Sustainability

The DOWN CODEX® scheme was developed by Mountain Equipment to manage and reduce risk in their down supply chains, and to ensure that both animal welfare and quality were put at the heart of each and every one of their down products.

• The down does not come from birds which have been live plucked or live harvested
• The down does not come from birds which have been force-fed
• The down should be from birds which have raised in good conditions and to high standards of animal welfare
• The down should be a by-product of the meat industry and come from birds which have been humanely slaughtered.

Down Cycle is a new initiative from Mountain Equipment aimed at introducing a closed loop recycling system for their down products.  Products bearing this logo have been created using recycled down, which reduces the resources used in down production and product manufacture. In the future Mountain Equipment aim to use down recycled from their own products. 

The goal of the Downpass standard is to contribute to the ethical sourcing of down and feathers, and to help companies to support animal welfare during the sourcing of feathers and down in everyday business, by reviewing suppliers in the industry supply chain. Members of the Downpass are predominantly manufacturers of duvets, pillows and garments filled with down and feathers, as well as components for the production of these articles and other finished products. The current version of the standard was launched in January 2017 and excludes material from foie gras production, down and feathers from live animals and also sets standards for rearing control. The Downpass is the standard for consumers wishing to use ethically sourced down and feathers, whilst also accounting for the small-scale structure of sourcing. Downpass is formed around standards laid out in the European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes which focuses on correct animal husbandry and quality requirements for feathers and down. With Downpass, both end-products (e.g. sleeping bags and down jackets) and down and feather transport containers can be traced all the way back through the chain of custody.

The Global Traceable Down Standard (Global TDS) ensures that down in garments and other household and commercial products comes from a responsible source that respects animal welfare and can be transparently traced. Down is a byproduct of the food industry. In this down supply chain, birds may be force fed for foie gras production or even live plucked to get more than one harvest of down from a single bird. The Global TDS goes beyond current industry practice to include the parent farm in the auditing while other programs start at the hatchery. Because parent farm animals live longer, they are at greater risk for live plucking. Animal welfare is evaluated by visually inspecting animals and verifying handling practices with veterinarians and others directly in contact with the animals.

The Global TDS also involves a chain of custody component that verifies that traceability systems are in place throughout the entire supply chain. Full traceability provides assurance that conventional down has not been mixed with certified down. Certification is provided not only at the product level but as a whole to the full supply chain feeding into the product line. Originally developed by Patagonia, and then taken over by the independent NSF International, which has provided public health and environment certification programmes since 1944.

The LWG was founded in England in 2005, and works to implement sustainable, transparent structures in the leather industry. Since leather processing is a particularly environmentally damaging method of production, the Leather Working Group wants to make the conditions in tanneries and with distributors more transparent towards a sustainable change. This includes manufacturers not using any potentially critical substances, and reducing their heavy consumption of water and energy. Workplace safety is also checked regularly.

The Responsible Down Standard is an independent, voluntary global standard, which means that companies can choose to certify their products to the RDS, even if there is no legislation requiring them to do so. The RDS was developed and revised over three years, with the input of animal welfare groups, industry experts, brands and retailers.

It's a third-party certification standard that can be applied to any waterfowl-based supply chain to help ensure humane treatment of animals from hatchling to end product. The goal of the RDS is to recognize and encourage best practices in animal welfare and to enable traceability so that products can be labeled accurately and consumers can make informed choices. Developed with the North Face who then gifted the standard to Textile Exchange to carry forward.

The Responsible Wool Standard is an independent, voluntary global standard that addresses the welfare of sheep and of the land they graze on. It recognises the best practices of farmers; ensuring that wool comes from farms with a progressive approach to managing their land, and from sheep that have been treated responsibly.

The Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) is part of the Textile Exchange suite of standards, developed to allow consumers to choose a product where the welfare of animals and best practice of land management have been upheld. The standard is based around respecting the Five Freedoms of the animal welfare:
• Freedom from hunger and thirst
• Freedom from discomfort
• Freedom from pain, injury or disease
• Freedom to express normal behaviour
• Freedom from fear and distress
To achieve certification all stages of production are monitored and the wool tracked. This is achieved through annual auditing by independent third-party bodies.

