Suston #11, 2022

Suston SUSTAINABLE OUTDOOR NEWS – FW 22/23

HARD GOODS CLOSING THE

LOOP Low-impact innovations in Outdoor’s toughest segment.

GREEN

CLAIMS Industry tackles sustainability communication uncertainty.

CITIZEN SCIENTISTS Two women’s mission to further climate science on Arctic Svalbard.

#11

Are we greenwashing?

David Ekelund CEO, ICEBUG

Invitation to peer review

Recovering greenwasher

We’ve just finished our latest impact report. Reflecting on your own actions is hard and the risk of bias is huge. To make sure that we’re not being too soft on ourselves – or even greenwashing – we hereby invite friends, competitors, customers (anybody!) to do a peer review of our report.

Ask your toughest questions, put us to the test – please fire away!

From our impact report Our owners’ directives published in full. Icebug has NO growth target and names Nature and Society its premier stakeholders.

Solar energy project will cut emissions drastically! We are about to save massive amounts of CO2e emissions from us – and several other brands.

It’s time to get rid of oil. That’s why we source sustainably grown natural rubber and help match smallholder farmers in Thailand with other brands to scale up.

Radical transparency now! Since 2021, Icebug offers full insight regarding footprint and supply chain through Follow the Footprints.

Shoes should be made in a fair way! We’re a Fairwear Foundation member and our factories go through third party audits.

Stop using airfreight! Flying our shoes home from the factory would result in a 20 fold increase in climate emissions. That’s why we don’t do it.

Save the forests. In 2021, we donated 80 000 $ to save old growth forests.

We are happy to pay our taxes! To us, it’s a no brainer to contribute to society.

We have set a carbon budget – and we are reporting how much we’ve used!

This triggers us to be innovative, to keep sourcing better materials and to champion renewable energy.

Do you miss something? Think we focus on the wrong issues? Please let us know!

helpline for greenwashers 0 90 2 +46 735 0

Find full report here

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PHOTO: ARC’TERYX/REGEAR

PHOTO: STÉPHANE ROBIN

EDITORIAL & CONTENTS

18 Bold, new plans for Suston

10 News

The latest in Outdoor.

16 "Through Darkness"

Filmmaker exploring low-impact skitouring and the darkness within.

S

Gabriel Arthur, Editor-in-chief

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PHOTO: JOHAN AUGUSTIN

18 Secondhand Booming

But what does it take to succeed?

22 Rewilding Daintree

Replanting of the world’s oldest rainforest begins.

28 Green Claims

Industry shares how to be proactive with sustainability comms.

34 Polybags FAQ

Suston’s materials school on single-use polybags

36 Hardgoods

Find out how hardgoods are stepping up their low-impact game.

42 Suston Editor-in-chief: Gabriel Arthur, gabriel.arthur@norragency.com Editor: Jonathan Eidse Art director: Susan Larsen & Viktor Meidal Cover illustration: Kicki Fjell Editorial advisory board: Arne Strate, Katy Stevens, Joel Svedlund sustonmagazine.com

PHOTO: HEARTS IN THE ICE

ince the start in 2017, we have had this mission with Suston Magazine: to push, guide and inspire the outdoor industry towards positive change. Over these five years, we can see that so many good steps have been taken. Can this industry even become a leader, that others can follow? We think so – but at the same time, the journey has only just begun.

What we also see is the rising interest for sustainability within the broader outdoor community – as well as their rising interest for Suston Magazine. Our online platform has doubled its number of visitors within the last year, and our Suston Monthly has an opening rate that doubles what is usually seen as best practice for newsletters.

This is our conviction: The outdoor industry and the outdoor enthusiasts out skitouring, climbing, and trekking in many ways share the same visions and goals. It’s not “we and them” – it is us. Therefore, we will in 2023 reach out and include the outdoor community even more, both in our spring magazine and online. Our upgraded, bold vision: To be the leading voice for a sustainable outdoor community.

We will share more in Suston Monthly, so make sure you have signed up. And do you also want to lead the way? Just get in touch – this is a journey we must do together.

42 Citizen Scientists

Two women brave the wild Arctic winter in the name of science.

51 Program

Sustainability seminars at Performance Days & ISPO Munich.

Partner cooperation and sales: Victoria Reim, victoria.reim@norragency.com Suston is published by NORR Agency. norragency.com, info@norragency.com C/o Impact Hub Stockholm, Jakobsbergsgatan 22, SE-111 44 Stockholm

suston – 5

Shredding With Pride OBSERVATION

BY JOHANNA FRAENKEL PHOTO JONNY BIERMAN

CAN THE OUTDOOR community become more inclusive?

Absolutely, and the Whistler Ski and Pride Festival has spent the last three decades demonstrating how. Since its humble beginning as a small weekend gathering of gay skienthusiasts in the 1992, the festival has grown to become the largest 2SLGBTQ+ ski festival in the world.

Now, following two years of limited celebrations due to the pandemic combined with the festival’s upcoming 30-year jubilee, Whistler Ski and Pride Festival’s Head of Communications Tom Fedechko says the planning team is preparing for a serious boost due to pent-up demand: “We hadn’t even announced the event schedule or headliners before we saw a huge surge in hotel bookings and interest.”

And for those joining the festivities, there’s much to look forward to. Along with the traditional “ski the pride flag down the mountain parade,” the eight-day program is packed with activities like a charity ski race, daily après-ski, comedy nights and dance parties. But according to Tom Fedechko, one of the festival’s most popular activities is undoubtedly the free-to-join inclusive guided groups: “The guided groups provide a safe and friendly way for 2SLGBTQI+ individuals to explore the stunning majesty of Whistler and Blackcomb whilst making connections with a community who are passionate about hitting the slopes feeling welcome and accepted for who they are. It can turn into life-long friendships and relationships. And our guides are the absolute best!”

Over the years, the Ski and Pride Festival has also become the official Pride Festival for the Whistler community, strengthening partnerships with the Resort Municipality, Tourism Whistler, and local businesses along the way.

One of the newer partnerships, Tom Fedechko shares, is Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Center: “Since 2018, we have made sure to recognize that the festival takes place on the shared unceded territories of the Squamish and Lil’wat nations – who now participate in the festival every year to raise awareness of the rich history and traditions that started well before most of our ancestors arrived. Their deep connection to and reverence for nature is something we can and should learn from as we strive to preserve the beauty that surrounds us.”

OBSERVATION

Return of the Tiger

BY JOHAN AUGUSTIN PHOTO ISTOCK

NEPAL IS THE ONLY country in the world that managed to

more than double the number of wild tigers in a decade. In places like Chitwan National Park, the predators are worth more alive than dead. When it was founded in 1973, the park had only a handful of tigers within its 750 square kilometer boundaries. But as it grew to include 932 square kilometers today, its number of big cats has similarly grown to an impressive total of 125 Bengal tigers.

In order to increase the number of tigers in the wild, the world’s thirteen tiger countries produced a plan in 2010 to double the population of tigers by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac.

For Nepal, which had 121 tigers in 2010, the government aimed for 250 by 2022. But on June 29, on the occasion of International Tiger Day, the Nepali government announced that it had not only doubled the number – but tripled it.

Nepal is now home to 355 tigers and counting according to the government census. At the same time, this also puts the number of the big cats close to the maximum carrying capacity that Nepal can hold, which according to conservationists is four hundred.

While tigers in other Asian countries like Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are extinct, the Nepali authorities are working to expand the country’s tiger territories to new areas so that the species can thrive further. In Chitwan’s Baghmara buffer zone, rangers patrol the forest – ensuring that no illegal poaching or fishing is taking place.

OBSERVATION

“While there have been massive efficiency improvements, total use of materials, land and energy has continued to increase.

Why? Because of growthism…

– Jason Hickel, author of "Less is More."

Read our interview on sustonmagazine.com

PHOTO: ISTOCK

NEWS

RECYCLED ZIPPERS

YKK Corporation announces it will replace its conventional water repellent AquaGuard® zipper with its newly developed AquaGuard® NATULON® zipper, which has tape made of recycled PET plastic and a fluorine-free water repellent.

BPA IN ACTIVEWEAR Research conducted by the American non-profit Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has identified high levels of bisphenol A (BPA) in many popular brands’ athletic lines – up to 22 times the safe limit according to California standards. BPA is known as a hormone-disrupting chemical that mimics estrogen and is associated with disruptions to metabolism, growth and reproduction. Studies have shown that in addition to ingesting it from food or drinking water it can also be absorbed through the skin.

Cleanest Dirt Bike?

A dirt bike that causes almost no carbon emissions?

That’s what the e-motorbike brand Cake is aiming for, together with its partner Vattenfall, one of Scandinavia’s larger energy companies. Within their joint project, Cake and Vattenfall have revealed the climate impact of producing one Cake Kalk OR electric offroader, after a thorough Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The result from the full production chain? 1,186 CO2e.

