated to addressing the environmental and human impact of the fashion industry.
Through industry-leading innovation and the use of Nikwax Directional Fabric Technology, Páramo gear is tested to match the performance of PFC-based waterproof gear. Their work blazed the trail for the industry-wide move away from these toxic chemicals that is currently underway.
Páramo apparel is impressively durable. You can expect a jacket to last you 15 years or longer. Their gear is easily re-waterproofed with non-toxic Nikwax. Trading in old gear for repair and recycling nets you a discount on future purchases, and they sell refurbished pieces on their secondhand store.
NNormal
NNormal is the brainchild of family-owned footwear company Camper and Kilian Jornet—the most accomplished trail runner and ski mountaineer in the world.
The brand reflects Jornet’s authentic commitment to sustainability. He has championed environmental initiatives for years through his own foundation. In 2022 he partnered with Camper and launched NNormal, seeking to push the limits of sustainability in outdoor gear.
NNormal’s flagship offering is trail running and hiking shoes. Their shoes feature timeless designs and muted colorways, a salve to the endless fashion cycles encouraging brands to pump out apparel that is out of style three months after hitting stores.
Durability and versatility also factor heavily into the brand’s footwear line. The shoes are not cheap, but you can get triple the mileage compared to other top-end trail running shoes. NNormal is a certified B Corp, 1% For the Planet Member, and fully invested in sustainability initiatives like circular product design and transparent impact reporting.
La Sportiva
La Sportiva, the legendary Italian mountain equipment manufacturer, has significantly ramped up its sustainability commitments in recent years. Their product design process seeks to align with their vision of “ecolution.” This design philosophy considers minimizing CO2 emissions, processing waste, and packaging as mandatory design outcomes of each La Sportiva product.
In practice, ecolution includes eliminating PFCs from their product line, working with Bluesign-certified suppliers, prioritizing recycled and biodegradable materials, and expanding their network of certified gear repair and footwear-resoling partners. The La Sportiva head offices and factories are also now powered by 100% renewable energy.
Continuing the theme shared by all sustainable outdoor brands, La Sportiva products are high-quality and last forever. There is a reason their apparel, footwear, and technical gear have been favored by serious mountain explorers for nearly a century.
MORE INFORMATION
For more discussion on sustainability and how it relates to the outdoor industry then check out the rest of our Sustainability 101 series:
Looking for more information on hiking and backpacking? Be sure to check out some of our other tips and gear reviews:
Or check out our entire Gear Reviews Page, our Knowledge Base Articles, or Destination Guides for more hiking, backpacking, and outdoors related content.
Happy hiking and take care out there in the wild!