Contains no animal derived products

ZQ Merino is a wool certification, developed and owned by The New Zealand Merino Company Ltd.  ZQ is recognised by ISO/IEC 17065:2012 and all auditing is done by third party services. Uses five freedoms as above for RWS, but also includes standards relating to environmental sustainability, fibre quality, traceability and social responsibility. Animal welfare stds include no mulesing and no live international transport.

An environmental charity funded by donations from 1% the profits made by signed up brands and retailers. Since it's creation by Yvon Chouinard and Craig Matthews, more than $225 million has been sent to support approved environmental nonprofits. 

B Corp Certification doesn’t just evaluate a product or service; it assesses the overall positive impact of the company that stands behind it. And increasingly that’s what people care most about.

Certified B Corporations achieve a minimum verified score on the B Impact Assessment—a rigorous assessment of a company’s impact on its workers, customers, community, and environment—and make their B Impact Report transparent on bcorporation.net. Certified B Corporations also amend their legal governing documents to require their board of directors to balance profit and purpose.

The combination of third-party validation, public transparency, and legal accountability help Certified B Corps build trust and value. B Corp Certification is administered by the non-profit B Lab.

“In Life We Are All Climbers”

Through the worldwide climbing community, CAC aims to increase awareness and raise funds for research in the continued fight against a disease that affects so many. Climbers Against Cancer is a non-profit organisation, with all proceeds donated directly to cancer research facilities throughout the world.

UK-based non-profit environmental organisation established in 1989. Its primary aims are to ensure conservation of plants, animals and natural communities in areas at risk. For this purpose, it privately funds the purchase of large tracts of land by local NGOs for the purposes of protecting it.

B Corp Certification doesn’t just evaluate a product or service; it assesses the overall positive impact of the company that stands behind it. And increasingly that’s what people care most about.

Certified B Corporations achieve a minimum verified score on the B Impact Assessment—a rigorous assessment of a company’s impact on its workers, customers, community, and environment—and make their B Impact Report transparent on bcorporation.net. Certified B Corporations also amend their legal governing documents to require their board of directors to balance profit and purpose.

The combination of third-party validation, public transparency, and legal accountability help Certified B Corps build trust and value. B Corp Certification is administered by the non-profit B Lab.

The bluesign® label assures you that only companies which act responsibly were involved in the manufacture of the product - throughout the supply chain. They have used the best technologies available, used resources responsibly and taken care to minimise the impacts on people and the environment. With your purchase of products that carry the bluesign® PRODUCT label, you are supporting companies in their sustainable development and becoming a part of a unique movement.

As an independent authority, BLUESIGN checks the progress that a company has made, provides continual further development of solutions and continuously optimises its criteria. This covers not only the textile manufacturer and accessory manufacturers but also chemical suppliers. 

Avoids the use of solvents, PVC and phthalates in textile dyeing.

Green Screen is a globally recognised tool that identifies hazardous chemicals and their safer alternatives. GreenScreen Assessment results can help inform chemical selection decisions at the product design stage, during replacement of hazardous chemicals in existing products, and in procurement. Recognised by ZDHC as an indicator of level 1 MRSL conformance.

Durable water repellent (or DWR) coatings are used to keep the rain on the outside of your coats, bags and shoes. However, until very recently they were manufactured using manmade perfluorocarbons (PFCs) which don't break down naturally, accumulate in the bodies of animals and are increasingly linked with harms to the environment and human health.

There are minimal risks associated with PFC based DWR coatings on your individual jacket; however, the manufacturing process does release pollution, and traces of PFC can be found in the farthest flung corners of the planet. Therefore many brands are coming up with new materials and processes which avoid PFC use.

STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® is one of the world's best-known labels for textiles tested for harmful substances. It stands for customer confidence and high product safety.

If a textile article carries the STANDARD 100 label, you can be certain that every component of this article, i.e. every thread, button and other accessories, has been tested for harmful substances and that the article therefore is harmless for human health.

ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX® is an independent testing and certification system for chemicals, colourants and auxiliaries used to manufacture textiles. A three-stage verification process analyses whether the chemical products and each individual ingredient meet specific requirements with regard to sustainability, safety and compliance with statutory regulations. Products carrying this certification use greener chemistry!

