From Spring 2020, new packaging from Marmot, a globally-distributed brand of high-performance, technical clothing and equipment, aims to ‘put sustainability front and center in the outdoor shopping experience.’ With the launch of its Sustainability Initiative, Marmot products will feature a transparent rating system that helps consumers to understand the sustainability footprint of every product throughout the entire Marmot outerwear and sleeping bag lines.
In a statement, the company noted, ‘When consumers are informed about how products are made and where they land on the rating system they can make informed shopping decisions with clarity and confidence.’
Marmot uses what it describes as a robust and accurate process to rate each product for three key supply chain impact areas – recycled content, PFC-free chemical compliance and overall harmful chemical reduction. Marmot’s three-tiered rating system will be listed clearly on the packaging, identifying the product as ‘Good’ as it cleared one threshold; ‘Better’ as it cleared two categories and ‘Best’ meaning the product cleared the threshold for all three categories.
Director of Brand Chris Harges stated, “Marmot is committed to sustainable business practices because we value it and because our consumers value it. This is part of an ongoing process we have been working on for years. Our goal has always been to make high-performance gear, and we’ll continue pursuing sustainability for our users without sacrificing performance.”
Marmot acknowledges that some products can be made more sustainably than others and it is an approach that puts responsibility at the forefront of the agenda in consumers’ product assessment in-store. Such transparency can only be welcomed in the outdoor industry as another step forward in raising awareness and sustaining change.
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