There are of course numerous snow sports outerwear brands out there, and you will see many more that we haven’t mentioned here. But these are the brands that stand out to us because of their environmental credentials:
Patagonia
The granddaddy of all sustainable mountain brands and one of the most respected and well-loved, for good reason. Founded by Yvon Chouinard in California, from the start he was committed to making the company an outstanding place to work and an important resource for environmental activism. In 2022, Chouinard announced he was donating ownership of Patagonia to a trust to ensure all profits were used for addressing climate change and protecting undeveloped land. This brand is way ahead of the competition in terms of sustainability, and you do pay a premium, but their garments are built to last and when they need repairing you can visit a store for repair services making it easy to extend the life of your gear. They use fully PFC-free Gore-Tex material in their waterproof clothing, their midlayers are known for their warmth and wicking and their technical features are second-to-none. You’ll be doing the world and yourself a favour with a Patagonia piece in your winter wardrobe. PATAGONIA website
Arc’teryx
Canadian brand known for top quality high performance gear with great fit and styling. Founded as a climbing company, it is in many ways seen as the leader in backcountry gear, with a wide range of high-end and technical shells that excel in mountain environments. Many of their designs are literally bombproof, they use Gore-Tex for all their waterproof clothing and it looks great to boot. They also are one of the more expensive brands on the market, but if you’re a committed skier or snowboarder it doesn’t get any better. They are nowhere near the likes of Patagonia in terms of their focus on being a sustainable brand, but they have recently stated they are committed to halving their environmental footprint. ARC’TERYX website
Peak Performance
A Swedish company created in 1986 by two pro skiers sitting next to each other on a chairlift, so the story goes. Today it’s one of Scandinavia’s largest brands, currently owned by Chinese sports brand consortium Anta Sports (who own Salomon, Atomic, Arc’teryx, Suunto and more). Their outerwear uses Gore-Tex, meaning it’s waterproof and highly durable, their designs are sharp and sporty, their colours bold, and in terms of price points they definitely sit at the higher end of the market. Whilst they have published a long corporate responsibility statement, there is definitely work to be done to bring them in line with the competition. PEAK PERFORMANCE website
Scott
In the 1950s Scott revolutionised the ski pole world with the first tapered aluminium ski pole, immediately replacing the use of bamboo and steel. In 1970 they entered the motocross world with the first ever sport-specific goggle, and in 1989 they introduced one of the most significant product innovations in the history of cycling – the aerodynamic handlebar. Having thereby made their name in the cycling world, in the late nineties they introduced a technical winter sport apparel line, and began producing skis. Today they are known by the winter sports world as a well-respected freeride brand, winning an ISPO in 2019 for their innovative avalanche backpacks, and their ‘Line Chase GTX 3L’ is all extremely waterproof and robust with an articulated fit. They developed the Re-Source-Scott logo to apply to their products that were made using eco-friendly materials and fulfil certain criteria – for this winter just under 60% of their products carry this certifcation. SCOTT website
Dope Snow
A Swedish brand, started in 2006 by two brothers frustrated at the unavailability of quality gear to ride in. Their ethos: the customer is the brand. Selling directly to customers, with no middlemen, the idea is that they work closely with those that use their clothing, and design apparel to last a lifetime that won’t break the bank. Currently, 95% of all Dope’s shell material is recycled, 100% of insulation is recycled PET, and the lining fabrics are made with Solution Dyed Nylon with 46% less water consumption, 92% less chemical consumption, 59% less electricity consumption and 63% less CO² emission. And if that’s not impressive enough, they also have a range called Repair. Renew. Reuse. These items have been refurbished, inspected, mended and restored so they are ready to use again. The clothing is loose fitting snowboard style in numerous colourways and patterns. The company name they trade under is Ridestore, which also has a sister brand called MONTEC, that they launched in 2016 as more of a technical line in more muted colours, aimed at back country skiers and snowboarders. They claim ‘MONTEC and Dope are two different expressions of the same love of the mountains‘. DOPE website
Picture Organic
A French company that makes its clothing from 100% recycled, organic, or responsibly sourced materials. It takes 50 recycled bottles to make one of their signature jackets. A B Corp since 2019, the company also takes their design cycle very seriously, in terms of the recyclability, second life and end-of-life cycle for their garments. They re-use all production scraps, use GOTS certified cotton and are completely transparent about their supply chain. Their French headquarters is solar-powered and their factories run on renewable energy. They use bio-sourced and compostable poly bags in their packaging and they ship using the least impactful modes of transportation possible. Their water repellent apparel is PFC free, and as for their range, they do standard and relaxed fits depending on your style in numerous weird and wonderful colourways. PICTURE ORGANIC website
686
Started in 1992 by skateboarder and snowboarder Mike Akira West, they committed to becoming Climate Neutral Certified and since 2020 have annually offset their entire year’s carbon emissions, investing in renewable energy and other projects that work to remove carbon from the atmosphere. Based in California, they strive to be 100% transparent in their sustainability journey, tracking their emissions of every process from start to finish, from waste management to recycled insulation and ensuring their products do not include chemicals that are banned, restricted or of concern. Known for producing innovative, forward thinking outerwear and technical apparel, it continues to be independently owned and operated. The name meaning is surrounded with rumour, but apparently stems from personal dates and numbers in Mike’s life that merged together at the right time… make of that what you will. 686 website
Pure Snow
An Aussie brand, its apparel is 100% recyclable, made from recycled consumer products and are free from environmentally harmful chemicals. They offer a 10% buy-back option and donate the jackets to aid companies in cold climates. Any jackets at the end of their life-cycle are collected and recycled and made into new jackets… genius! They have partnered with Sympatex to provide highly waterproof clothing of 45,000mm with optimal breathability. Their Riderz range uses Ecoloft insulation and EcoTech fabrics. PURE SNOW website
Burton
As one of the world’s best known winter sports brands, all eyes will watch how this industry giant goes green. In 2011 they launched a sustainability programme, with a dedicated team to work towards responsible business practices. Over a decade later they are an industry leader in driving company-wide change and awareness concerning the impact of brands such as theirs on people and the planet. Committed to being climate positive by 2025, they use life cycle assessment software designed to assess the carbon footprint of every product, and direct their engineers to design and manufacture accordingly. They are B Corp certified and work hard to wipe out greenwashing within the industry, and to make consumers more aware of it. They have full solar installations at their global HQ and have offset some emissions in North America. To continue on this path their goals include: by 2025 to only use 100% Bluesign approved fabrics, 100% organic or recycled cotton, 100% responsibly sourced down, and have 50% of their global product warranty claims repaired. They use Gore-Tex in their apparel, and the AK line is very well respected as being durable and hard-working. Built for extreme environments, the AK stands for Alaska where the range is designed and gets its first testing. BURTON website
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