“In fact, most companies do not know the carbon footprint of their own products. The popular term fossil-free vehicles equate to greenwash until the entire production has been decarbonized, regardless of the fuel they are running on,” says Stefan Ytterborn, founder and CEO of Cake.

After all data has been collected and analyzed, the next step is to decarbonize every step to a minimum by 2025. This will be done in collaboration with existing suppliers as well as innovative producers of alternative components and materials that offer opportunities for emissions to be further reduced.

“Our second most important contribution to the planet,” explains Stefan Ytterborn, “is to inspire other manufacturers to step up and do the same.”

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Arc’teryx has pledged $5M to boosting diversity within the climbing community. It plans to support local climbing groups reach out to new members and support climbing gyms so that they can offer free passes and more to marginalized community members.

PHOTO: DR VASILIS KOKORIS

PHOTO: CAKE

FUNDING DIVERSITY

Microbes for Regeneration

A study published in the journal Nature Microbiology by ecologists from ETH Zurich’s Crowther Lab finds that healthy soil microbial communities can be crucial to landscape restoration success. The research showed that by restoring a diverse and native soil microbial community, the natural regeneration of an ecosystem could on average be accelerated by 64%. In transforming managed landscapes from deserts and into reservoirs of microbial biodiversity, the report argues microbes are a critical success factor to the global biodiversity crisis.

PHOTO: POLARTEC

NEWS

FROM TIRE TO ATTIRE?

Bio-based Protection

As part of its pivot away from petroleum-based materials, Polartec announces the launch of its new bio-based Polartec Power Shield fabric. The fabric is said to possess industry-leading breathability and durability, and being the first Polartec fabric to exceed 20,000 mm in a hydrostatic test is the most versatile and waterproof technology to date in the company’s fabric portfolio.

The fabric is additionally PFAs-free, and is made from plant-based raw materials that do not compete with human food sources.

Long Advance has introduced a new post-consumer nylon fiber that is made of recycled tire waste.

The final fabric, known as LNT21191-Z4C, was awarded the Eco Performance Award Winner 2022 at Performance Days.

GOAL ATTAINED

This year, Swedish sportswear brand Houdini announced that it has achieved its goal of 100% sustainable fabrics.

PHOTO: SHINE

This means that the fabrics used in all of its collections are either recycled, recyclable, renewable, biodegradable or bluesign-certified.

PACKABLE POWER

It's now possible to tap into the second-largest renewable energy source in the world while trekking with the 40-watt wind turbine Shine. The turbine can both charge devices directly or store power in its 12,000 mAh internal battery that, when at maximum capacity, can fully charge up to four phones.

Weighing just 1.4kg, it also collapses into a streamlined, completely self-contained form to easier fit into a backpack. At 6 Watts per kilo, Shine claims to have a superior power-to-weight ratio than other portable solar panels, thermoelectric stoves and water turbines on the market.

HOPE IS A VERB

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here’s a simple reason why most people working with sustainability choose to do so. Not riches or fame, but usually because we care.

We care about nature, and we care about people. We feel deeply connected to our natural environment, its wildness and beauty, and we want to protect that at all costs. Or because we can empathize with those working in our supply chains and want them to flourish and live healthy, enjoyable lives.

At times the work is frustrating, and sometimes desperate. We know what needs to be done, we spend our days busily working on projects that show some real tangible impact, and then WHAM… We read about the reduction of renewable energy incentives, or increased fossil fuel subsidies, or that child labor is on the rise; developments that go against everything we are trying to achieve, usually driven by greed and arrogance. The very personality traits that first drew us into this line of work can then make us especially sensitive to the harsh realities.

I know I'm not alone, and the rollercoaster of emotions is both real and raw. Then, last month, at the European Outdoor Summit, I felt a glimmer of hope when I saw the reaction of the attendees to the idea of degrowth.

Of course, this is a difficult concept to sell to business leaders, but they were genuinely excited about where this conversation could go next. Then my hope peaked listening to Simon Anholt talk about how we need a plan for the whole world to agree on a new set of values and skills that every country can teach its children, to raise a new generation that makes the world work. As Simon put it, “If we only have the patience to work for one generation on building the behaviors and knowledge that underpin the solutions to these gigantic problems, we can defeat them all.”

I’m still on the hope-high, and as I try to figure out next steps I’m closing the newspapers and going outside to walk, to think, and to hope.

Dr. Katy Stevens Head of CSR & Sustainability, EOG suston – 11

NEWS

Xxxx

FOUNDERS OF COLOR

In October 2021, REI launched the accelerator Path Ahead Ventures, a $30M investment fund to help outdoor business founders of color scale up their businesses.

To mark its first anniversary, REI has invited to an open “Founders Market” in its flagship store in Seattle. The event is meant to celebrate inclusivity in the outdoors, and provide people with the opportunity to shop from these brands.

PHOTO: KARIN ALFREDSSON

ISPO AWARD

Jack Wolfskin's Diskovera Jacket 3L has received the coveted 2022 ISPO Award. The threelayer jacket uses a 100 percent recycled Texapore Ecosphere Pro membrane, and the jacket's waterproofness, breathability and softness in particular won the jury's approval.

Polybag Pilots are Piling Up AS POLYBAGS, OR SINGLE-USE plastic bags used to

protect products during shipping, begin filling our wastebins, pilots trying to solve the issue are similarly popping up everywhere. In Boulder Colorado, for example, the Retail Polybag Recycling Pilot Project has been busy collecting and recycling polybags from local outdoor retailers and brand stores like Fjällräven, Helly Hansen, Norrøna, and Patagonia. Other brands, like Prana, have decided to ditch polybags altogether by sending its products either roll-packed and without a protective enclosure or using a paper-based glassine bag.

In 2018, the European Outdoor Group initiated the Single Use Plastics Project together with 30 outdoor brands. Following a pilot and feedback from various stakeholders, a report released early 2022 made the case that polybags are not a problem in and of themselves. It’s their end-oflife disposal. The proposed solution? Reduce, use polybags made of recycled plastic, and recapture and recycle them before they enter waste streams.

69% 12 – suston

During the ongoing pilot, polybags are removed at UK distribution centers and so far 10 tonnes of plastic have been recycled. The product is then forwarded, without a polybag, to the customer.

The North Face is one of the participants in the EOG’s Single Use Plastics Project pilot: “Following a survey, we found that not only were virtually all customers satisfied with their order, but that this change also had absolutely no impact on returns,” shares Julian Lings, Sustainability Manager at The North Face.

Being one of the first things an ecommerce customer encounters, the wastefulness of single-use polybags has been a reoccurring complaint for many brands and ecommerce retailers. That’s why for Julian Lings, this pilot shows a big win-win: “The positive feedback we received from customers supporting this initiative confirms that recycling polybags is not just good for the environment, it’s good for our customers.”

Also check out Suston’s polybag tutorial on p. 34!

IS THE AVERAGE decline in wild animal populations since 1970. Source: WWF.

5%

OF PLASTIC waste was recycled in US in 2021.

Source: Greenpeace

SPONSORED CONTENT PARTNER: BERGANS

Reasons to Repair – A Prerequisite to Circularity Repairs were once necessary and natural. Today, new products are just a keystroke away and repair has become a hassle. Is a revival possible – and can it be profitable?

“D

oing good for the environment means using what we already have for as long as possible.

To achieve that, we need to make repair an easier choice,” says Bergans’ Sustainability Manager Christoph Centmayer.

Bergans is a Norwegian company with a long tradition for repair that dates back to its beginnings in 1908. To reach more customers, Bergans now also offers in-store repair and travels around with a “repair car.”

“Most people want to repair their products. The problem is they don’t know where to go, and think repair is inconvenient.

We recently launched a new service deal together with Norwegian retailer Sport1,

where we hope that by presenting repair already at point of sale, we will make it easier for customers to remember what to do when the zipper breaks,” says Centmayer.

With the EU Green Deal proposing repair as a consumer right, the industry must step up and offer repair. But can it become a profitable business model?

“It’s difficult to turn a profit with repair today, with high expenses connected to salaries, facilities, and spare parts.

But a happy repair customer will become a loyal customer and, more importantly, repair is a crucial precondition for other circular services,” says Centmayer.

Bergans also offers a return scheme, second-hand sales, a redesign collection, rental, and a subscription service for

kids coveralls. For all these services, inhouse repair is at the core.

“We’re exploring how to make repair more profitable, and also see promise in other re-services like subscription models. So we must consider the bigger picture,” concludes Centmayer.

THE RABOT SERVICE DEAL A service deal for a car is a no-brainer.