STeP by OEKO-TEX® stands for Sustainable Textile & Leather Production and it's a modular certification system for production facilities in the textile and leather industry. STeP enables an integrated view of production conditions from sustainable perspectives. The independent OEKO-TEX® institutes carry out analysis and scoring in 6 modules:

• Chemicals management
• Environmental performance
• Environmental management
• Social responsibility
• Quality management
• Health protection and safety at work

Made by a company which has reduced energy consumption or produced energy during the production process, either to be reused within the production system, or to be used by local national energy suppliers.

Made using a process which reduces water usage or recycles water within the production process. 

ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme is a coalition of fashion brands, supply chain affiliates and associates, which supports safer chemical management practices across the entire value chain. Together they encourage the global textile, leather, apparel and footwear value chain to substitute hazardous chemicals for safer ones in the production process.

• Input Focus seeks to change the way products are made by restricting input chemicals rather than trying to eliminate them in effluents and products.
• Process Focus works on good chemical management practices and supply chain implementation of ZDHC tools.
• Output Focus works on support and verification.

Product is made from 100% recycled materials

B Corp Certification doesn’t just evaluate a product or service; it assesses the overall positive impact of the company that stands behind it. And increasingly that’s what people care most about.

Certified B Corporations achieve a minimum verified score on the B Impact Assessment—a rigorous assessment of a company’s impact on its workers, customers, community, and environment—and make their B Impact Report transparent on bcorporation.net. Certified B Corporations also amend their legal governing documents to require their board of directors to balance profit and purpose.

The combination of third-party validation, public transparency, and legal accountability help Certified B Corps build trust and value. B Corp Certification is administered by the non-profit B Lab.

The bluesign® label assures you that only companies which act responsibly were involved in the manufacture of the product - throughout the supply chain. They have used the best technologies available, used resources responsibly and taken care to minimise the impacts on people and the environment. With your purchase of products that carry the bluesign® PRODUCT label, you are supporting companies in their sustainable development and becoming a part of a unique movement.

As an independent authority, BLUESIGN checks the progress that a company has made, provides continual further development of solutions and continuously optimises its criteria. This covers not only the textile manufacturer and accessory manufacturers but also chemical suppliers. 

Down Cycle is an initiative from Mountain Equipment aimed at introducing a closed loop recycling system for their down products.  Products bearing this logo have been created using recycled down, which reduces the resources used in down production and product manufacture. In the future Mountain Equipment aim to use down recycled from their own products. 

EU Ecolabel Textiles products meet criteria that guarantee:
✓ Limited use of substances harmful to health and environment
✓ Reduction in water and air pollution
✓ Colour resistance to perspiration, washing, wet and dry rubbing and light exposure.

Once it's on your products, the EU Ecolabel guarantees

• A more sustainable fibre production
• A durable product
• A less polluting production process
• Strict restrictions on the use of hazardous substances

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) was established in 1993 to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests, in recognition over concerns of global deforestation. It is a non-governmental, independent and not-for-profit organisation which operates as a forum. Through democratic process it agrees global consensus towards responsible forest management and effects solutions to address the pressures confronting the world’s forests.

FSC certification is a global voluntary market-based tool by which certified products are verified initially at the forest of origin and followed through the supply chain. It certifies that products used are from responsibly harvested and verified sources. The FSC does not issue certificates itself, rather the certification process is undertaken by independent certification bodies which have to comply with an extensive set of ruless.

This standard is for textile products produced from recycled materials. A product comprised of 20% recycled pre or post-consumer content can be considered. Originally developed by the global certification business ‘Control Union’, this standard is now operated by Textile Exchange. It applies to the supply chain of recycled materials and verifies chain of custody within it to ensure that a common definition of pre and post-consumer recycled material is met. It now also includes environmental requirements in relation to record keeping, wastewater and energy management and air emissions.

Developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), the Higg Index is a robust and demanding suite of tools that enables brands, retailers, and facilities of all sizes — at every stage in their sustainability journey — to accurately measure and score a company or product’s sustainability performance. The 'Brands and Retailers Higg Index' assesses a product’s lifecycle structure from materials sourcing through its end of use, enabling businesses to make meaningful improvements that protect the well-being of factory workers, local communities, and the environment.