But on clothing? Together with the large Norwegian retailer Sport1, Bergans now offers a service deal on the Rabot collection. Purchase of a Rabot product includes three services: Wash, repair and impregnation. The goal is to remind customers at point of sale to return to the store with their broken products.

bergans.com suston – 13

EVENTS

MATERIALS THAT MATTER At Performance Days in Munich, the functional fabrics industry lines up to present its latest innovations. This year, with a focus on reducing carbon emissions.

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his winter’s event takes place in MOC Ordercenter in Munich, with over 275 exhibitors (and 385 more online) and over 400 curated products. For visitors searching for more sustainable materials, the area called Performance Forum is the place to be. Since 2019, all selected products must fulfill the Performance Forum’s defined standards. Each trade fair also has a theme, called the Focus Topic, that over the years has often highlighted important sustainability aspects, such as “Recycled? Challenges and opportunities” or “Water – our responsibility.”

This year’s theme, “The journey to carbon neutral,” was launched before the Spring edition for Performance Days and will continue until spring 2023.

“We wish to enable our visitors to make the best decision in terms of material selection, also in terms of CO2 neutrality,” says Marco Weichert, CEO of Performance Days.

“We have set up a three-step plan and have reached the phase ‘Time to Score’ at this fair.”

Thus, in the Focus Topic category, the green light to participate is therefore exclusively given to fabric innovations that could certify initial values in CO2 reduction.

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“Circularity and new feedstock for polyester are other topics that will occupy us this November.”

Innovative recycling

Recycling has been a regular theme for many years, explains Marco Weichert. This winter’s portfolio, for example, ranges from the recycling of marine waste, such as old buoys, plastic waste or fishing nets, to the recycling of waste from the automotive and computer industries, such as old car tires or computer chips.

“During the pandemic, as more and more people began spending time in nature, people’s awareness has also changed and they are even more careful when looking for sustainable and responsible products. In addition, the circularity of products and the CO2 footprint has become more of a focus and we in Sports and Outdoor have a pioneering role for the textile industry.”

Is there a limit where exhibitors and visitors would say “hey, this is a bit too much. We need to go back and focus on more traditional aspects”?

“No, on the contrary. We are seeing more evolution and revolution than ever before, which gives us high motivation to take a leading role in our industry.”

MARCO WEICHERT,

CEO, Performance Days

PERFORMANCE DAYS

This international hybrid event takes place in Munich on November 3 - 4.

The functional fabric industry meets sports and outdoor brands, listens to expert talks and panel discussions.

In the area Performance Forum, selected products with a sustainability profile are presented. performancedays.com

EVENTS

NEW OUTDOOR PERSPECTIVES At the end of November, ISPO Munich opens its doors for the first time since 2020. Tobias Gröber and Lena Haushofer share why the show has become even more relevant for the sustainability crew.

BY GABRIEL ARTHUR

T

he presentation of ISPO Munich, taking place on November 28-30, states that “it’s clear to everyone that sustainability is an essential megatrend in the sports industry. But does this only apply to material trends?” The answer is of course no, and ISPO Munich will highlight everything from social standards to Circular Economy, promising that the trade show will “get to the bottom of these and many other topics in the Sustainability Hub and in workshops.”

At ISPO Munich, sustainability will be one of four topics, “New perspectives on sports,” will be the motto. Why did you choose this?

“Today’s challenges cannot be answered with yesterday’s solutions. That’s why we need new perspectives - on the market, consumers, retail and sport itself. And that’s why ISPO Munich 2022 is taking a new look at innovations, sustainability, diversity and retail, together with big players, thought leaders and experts from the industry,” explains Tobias Gröber, Head of ISPO Group.

The Sustainability Hub has been one of the most popular hotspots at the trade shows, and now it’s coming back as a part of the Future Lab. What is the Future Lab?

“We are turning a central hall at ISPO Munich into an innovation lab, where the most important minds in the industry will meet and discuss what needs to be done now. We want to be a lobby platform and give sport the important voice that corresponds to its position in society,” says Tobias Gröber.

A roadmap was launched at OutDoor by ISPO for how to make the outdoor trade shows more sustainable. Where are you at today?

“The roadmap became the blueprint for other trade fairs at Messe München and is also largely responsible for the fact that Environmental, Social and Governance has now been incorporated into the strategic corporate goals of Messe München as a whole. Originally we planned to make OutDoor by ISPO carbon neutral in 2035, but we have now set ourselves the goal of 2030,” says Lena Haushofer and continues: “The company has also restructured itself and set up an internal task force including external expert support as well as a new function of Head of ESG*. A new Go-Green ticket provides visitors the option of making their journey climate neutral.”

Inclusion is another one of the four main topics. How can the trade shows contribute to a more inclusive outdoor community?

“Diversity, inclusion and body positivity have long been more than just a trend and are also an increasingly relevant topic in the sports industry. Be it in retail presentation or the development of new target groups, sports must be thought of inclusively,” says Lena Haushofer. *ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance, in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

TOBIAS GRÖBER

Head of ISPO Group

LENA HAUSHOFER

Executive Director ISPO Munich & OutDoor

by ISPO

ISPO MUNICH

Europe’s leading international trade show for the outdoor industry takes place in Munich on November 28–30. Sustainability is one of the four “Guiding Themes” and The Sustainability Hub will be part of the Future Lab in Hall B2. ispo.com/en/munich

How would you describe the Sustainability Hub to first-time visitors?

“The Sustainability Hub is a designated area to support education, information, spark interdisciplinary discussions and create a playing field for synergies in sustainability and social innovation.

Also, pioneering brands, suppliers and other companies will showcase their best practice cases,” explains Lena Haushofer, ISPO Munich’s Exhibition Director.

Suston is a long time partner to the Sustainability Hub at ISPO.

suston – 15

CULTURE

STEP BY STEP

s symbol in freeride tu sta a be to ed us ns tai un mo ay aw Helicopters in far local mountains by splitboard films. Melissa Brandner traveled the “Through Darkness.” when directing her award-winning film & ISAK DALSFELT

BY GABRIEL ARTHUR PHOTO DAVID

16 – suston

SCHNABEL

I

n Tromsø in northern Norway, the sun sets below the horizon on November 27 and doesn’t rise again until January 15. Even then, one only gets a small glimpse of it.

Melissa Brandner moved here from the UK in 2019 while working on a PhD in marine ecology. But another reason was the surrounding mountains – Tromsø has hundreds of rugged mountain peaks nearby. Melissa Brandner has been competing in snowboarding on the Freeride World Qualifier Tour for several years. Now, with her splitboard underfoot, she could combine her studies with plenty of off-piste snowboarding.

The move to Tromsø also gave birth to a number of film ideas. In fall 2018, she was awarded a scholarship for young artists and after producing the short film “Roll and Ride,” she produced and made her debut directing “Through Darkness” alongside partner Manuela Mandl. The film has toured adventure and mountain film festivals and won several awards, and this winter it will reach a broader audience via an international streaming platform for documentaries (platform is yet to be announced at the time of writing).

“Through Darkness” is a story about the polar night and how darkness can be turned into something positive. ”When I moved to the Arctic, I have to admit that I was afraid of the dark,” says Melissa Brandner.

“But then I saw another side of it. The beauty of the Arctic night.”

The film follows a group of five snowboarders including Melissa Brandner and Manuela Mandl as they explore mountain sides and steep chutes in the light of headlamps. But the film is also about inner darkness, where the athletes talk

about the challenges they have experienced.

“I myself ended up in a depression after two serious concussions,” says Melissa Brandner.

“Nature and snowboarding have been a big part of my way back.”

Green filming in white snow

Skiing and snowboarding films have traditionally been an orgy of helicopter lifts to steep mountain faces. As part of the Protect Our Winters generation, Melissa Brandner is trying to reduce her ecological ski tracks. Like other freeride films in recent years, the production has taken place with the least possible environmental impact.

“We shared one car and all of the sites were within 40 minutes from the city. Our food was either homegrown or dumpster dived. All of the headlamps and camera gear were powered by hydroelectricity. The editors and musicians were all local, so we walked or biked to any meetings or took them remotely.”

“Our sport is low impact on the environment because we walk up the mountain, so no snowmobiles, helicopters or ski lifts. Finally, the emissions that we couldn’t avoid we calculated and offset.”

The next film project is called “Fueled by Nature” and is close to Melissa Brandner’s research.

“It will explore the possibility of using seaweed as a renewable energy resource, for food and transport. This project will follow a team of athletes on an expedition in Northern Norway. They will have a local sustainable diet with seaweed as an energy source and be transported by seaweed biofuel. The idea: If humans who are at the extremes of energy demands can push the limits with seaweed as an energy source, then surely anyone can.”

Known for its powder, long winter seasons, and endless supply of accessible terrain, Tromsø is considered the “skitouring capital of Norway.”

Biking image from the film Roll and Ride.

suston – 17

CIRCULARITY

SECONDHAND COMES FIRST Going from the humble thriftstore of yesterday to the fastest-growing apparel segment today - what does it take to succeed in Secondhand?

BY JONATHAN EIDSE

T

he volume of clothing we throw away is huge and rising. Americans alone produce approximately 37kg of textile waste per year per person, and European consumers toss roughly two million tonnes of textiles annually. Globally, the vast majority of textile waste still ends up in landfills or is incinerated. In parallel to this, we buy at least 60% more clothes today than we did two decades ago and keep each garment for half as long. This has seen the energy, chemical and carbon footprint of the textile industry skyrocket.

But there’s hope: The secondhand clothing market is also skyrocketing. Can it help turn the tide?

Growing faster than fast-fashion

NICOLE BASSETT

Co-founder, Renewal Workshop

DOMINIQUE SHOWERS

VP of ReBIRD, Arc’teryx

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Based on independent market research, the 2022 “Annual Fashion Resale Market and Trend Report” published by Thredup finds that secondhand is indeed booming. In 2019 in the US, secondhand sales expanded over twenty times faster than conventional retail apparel. And even now as secondhand sales have never been higher, the report predicts that secondhand’s best days are still to come as it continues to eat into market share: While fast fashion is predicted to grow by 20 % in the next ten years, secondhand is projected to grow by 185 %.

While the trend towards secondhand clothing has grown - and continues to show such future promise - it’s no surprise that the industry has expanded in response. Alongside the explosion of clothing “swaps” and secondhand “vintage” stores now dotting the cityscape, the rise of online secondhand shopping has brought all the reach and convenience of e-commerce to an economically and environmentally-motivated consumer.

Outdoor brands and retailers are also jumping

onboard, offering designated secondhand areas in their brand and retailer stores as well as their own branded online platforms.

Outdoor’s resale platforms

One such outdoor brand that’s betting big on secondhand is Arc’teryx. Launched in 2019, the Arc’teryx resale platform ReGEAR has the overarching goal of encouraging a shift from a buy-consume-discard linear economic model toward circularity. And according to Dominique Showers, VP of the Arc’teryx ReBIRD circularity program, consumers don’t need much encouragement: “We’re excited to see our guests really getting behind this move and becoming custodians of their gear to help keep it in use for years to come. We’re also seeing new guests join our community via ReGEAR: Sustainability-minded, passionate outdoor advocates who make the conscious choice to shop in a more circular and sustainable manner, without sacrificing performance in the mountains.”

While many outdoor retailers and brands now promote resale programs, these are more often than not on a local and fragmented basis. With availability across the US and Canada, ReGEAR represents a major expansion to the norm.

That said, one common limitation to scalability that many resale initiatives encounter is that of costs and logistics: Wide scale collecting, sorting, cleaning, repairing, storing, reselling and shipping require resources and specialized skills that are far outside the core business competency of most brands and retailers. But this doesn’t need to stop them from getting in on the secondhand action.

Founded in 2016, The Renewal Workshop receives warranty returns and other damaged products from its brand partners, refurbishes them and then resells

them, effectively turning a profit on a product that would otherwise likely end up as waste.

“Our success has been in helping brands find beneficial solutions for items brand partners have in their control through damaged returns,” shares Nicole Bassett, co-founder of The Renewal Workshop.

“We also have created a process and way of managing products that were not designed to be resold to be done so in a way that is efficient, enabling more products to get resold. The goal is that brands generate revenue off their renewed items, and that reduces the pressure on generating revenue from making new items.”

With the intention of scaling these services up and expanding into the lifestyle and fashion markets, TRW was acquired in March 2022 by the logistics expert Bleckmann. With both logistics and a sustainable business plan in place, it now plans on expanding its service from North America to include Europe in early 2023.

While Dominique Showers admits that third-party platforms have been very important to helping their gear last over the years, she says that Arc’teryx prefers to keep these services “in-house”: “Creating the ReGEAR platform allows us to keep a really tight hold on the quality of the goods being sold. Every single piece is fully authenticated and assessed by our team and any repairs are performed to the highest possible quality to ensure its original function. We’re proud that every item sold via ReGEAR will perform to the same level as a brand-new piece of gear.”

Central to sustainability goals

Financial and customer satisfaction arguments aside, with its ability to reduce product impacts on multiple fronts, secondhand is increasingly seen as

a way for brands to meet their other sustainability goals. TRW, for example, considers its services to be perfectly aligned with the climate goals of many leading brands and believes that secondhand can be a critical part of any brand’s decarbonization strategy. It recently conducted research comparing the LCA of a new product versus a renewed item and found that the renewed item represented a 51% reduction in carbon emissions.

Similarly, Dominique Showers sees resale fitting into a larger picture where it checks off several objectives at Arc’teryx: “Most of the emissions from the lifecycle of a jacket come from the manufacturing stage, and the next largest impact comes at the end of its life. Secondhand addresses both aspects. Reducing waste is one of the most powerful levers we have for achieving our science-based targets and protecting the planet.”

But pulling this lever, and actually seeing the benefits of secondhand translate into a reduction in global production, requires a much more widespread shift in consumer mindset. If the ThredUp report projections turn out to be correct, this might happen much sooner than we think.

For her part, years at TRW has made Nicole Bassett confident that the growth is not just a passing trend led by young Generation Z consumers, and believes that a combination of price and environmental values is able to draw in people from diverse demographic backgrounds. Dominique Showers, meanwhile, wonders if there may also be a third, more sentimental, value at work: “We try to help guests see another value in buying used gear: That each item holds the history of its adventures, and that makes it so much more than just a jacket, or a pair of pants. It has a story.”

PHOTO: ARC’TERYX/REGEAR

PHOTO: ARC’TERYX/REGEAR

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Customers at Arc’teryx ReGEAR can trade-in eligible used gear and receive a gift card worth 20% of the original price.

Next, the team refurbishes the product and puts it online for resale.

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PARTNER: HEINEN LEATHER SPONSORED CONTENT

Good working conditions are a top priority at Leder Heinen.

“Responsible Performance Leather” terracare is a high-quality produced leather and the flagship of one of the last remaining tanneries in Germany. It is used by the industry’s major players such as Hanwag, Lowa and Meindl. The label focusses on three things: Performance, responsibility and sustainability.

D

ealing with materials that come from animals requires a sense of responsibility. Fortunately, this is not just an idle phrase: A lot has changed in recent years among manufacturers, brands and end consumers alike. As these developments particularly affect leather production, 20 – suston

Thomas Heinen developed terracare.

The managing director is the 4th generation to head the family business Leder Heinen, which has been producing leather in Germany since 1891.

Exemplary leather production As “Responsible Performance Leather,”

terracare stands for the highest quality, respectful treatment of animals and environmental protection, whereby both humans and animals should be affected as little as possible.

Meanwhile, terracare has become the leading ingredient brand for leather produced in the most exemplary manner.

What does that mean in concrete terms?

95% of the animal hides come from Germany, the remaining 5% from Europe. These waste products of the meat industry are subjected to an upcycling process. Only certified chemicals are used for tanning. In addition, over 30% less CO2 is emitted and 40% less water is used than the industry average. With facilities in the center of the small town of Wegberg, Leder Heinen cares for its employees and the future of the tanning industry: The wages exceed the average and the company also provides training.

Leather's natural advantages

One can talk at length about the outstanding properties of leather itself: Leather is breathable, neutralizes bacteria and odor, repels water and dirt, is extremely durable, while being supple and comfortable at the same time.

Depending on the tanning process, it can also be composted - an advantage over vegan alternatives, which are often presumed to be more environmentally friendly. In fact, leather substitutes only achieve an approximate level of

functionality and water protection using a finish made of plastic. But the biggest advantage in terms of sustainability is the extreme durability of a leather product. A well-made shoe is indestructible, unlike a plastic sneaker, which ends up in the trash after six to twelve months.

Industry leader within Outdoor

terracare’s claims are convincing: Leder Heinen has been awarded Gold status by the Leather Working Group, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving leather production worldwide. In addition, all leathers are certified with Oeko-Tex. Major manufacturers in the outdoor industry also swear by terracare. For example, in the Kento Advanced High GTX from Mammut, both the upper and tongue are made of the high-quality material. Leder Heinen also cooperates with Hanwag and Lowa, and Meindl uses terracare in Meindl Identity.

TERRACARE'S ETHOS terracare includes the following standards: • 1 00% transparent raw material origin: All animal hides come from Europe.

• Only high quality and certified auxiliary materials are used.

• Reduced water and energy consumption.

• Best performance: Breathable, robust, water-repellent, durable.

• Fairness: Humans and animals are burdened as little as possible.