The SAC developed a range of qualitative questions on manufacturing, materials and packaging, that when responded to, gauge a product’s sustainable and environmental performance. This in turn allows for comparisons and improvements to be made, either through changes to design or production. 

Contains 100% recycled materials. The RCS is a chain of custody standard to track recycled raw materials through the supply chain. The standard was developed through work by the Materials Traceability Working Group, part of Outdoor Industry Association’s Sustainability Working Group. 

Contains recycled materials. The RCS is a chain of custody standard to track recycled raw materials through the supply chain. The standard was developed through work by the Materials Traceability Working Group, part of Outdoor Industry Association’s Sustainability Working Group. 

SCS Recycled Content Standard specifies the percentage of recycled content based on rigorous analysis of the inputs of a manufacturing process, and it will never certify that a product contains recycled content of an indeterminate quantity.

Contains some recycled materials

B Corp Certification doesn’t just evaluate a product or service; it assesses the overall positive impact of the company that stands behind it. And increasingly that’s what people care most about.

Certified B Corporations achieve a minimum verified score on the B Impact Assessment—a rigorous assessment of a company’s impact on its workers, customers, community, and environment—and make their B Impact Report transparent on bcorporation.net. Certified B Corporations also amend their legal governing documents to require their board of directors to balance profit and purpose.

The combination of third-party validation, public transparency, and legal accountability help Certified B Corps build trust and value. B Corp Certification is administered by the non-profit B Lab.

The bluesign® label assures you that only companies which act responsibly were involved in the manufacture of the product - throughout the supply chain. They have used the best technologies available, used resources responsibly and taken care to minimise the impacts on people and the environment. With your purchase of products that carry the bluesign® PRODUCT label, you are supporting companies in their sustainable development and becoming a part of a unique movement.

As an independent authority, BLUESIGN checks the progress that a company has made, provides continual further development of solutions and continuously optimises its criteria. This covers not only the textile manufacturer and accessory manufacturers but also chemical suppliers. 

By joining ETI, a company agrees to demonstrate a clear commitment to ethical trade, to integrate ethical trade into core business practices, and to tackle any issues that arise in the supply chain.  Companies report annually on their efforts and the results they achieve at farm or factory level.

The ETI Base Code is founded on the conventions of the  International Labour Organisation (ILO) and is an internationally recognised code of good labour practice. It is viewed as a global reference standard and is widely used as a benchmark against which to conduct social audits and develop ethical trade action plans.

The Fair Labour Association is a collaboration of socially responsible companies, colleges and universities, and civil society organizations, which creates lasting solutions to abusive labour practices by offering tools and resources to companies, delivering training to factory workers and management, conducting due diligence through independent assessments, and advocating for greater accountability and transparency from companies, manufacturers, factories and others involved in global supply chains.

FLA holds Participating Companies accountable for monitoring 100% of their supply chains for compliance with FLA standards, and FLA conducts independent assessments of a random sample of each company's supplier factories.

Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. Fairtrade Standards are designed to support the sustainable development of small producer organizations and agricultural workers in developing countries. They incorporate social, economic and environmental criteria and incorporate core requirements and development requirements aimed at future improvements.

Fair Trade certified products have been created using companies who work with their supply chains to:

• pay prices that aim to cover the average costs of producing their crop sustainably – a vital safety net when market prices drop
• add The Fairtrade Premium – an extra sum of money paid on top of the selling price to invest in business or community projects of their choice
• operate with decent working conditions and a ban on discrimination, forced labour and child labour
• advance credit ahead of harvest time
• assist with future planning by offering more security and stronger relationships with buyers
•  All contractors and sub-contractors must submit to audits.

'The Fairtrade Textile Standard addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives. It is part of the Fair Trade program and applies to the supply of fair trade cotton and other sustainable fibres. Weavers, ginners, knitters and Cut-make-trim workers are included along with brand owners purchasing finished textiles.

All contractors and sub-contractors must submit to audits. Other requirements include: workers must be paid a living wage; workplace health and safety must meet Fair Trade requirements, and grievance proceedures must be available to workers. Health and safety requirements also feed into environmental protocols, which include controlling chemical use and practices. The Standard has its own list of prohibited materials and and substances of high concern that relate specifically to textiles.