• All by-products are disposed of in an ecologically sound manner.

terracare-leather.de suston – 21

BIODIVERSITY

THE RAINFOREST REVIVAL

Australia’s rainforests have long been cleared to give way to logging and sugarcane fields. Now the comeback of the world’s oldest rainforest has begun with the replanting and the buy-back scheme of the Daintree.

TEXT AND PHOTOS JOHAN AUGUSTIN

“W

e use some pioneer species to create substance,” explains Justin McMahon.

He’s a land manager and is “building species” by planting some 200 tree species, through his organization Rainforest Rescue. Some of the plants will grow faster than others and offer shade and nutrients for the ones that follow. Rainforest Rescue collaborates with private landowners in the Daintree, an area of northeastern Queensland, where the natural rainforests up until now have been severely damaged by cattle grazing, sugarcane fields and other land-use developments.

Breeze of change

Recently, however, a breeze of change has begun blowing through this ancient rainforest. Some

Justin McMahon, land manager Rainforest Rescue.

landowners have started to plant trees, and in doing so, they attract animals such as flying foxes and endangered cassowaries – which disperse fruits and seeds naturally over greater areas.

Justin walks over a lot that used to be a sugarcane field, and now instead is home to plants of various sizes. Next to the field grows a forest corridor – where trees were planted just a few years ago – and some now reach above ten meters high. Rainforest Rescue and other environmental organizations conduct buy-back schemes where private land is to be regenerated with new rainforest. By the looks of things, it’s a success story in the making.

A new threat

Even so, a new threat arrived in the Daintree during the pandemic. People from large cities like Sydney and Melbourne showed renewed interest in buying up land and moving to remote areas in the region. And with these newcomers, a new challenge has arrived.

“The biggest threats to the lowland Daintree rainforest continue to be inappropriate development and climate change, with historic fragmentation exacerbating the potential for a negative decline,” explains botanist at Macquarie University, Robert Kooyman, a rainforest ecologist who provides scientific advice to protect intact rainforest areas that are currently outside conservation reserve systems.

He works to restore areas previously cleared of rainforest or degraded by different land uses.

Why is the Daintree so important?

According to Kooyman, the Daintree protects the

THE DAINTREE

Located in northeastern Queensland, the Daintree is 180 million years old which makes it the oldest existing rainforest in the world. It is also the largest rainforest in Australia, covering 1,200 square kilometers and hosting 3,000 plant species and a varied fauna consisting of hundreds of threatened animal species such as tree kangaroos and cassowaries. About two-thirds of the country’s bats and butterfly species and over a third of Australia’s frogs, marsupials and reptiles live in the Daintree.

Sources: Rainforest Rescue, queensland.com

BIODIVERSITY

The not-for-profit organization Rainforest Rescue has planted more than 50,000 trees in Daintree, and has participated in the buy back of 31 properties for long-term protection.

largest remnant lowland tropical rainforest in Australia. The lowland rainforest also adjoins and connects to upland rainforests rich in Gondwanan plant and animal lineages and unique evolutionary history.

“It represents a direct connection to that deep time history,” says Kooyman.

He also says it’s important to reconnect small and large forest areas in the Daintree.

“It facilitates the movement of plants and animals, as well as protects the functional integrity of the forests and enhances their capacity to be resilient in the face of climate and other changes.”

Looking ahead to further expand Australia’s rainforests, Kooyman says, requires a combined “toolkit.” He believes that it is necessary to nurture and enhance natural regeneration processes, and to assist those natural processes with weed control, but also to engage in the “scientifically informed restoration planting of trees.”

“Mimic nature”

And that doesn’t mean simply finding the fast24 – suston

est-growing species and planting lots of it.

“We have to mimic nature,” says Marine Deliens, manager at Rainforest Rescue’s nursery in the Daintree. She explains that having genetic variation in the plants is crucial in that this gives the plants better chances of survival, as well as dividing certain species to certain areas – where species naturally spread via animals such as birds or wild boars.

The nursery consists of various sections, where the initial stage is “a shade house” in which small tree plants are protected from rain and harsh sunlight. Once they have grown a bit, they can be moved out into the open and unforgiving climate of northern Queensland.

“We want sturdy plants, so we try them out in the sun to see if they survive,” Marine says.

Currently, the nursery produces 12,000 plants annually. But this number is set to increase dramatically when the nursery is to be transferred to an abandoned airport. Up to 150,000 plants are planned for the new nursery.

The ancient forest also has a special signifi-

cance to the traditional owners of this land – the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people. In September 2021, they took over a combined area of four national parks, consisting of 1,600 square kilometers, including the Daintree. The Kuku Yalanji will hereby formally take over the area as owners and manage the land in partnership with the Queensland government. John Dockrill represents his people and explains that the traditional owners already use their knowledge in replanting the rainforest: “We are natural gardeners who grow seeds, among other things.”

Elderly rangers share their knowledge in areas such as regeneration of plants, controlled fires and crocodile knowledge for the younger generation. John grew up in the Daintree, and compares his people’s connection to the rainforest with that of the Amazon and its indigenous peoples.

“The forest is our life nerve,” he says, “We must have it in order to exist.”

Forest and reef

The Daintree is famously the only location where

two UNESCO World-Heritage listed areas meet.

The rainforests stretch out to the Coral Sea, home to the Great Barrier Reef and its WHA-listed reserve. Apart from being an important tool as a carbon sink in the fight on climate change, the Daintree is also preventing leakage of agricultural nutrients from reaching the reef, which is already affected by recurring bleaching events.

“The forest acts as a barrier before the reef,” explains Steve Edmondson, a tour operator in Port Douglas.

His family business Sailaway Reef and Island tours takes tourists on reef trips to view sunsets with the Daintree as a backdrop, and is also now involved in the planting of corals in what will be new “coral gardens.”

“We already see how the new corals create ecosystems with many different fish species,” Steve says.

According to him, the reef is resilient and is on its way back after some bleaching events.

“It just needs a little help on the way, just like the rainforest.”

Alongside climate change, nutrient run-off is considered the most significant threats to the longterm health of the Great Barrier Reef.

Intact coastal forests can help protect coral reefs by providing a barrier to agricultural areas further inland.

suston – 25

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SPONSORED CONTENT PARTNER: PRIMALOFT

Performance & Sustainability

Equally Elevated Sustainability is no longer a trend; it’s a necessity. And PrimaLoft is leading the way with high-performance material innovations.

P

rimaLoft specializes in developing high-performance synthetic insulations and fabrics, working with over 950 brands worldwide.

Since the very beginning, PrimaLoft’s business has been rooted in three pillars: Performance, sustainability, and innovation. PrimaLoft engineers constantly develop new technologies that raise the bar for thermal performance, while also looking at the entire life of a product for ways to reduce impact at every step.

In recent years, the company has introduced several breakthrough innovations that have the potential to change the textile industry.

Product journey reduces footprint

PrimaLoft is deeply focused on reducing impact throughout a product’s journey, through the continued use of recycled materials, aggressive carbon reduction, production of durable products, combating microplastic & waste issues, and designing for circularity.

Reuse

PrimaLoft began using post-consumer recycled (PCR) content back in 1997, well before the industry was ready to embrace the practice. Since 2015, PrimaLoft has saved more than 692 million water bottles from entering landfills or ocean waters and transformed them into high performance fibers. The company aims to move away from virgin polyester entirely while maintaining the same in-

dustry-leading performance. However, recycling is not the end goal – it’s just the start of a journey.

Decarbonization

In recent years, PrimaLoft has made important strides towards decarbonization through concerted efforts in all major aspects of the business. The use of recycled materials instead of virgin polyester can reduce the carbon footprint by 43%.

In 2019, PrimaLoft launched a breakthrough technology aimed at disrupting the traditional manufacturing process.

With PrimaLoft® P.U.R.E.™, which stands for Produced Using Reduced Emissions, technical engineers have reduced the carbon emissions produced during the manufacturing of synthetic insulation by up to 70%.

Durability

PrimaLoft is committed to manufacturing products that last a lifetime, or even generations, creating garments that can be reused, repaired, and passed on to other users. All PrimaLoft products are highly durable, enabling them to maintain their high level of performance for many years. Using highly durable materials extends the usable life of garments and can therefore lessen their potential impact on the environment.

Combating microplastics

Microplastics are a significant environmental issue, and textile waste is a con-

siderable contributor. According to a UN Environment report, approximately 30% of microfibers in the oceans are from textiles.

To do its part to combat this issue, PrimaLoft developed PrimaLoft® Bio™, the first-ever technology that uses 100% recycled content and enables synthetic insulation and fabric fibers to return to materials found in nature. Highly durable and built to last, the high-performance fibers only break down when exposed to specific environments like marine, wastewater, and landfill – reducing the long-term impact of microplastics in those environments.

Circularity

The textile industry is working towards the goal of implementing circular systems that enable products to be recycled into the same quality products, without needing new resources. Chemical recycling is a promising solution to help accelerate change, whereby material is broken down to its basic components. This maintains their integrity, so that it can be rejuvenated into new high-performance material, repeatedly. Through third-party testing, nearly all PrimaLoft® fibers have been proven renewable in a circular economy, via chemical recycling. As the industry continues to make progress towards circular systems, PrimaLoft is prepared.

Visit us at Performance Days: C03 primaloft.com suston – 27

POLICY

GREEN CLAIMS IN UNCERTAIN TIMES When it comes to sustainability communications, what you can say and to whom has become the hot topic of the year thanks to a tightening of consumer protection laws. But the rules are so far unclear - how is the outdoor industry responding?

BY JONATHAN EIDSE

T

he European Union is expected to vote into law a broad package early 2023 known as the EU Initiative on Substantiating Green Claims. But while its goal of eliminating greenwashing and consumer confusion is welcomed by many in the outdoor industry, exactly how the legislation will be implemented in practice has created a great deal of confusion on its own.

With sustainability communications campaigns already in motion and products being designed today that will likely be sold once this legislation enters into force, how is the Outdoor industry dealing with this uncertainty? Suston reaches out to four industry actors – the brands Rab and Bergans, the online retailer The Fair Cottage, and communications experts GreenroomVoice – to find out.

As we await to see what final form EU Substantiating Green Claims legislation takes and whether or not it is enacted in 2023, do you think communicating sustainability initiatives is worth the risk?

GreenroomVoice: Yes, we would strongly suggest to continue communicating sustainability, but to involve experts on sustainability in communication.

Many claims are technically wrong, not because the brands intentionally greenwash, but because communication experts are (most of the time) not sustainability experts, and the other way around to be fair. This lack of knowledge can at best lead to dull communication or at worst false claims.

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Bergans: We’re happy to see this is finally on the agenda, but now there’s a reemergence of uncertainty where many are afraid of being called out by NGOs or regulators if they stick their necks out.

Staying quiet might seem like the safe choice. In spite of this, I think that it’s really important to keep communicating our sustainability efforts.

Because as businesses communicate, they push each other forward in friendly competition and also increase the threshold of what consumers can expect of brands and their products.

Rab: We continue to see increased consumer demand for detailed information about how products are made and what environmental impact they have. So yes, we must continue to inform our consumers who are entitled to know how we are working with sustainability. As a company, we have

POLICY

embarked on an open and transparent approach as part of our journey to reach Net Zero by 2030.

Therefore, we are committed to meeting these increased expectations, providing guidance and supporting retailers with their communications.

The Fair Cottage: We believe that sustainability needs to be communicated - not necessarily at the forefront of branding and marketing strategies, but at the core of the whole business structure. Understanding sustainability holistically is crucial for such integration. I would say, brands and retailers have to put at customer’s disposal more educational information rather than just using insights to make claims. Developing more and better knowledge is a prerequisite to creating an understanding backbone to the entire industry.

What can be done to address green claims communications risks proactively?

GreenroomVoice: The purpose of our work at GreenroomVoice is to communicate with an objective and journalistic approach, which is customized to the kind (i.e. Supplier, Brand, etc.) and size of business. For us, it’s always the context in which the action is taking place that matters. We look at the brand’s situation and the daily business operations in all the most relevant categories in line with standard methodologies. The result is a profile as a solid base for communication.

For the new profiles 2023, on which we are working right now, we have joined forces with the public affairs agency Ohana in Brussels. Their experts will make sure to raise flags when they come upon areas of action within the profiles that are subject to upcoming legislation. This way, our members will be informed with a good head start.

Bergans: The key is, and has always been, to be clear and have the documentation to back it up. Of course, this might be seen as boring and the marketing department will have their work cut out for them. But it really does most justice to the consumer and keeps you out of trouble.

On the other hand, this is not just about our sustainability or marketing team. It also involves our athletes, influencers, retail staff, web content producers – everyone who communicates externally on Bergans’ behalf. Here, we’ve been very intentional about regularly educating our entire organization on what it means to communicate sustainability responsibly.

Rab: Sustainability and sustainability communications are highly complex issues, as they involve a multitude of factors at different levels. We need to grasp the complexity and ensure that we, as well as

retailers, are armed with the right communication tools to meet with consumers’ expectations.

Therefore, our strategy with CSR communications has been and continues to be transparency.

Our Sustainability Report, as well as our Social Report, provide evidence of the steps we’re taking and external partners such as South Pole and Fair Wear Foundation ensure our data is accurate. We believe in being bold and proactive in our comms, but at the same time recognize that we’re all on a learning process that we can best tackle together as an industry.

The Fair Cottage: I think that it’s important to understand that consumers engage more with brands than with claims themselves. When speaking about branding, this is always the most engaging part of it: It’s about the story, the roots, the spirit, the values!

In many spaces, people have begun to normalize green claims and they look for something beyond it, something that makes brands unique while also being closer to their values.

Legislation will hopefully help people to both recognize those brands making vague marketing claims and to consider integrating more sustainable purchasing decisions.

What are your concerns with the legislation as currently proposed? What do you see as its benefits and potential pitfalls?

GreenroomVoice: We welcome the EU’s proposals to substantiate green claims, as misleading information is in our eyes the main obstacle to engage the consumer in a long-term relationship with a brand.

Once a consumer has been disappointed, it is very hard to regain trust. If it also helps create clarity in the jungle of certifications, this is a good thing.

Of course, this will probably also be its biggest challenge. Using just one label that covers everything for comparability etc. will also be based on LCA averages. This will not always correctly reflect the actual impact of the product, especially when we speak about innovations. The difficulty here will also be to agree on a common scope on LCA measurements in order to make different materials truly comparable with each other.

That being said, we need narratives that support science. We are in a climate and biodiversity emergency, and we need all hands on deck!

Bergans: As sustainability has gone from a “nice to have” to a “need to have,” sustainability claims have become widespread and some people go overboard.

We’ve of course been bothered by a minority that take this a step further by bragging when there’s nothing to brag about. For this reason, I welcome

CIRA RIEDEL

Co-Founder GreenroomVoice

YNGVILL OFSTAD

Sustainability MGR Bergans

DEBBIE READ

Head of CSR & Corporate Communications, Rab

ELOY PADILLA

Founder & CEO The Fair Cottage

suston – 29

PHOTO: GREENROOMVOICE

POLICY

A central part of the proposed legislation is the prohibition of vague sustainability claims that cannot be backed up with data.

Right: Greenroomvoice will host their daily guided Transparency Tour at ISPO Munich.

legislation that levels the playing field to inform consumers and reward those putting in the effort.

But how that will all play out is an entirely different issue. The current proposal mentions promoting certain certifications like the EU Eco Label, and not recognizing others. What if you’ve based all your work on a standard that is not included? Another thing is that here at Bergans, “Built to Last” is one of our sustainability pillars. But how do you support durability claims with data? If you can’t market the USP, and it costs more, then there’s little incentive.

There are countless such trade-offs that industry experts have spent years struggling to account for, and now EU legislators are going to try to sort this out? We’ll just have to see. My hope is that at the very least, the legislation will be understandable and workable, and ultimately that good guidance will be the result for both business and consumers.

Rab: We feel that the Green Claims legislation will help clarify sustainability messaging, and avoid consumers being misled by ambiguous or inaccurate information. We strongly advocate for an aligned industry-wide dialogue with the potential for us all to learn, adjust and improve our approach.

Let’s take one step after the other, but let’s keep moving forward!

The Fair Cottage: I am concerned about how high the threshold for small brands will be. Going through bureaucracy, certification processes, third-party audits and of course paying all the fees is already a hassle for them. I really hope the legislation brings more accessibility and clarity rather than complications.

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That said, I think communications have become tricky to understand and have led to misinformation, vague claims and complexity. I believe that legislation is needed to tackle this problem and regulate how information should be communicated more transparently, aiming to inform and educate.

WHAT IS THE EU INITIATIVE ON SUBSTANTIATING GREEN CLAIMS? In 2019, as part of the EU Green Deal, the EU Commission announced an initiative that would aim to reduce the risk of false or misleading green claims, stating that “Companies making ‘green claims’ should substantiate these against a standard methodology to assess their impact on the environment.”

This was further specified under the 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan, where the Commission announced it would prepare a legislation proposal whereby green claims would need to be substantiated using the EU Product and Organisation Footprint (PEF and PEO) methods developed by the Commission’s own Joint Research Centre.

Following a public consultation period in 2020, the proposal has since been postponed several times. At time of writing, it is expected to be a part of the Circular Economy Package II slated for the end of November 2022.