The Fair Wear Foundation was started in 1999. It is an international verification program aimed at improving workers’ lives, through the use of the FWF Code of Labour practices. Its membership currently consists of around 130 brands in Europe that have manufacturing operations in countries including Turkey, Bangladesh and China. The Foundation utilises a ‘Brand Performance Check’ tool to report and appraise the undertakings of its members.

There are eight labour standards which are the basis for the FWF Code of Labour Practices. These are:

• No forced labour
• No discrimination of workers
• No child labour
• Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
• Payment of a living wage
• No excessive overtime
• Safe and healthy workplaces
• Legal labour contracts

It is the responsibility of the FWF member to monitor the labour conditions in the organisations and factories they work with. This involves regular factory inspections and improvements implemented.

Developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), the Higg Index is a robust and demanding suite of tools that enables brands, retailers, and facilities of all sizes — at every stage in their sustainability journey — to accurately measure and score a company or product’s sustainability performance. The 'Brands and Retailers Higg Index' assesses a product’s lifecycle structure from materials sourcing through its end of use, enabling businesses to make meaningful improvements that protect the well-being of factory workers, local communities, and the environment.

The SAC developed a range of qualitative questions on manufacturing, materials and packaging, that when responded to, gauge a product’s sustainable and environmental performance. This in turn allows for comparisons and improvements to be made, either through changes to design or production.

The only tripartite U.N. agency, since 1919 the ILO has brought together governments, employers and workers from 187 member States , to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men.

Made with 100% organic materials; awarded the Organic Content Standard (OCS). The OCS relies on third-party verification to verify a final product contains the accurate amount of a given organically grown material. It does not address the use of chemicals or any social or environmental aspects of production beyond the integrity of the organic material. The OCS uses the chain of custody requirements of the Content Claim Standard (CCS).

Organically grown ingredients (particularly cotton which adds up to 40% of global textile production), offer a sustainable alternative, reducing water consumption, water pollution and energy use.

Contains organic materials; awarded the Organic Content Blended Standard. The OCS relies on third-party verification to verify a final product contains the accurate amount of a given organically grown material. It does not address the use of chemicals or any social or environmental aspects of production beyond the integrity of the organic material. The OCS uses the chain of custody requirements of the Content Claim Standard (CCS).

The bluesign® label assures you that only companies which act responsibly were involved in the manufacture of the product - throughout the supply chain. They have used the best technologies available, used resources responsibly and taken care to minimise the impacts on people and the environment. With your purchase of products that carry the bluesign® PRODUCT label, you are supporting companies in their sustainable development and becoming a part of a unique movement.

As an independent authority, BLUESIGN checks the progress that a company has made, provides continual further development of solutions and continuously optimises its criteria. This covers not only the textile manufacturer and accessory manufacturers but also chemical suppliers. 

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is specific to natural organic fibres. It takes into consideration the supply chain as a whole, including distribution, import/export, manufacturing, packaging and growing. In doing so it sets out the requirements for achieving organic status for textiles. GOTS has its own restricted chemical list which are taken into consideration during all of the above aspects of the supply chain and also include waste water and environmental management. It is a voluntary standard and can be applied to yarns, fibres, and finished garments.  

Developed by the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), the Higg Index is a robust and demanding suite of tools that enables brands, retailers, and facilities of all sizes — at every stage in their sustainability journey — to accurately measure and score a company or product’s sustainability performance. The 'Brands and Retailers Higg Index' assesses a product’s lifecycle structure from materials sourcing through its end of use, enabling businesses to make meaningful improvements that protect the well-being of factory workers, local communities, and the environment.

The SAC developed a range of qualitative questions on manufacturing, materials and packaging, that when responded to, gauge a product’s sustainable and environmental performance. This in turn allows for comparisons and improvements to be made, either through changes to design or production. 

Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) is a certification for food, fibre, and personal care ingredients. ROC farms and products meet the highest standards for soil health, animal welfare, and farmworker fairness.

Contains organically grown materials which offer a sustainable alternative, reducing water consumption, water pollution and energy use.