SPONSORED CONTENT PARTNER: HOHENSTEIN

Assess Before You Buy Buying outdoor clothing that proves to be unsuitable for the outdoors is not sustainable.

The Hohenstein Performance Index enables an objective assessment of the suitability of textiles for their planned use even before buying them.

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nyone who likes spending time outdoors knows that there are certain pieces of clothing that are essential to have before heading into the weekend or holidays: Pieces that fulfil their purpose perfectly, keep you warm and dry, wick moisture away from the skin and are simply comfortable to wear.

Outdoor clothing that is worn again and again over long periods is more sustainable than bad purchases that are disposed of in clothing banks after being worn just two or three times.

But how can good items of clothing be identified reliably in advance and bad purchases avoided? The Hohenstein Performance Index provides the answer.

An objective benchmark for subjective perceptions

Hohenstein has been researching the interaction between the body, climate and textiles for over 60 years. The company

is a forerunner in the development of scientific methods for the objective evaluation of the comfort of textile products correlated with human perception.

The Hohenstein Performance Index (HPI) lets you identify the properties of outdoor textiles even before buying them – on an objective level. This makes it clear from the beginning what a textile can do and what uses it is best suited for.

What does the index assess?

The HPI assesses the basic function of outdoor clothing, which includes temperature regulation, moisture management and protection from external influences such as rain and wetness.

Hohenstein determines thermophysiological comfort using a standardised measuring device that it partly developed itself. This device reliably calculates the material-specific, physical parameters of the textile’s temperature and moisture management abilities.

The HPI in practice

For outdoor clothing, it is commonly recommended to use a three-layered clothing system, where the various layers each fulfil a different function and together ensure optimal comfort for the wearer.

If there is an HPI for every piece of clothing, the pieces can be easily evaluated and compared before purchase – both individually and collectively.

Manufactures also use the HPI to improve textile performance and optimise their portfolio. For this, Hohenstein offers fine-tuned test processes that are oriented to the goals of the customer.

Sustainable outdoor clothing is a goal with many facets that can be reached systematically. The Hohenstein Performance Index provides valuable orientation and support in this regard.

ISPO Munich: B2:214 hohenstein.com suston – 31

PARTNER: ISBJÖRN SPONSORED CONTENT

Durability is Our Silver Bullet Isbjörn of Sweden is committed to making long-lasting outdoor clothing for adventurous kids and teenagers, choosing the highest performing and responsible materials and manufacturing processes each season.

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all/Winter 2023 is no exception for the bluesign® approved brand that only fine-tunes existing products to make them even more sustainable. Highlights for the season include: Going completely PFAfree to even include zippers; using 100% recycled polyester in its popular Lynx microfleece range; and being one of the first to use PrimaLoft® Insulation with Ocean Bound Plastic, made from 100% recycled content with 60% sourced from coastal areas, in a new collection.

When it comes to designing products that can be handed down to siblings and friends again and again, Isbjörn’s famous

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Penguin Snowsuit is the perfect example. Still going strong after more than 15 years and winner of the coveted “Best-inTest” (Bäst-i-Test) award in the premium category for nine consecutive years, the bluesign® approved Penguin Snowsuit is graded highly for its excellent durability and quality to ensure a long lifespan.

Children also love the fact that they can easily take it on and off, having the independence to dress themselves, as well as enjoying wearing it in the snow.

The longevity of Isbjörn products is not only demonstrated by the durable materials used, but also in their clever design. All hardshell and padded prod-

ucts have grow-cuffs on the arms and legs, which add a further 3cm in length to grow with the child.

“The outstanding durability of our products is our silver bullet, doubling or even tripling the lifespan of our garments and reducing environmental impact by more than half,” shares Maria Frykman, CEO, Isbjörn of Sweden.

“The future wellbeing of children and nature has always been our DNA.”

SUSTAINABILITY ROADMAP Isbjörn’s ambitious sustainability roadmap is clearly set, and Maria Frykman and her team are committed to becoming fully circular by 2030, completely microplastic-free by 2026 and Net Zero by latest 2045.

Isbjörn’s booth will use the ISPO Easy Package, which is designed with reusable parts. This, in combination with not shipping the booth back and forth to Sweden, results in large money and resource savings as well as a lower-impact stand.

ISPO Munich: A2:634 isbjornofsweden.com

SPONSORED CONTENT PARTNER: GORE

“Our Work is Never Done” New GORE-TEX products with innovative ePE membrane – a further step on the sustainability journey.

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ess weight, less CO2 emissions, less water consumption, PFC free: Is this the future of functional outdoor wear? According to the company who invented not only a new material but laid the foundation for a completely new category of clothing, footwear and gloves back in the 1970s, the answer is yes.

For more than 40 years, W. L. Gore & Associates (Gore), better known for the GORE-TEX brand, together with worldclass brands, has been on a continuous journey of using science and innovation to find solutions for real, complex problems. Gore is holding its commitment to sustainability to the same high level as the commitment to performance – through innovating more sustainable materials, technologies and processes.

This autumn, new GORE-TEX products with an innovative ePE membrane will be available from leading brands like Adidas, Arc’teryx, Patagonia, and Salomon. The new products are a milestone on Gore’s sustainability journey and an

example of what’s possible when a global material science company commits to “Responsible Performance.” In the words of W. L. Gore & Associates founder, Bill Gore, “The most fundamental and critically important aspect is the conviction that what you are doing is important…

And that the things you’re doing and the things you are planning to do change the world and make it a better place.”

The year 2022 is marked by truly game-changing developments. The new GORE-TEX products with ePE membrane are not just scientific innovations.

Lara Wittmann, Strategic Marketing Gore Consumer Fabrics, explains: “New GORE-TEX products with the new membrane provide trusted performance and durability and are a further step on our sustainability journey. With that we can help our partners to become steps closer to their sustainability goals.”

Benefits of the new GORE-TEX products with ePE membrane

• absolutely waterproof, windproof and

breathable protection • membrane, laminates and DWR treatments are PFC free* • reduced carbon footprint** • durability and a long product life lower environmental footprint • can be combined with recycled, solution or undyed textiles The journey continues. The work for real scientists, inventors and creators is never done, so it isn’t for the GORE-TEX brand either. In the coming seasons, the innovative ePE membrane will also be used in other technologies, in a much wider range of laminates and for extended end uses. Industry leading brand partners like Hestra, Lowa, Mammut or Norrøna will introduce functional wear with Gore’s latest technologies.

Meet at ISPO Munich: A1:401 gore-tex.com * advances Gore Fabrics´ goal of being free of PFCs of Environmental Concern over the lifecycle of its consumer products. In this case, the goal is accomplished using nonfluorinated materials. Learn more at https://gtx.is/pfcec ** through laminates with a lower mass membrane and select textile(s) (per Higg MSI)

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SUSTON MATERIALS

Polybag FAQ “Poly” means “many.” And indeed, polybags are everywhere. It’s often the first thing an e-commerce customer encounters with their new purchase, and it fills retailers’ waste bins on a daily basis. What exactly are polybags, and can they be sustainable?

BY VERITY HARDY ILLUSTRATION KICKI FJELL

What are polybags and what are they for?

Polybags are clear, typically low-density polyethylene (LDPE) single-use plastic bags designed to protect a product during transit from manufacturing sites onwards to distribution centers, retailers and consumers.

For certain products there is a very real need for such protection: In transit to protect from dust and moisture; in warehouses to protect from damage during transport and storage; and in distribution centers and retail outlets to preserve cleanliness on handling. Currently, there remains a need to continue using protective packaging in circumstances where the environmental conditions cannot be controlled or for particular product lines which are more prone to damage or discoloration (e.g., white t-shirts).

What is a polybag’s environmental impact?

LDPE is a thermoplastic derived from fossil fuels.

But from a materials perspective, the primary issue is not plastics themselves, but rather what happens with plastics once they have been used. Without intervention, plastic packaging in the outdoor industry is nearly always given over to municipal waste collectors, where it will end up almost entirely in a landfill or an incinerator. Thus, while an individual polybag may have a negligible impact, the global volume of discarded polybags collectively represents a staggering amount of waste.

Can’t we just stop using polybags?

Indeed, this is happening across many product lines. But given the polybag’s significant role in protecting the product, it must be done with careful consideration. The least sustainable packaging is the one where the product gets damaged.

Initial tests in removing polybags from outdoor products indicated that this frequently results in product loss from damage, rendering them un-

sellable. As products represent such a significant environmental cost, any damage to them offsets the tiny gains from polybag elimination efforts.

In other words, the ecological costs of losing products far outweighs any potential gains from polybag removal across all product lines.

Are there alternatives to polybags?

There are several alternatives to LDPE polybags on the market. But alternative materials risk shifting, rather than mitigating, environmental impacts, and often present new and problematic negative costs that are equally difficult to control or eliminate.

Bio-based plastics, for example, are fully or partially derived from renewable biological sources.

But they may not readily break down in nature or be recyclable together with conventional plastics.

Similarly, natural materials like paper and cotton may be preferable in terms of littering or human toxicity, but packaging made from these materials may not provide the necessary levels of moisture protection required to keep products safe.

Research tends to agree that from a material perspective, recycled plastic does some things very well. At almost every segment of the lifecycle, recycled plastic outperforms alternative materials across key environmental impact criteria. Again, it is just its end-of-life that is at issue.

What can be done about polybag waste?

There is an ongoing focus on redesigning end-oflife systems, such as numerous national programs that incentivize plastic recycling.

There are also numerous pilot programs in the outdoor industry exploring how to reduce the use of polybags and keep them out of the retail and consumer spheres by collecting them and recycling them already at distribution centers.

Learn more about these pilots on Page 10!

VERITY HARDY

Single Use Plastics Project Manager, European Outdoor Group

IS GEAR GROWING UP? After many years of apparel demonstrating sustainability leadership and innovation in the outdoor industry, the hard goods sector is now making headway. Suston reaches out to Jane Turnbull from the European Outdoor Group to find out why.

BY JONATHAN EIDSE ILLUSTRATION NADIA NÖRBOM

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GEAR

At long last, the hard goods segment is coming out with one sustainability innovation after another. What took so long?

I think the apparel industry received a head start, thanks to the focus of NGOs on issues such as chemical use and animal welfare. For example, the Greenpeace Detox campaign’s impact on PFAS use, microfiber release reports that lead to the formation of The Microfibre Consortium, and the Responsible Down Standard to address issues in down collection methods. Hard goods, on the other hand, have largely gone under the radar of this type of scrutiny, likely on account of hard goods having much less use by the wider markets, and a smaller segment of the industry. Whether a person is outdoorsy or not, almost everybody will have a fleece jacket at the back of their closet.

The same can’t be said for ice axes.

In addition, some hard goods producers, in contrast to apparel brands, are relatively tiny actors within the supply chains in which they operate, sharing suppliers with giants like the construction and electronics industries. This can make it very difficult to implement any changes further up in the supply chain.

In that case, what has happened now that has changed the equation?

I think there has been a mass mobilization of our sector in general, but the mix of brands that offer both soft and hard good products has helped ensure that hard goods brands have wanted to follow quickly. Those brands who had already developed advanced measurement and mitigation regimes for most social and environmental risks within their apparel product lines have found it natural to want to apply the same approach to their hard good products.

At first glance, hard goods do face much the same risks as apparel. You have chemical risks, carbon footprints, labor issues etc. The real difference – and one that has certainly led to some early frustration – is that while apparel has a whole array of programs, certifications and best-practices in place that make it relatively straight forward to jump on board, the ability to apply some of these tools to hard goods does not always work.

This is indeed a real challenge, but as more and more hard goods brands came to the same conclusions, the more they realized the need to collaborate. And it’s here I believe the breakthrough lies. Of all the European Outdoor Group’s collab projects, the hard goods brands were some of the first to show what can be achieved by joining forces and addressing shared issues. So, I think that we’ve reached a critical mass within this segment that is leading to the significant progress we see today.

Does there seem to be any hard good products that face an easier job on mitigating their impacts? And which ones still have a tough road ahead?

Certain textile products that are considered in the equipment category - such as sleeping bags, backpacks, ropes, and tents - can use many of the same standards, measurement tools and supply chains.

Any brand with a vertical supply chain or that owns its own facilities will also likely have an easier job of implementing changes as they have better control, trust, and mapping abilities.

But in terms of the “harder” hard goods, there really is not a lot of low-hanging fruit to be had.

These products may be made of durable materials that are often long-lasting, which can potentially reduce their overall impact.

Moreover, plastics and metals can be recycled and brought into a circular model. Theoretically in any case. Realizing this potential, however, has been met with the same challenges apparel faces in terms of collection and sorting. In addition, the necessity to meet and ensure safety standards for climbing equipment, mean the potential for circularity based on the currently available techniques is complicated further.

That said, it’s important to note that there is progress here too, as standards like Responsible Steel and the Aluminum Stewardship Initiative as well as various traceability tools are increasingly being made available. Similarly, legislation from the European Union on due diligence, and right to repair amongst others, are all set to significantly level the playing field for the better.

What advice would you give to hard goods brands? And what should consumers looking for more sustainable gear keep in mind?

To hard goods brands (or any brand for that matter), I’d say it is never too late to get started measuring impacts and tracing supply chains to identify risks. There are some brands already working on producing Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) data, and there’s a big need for more of this type of granular data in general, which in turn helps everyone make more informed material choices. So more of this please!

But the biggest wins are to be had with suppliers. This is also where some of the greatest challenges lie as well, and it will likely take a lot of collaboration. So, find other brands with shared suppliers and join forces.

To consumers, I’d give the same advice as for apparel: Research the issues, understand and look out for certifications and ask questions at the point-of-sale. And of course, buy the one product that you actually need, that will best suit your purposes, and that will last the longest!

JANE TURNBULL

Sustainability Project Manager, European Outdoor Group (EOG)

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9 GEAR

Hard Goods Pioneers

From outdoor stoves to backpacks to eco-designed skis. Hard goods expert Joel Svedlund provides a product guide highlighting cutting-edge sustainability innovations – and what challenges may lie ahead.

BY JOEL SVEDLUND

BioLite CampStove

Burton Snowboards

WHEN: 2012

WHEN: 2017

WHAT: Biofuel powered outdoor stove and power bank.

WHAT: High-performance snowboards using bio-based epoxy.

PROS: A stove truly running on biofuel – small sticks, pinecones or scrap wood with a high effect suitable for cooking. A thermoelectric element generates electricity that drives a fan and generates an oxygen surplus, boosting the combustion with higher power and cleaner flames. With an over capacity of electricity generation and an added battery, the stove then acts as an electronics charging unit. Biolite has also developed a domestic wood stove product for third-world home cooking.

PROS: It is not known by many, but all Burton snowboards have been produced with biobased epoxy for some years. After extensive performance testing and LCA assessment to determine the environmental impacts, the material was tested in the Family Tree product line in 2017 and one year later rolled out in the full Burton production. The epoxy replaces around 30% of the petroleumbased carbon with bio-based carbon from plant material. The raw materials used are primarily sourced as a waste stream from the production of biodiesel that also uses recycled or reclaimed materials as its raw material source, such as used frying oils from the food industry. This reduces the carbon footprint from epoxy production by up to 33% compared with conventional epoxies.

CONS: Wood burning deposits some soot on pots.

Wood consumption is quite high because of the oxygen surplus and high output, so refilling the stove a few times during a cooking session is required. Adjusting the flame is possible through the amount of wood and fan speed, but is not as straightforward as in a gas- or multifuel stove.

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CONS: Epoxy is a thermoset plastic, which has a non-reversible chemical reaction in the production. The end-of-use solutions for skis and snowboards are today limited to re-design as craft material, or shredding for incineration or landfill. Recyclability solutions are needed.

GEAR

Fjällräven Lappland Hike 15 WHEN: 2018 WHAT: Daytrip backpack using discarded Swedish wool.

PROS: Backpacks are often designed with a combination of many materials to achieve the desired properties. The structurally stiffer parts, like back panels, shoulder pads and hip belts, are often padded with synthetic foams. The dominating method for foam production involves chemical foaming agents with a challenging toxicity profile, and requires careful handling in the production. In this backpack, the back panel and inside of the shoulder straps are made of compressed wool felt instead of a foam material, thus lowering the potential chemical load and work environment risks from the product. The wool felt, from Swedish discarded wool qualities that are considered too coarse for general textile use, has an added benefit of breathability and better moisture management, increasing the comfort for the user.

CONS: The source of the wool is important - it is resource efficient to use wool that would otherwise have been discarded. Wool felt has higher moisture retention than closed-cell foams – this may be an advantage on warm, intense hiking days by wicking away sweat, but can be a comfort drawback in rainy weather or in wet snow conditions when soaked.

BACKPACKS & TENTS Backpacks and tents are product groups with many mixed materials – textiles, plastics, foams, metals and even wood and composites are often involved in the making of these products. For backpacks, the main achievements have been in recycled materials and textile finishes. In tents, the big sustainability wins are still to come. The materials in tents have very specific performance criteria - high strength, controlled stretch, light weight, UV resistance, packability and water resistance - which require meticulous testing for any changes of raw materials, processing or surface treatments.

SKIING & SNOWBOARDING In this category, the basic construction is very similar between most models, and the efforts made by brands are also along similar lines.

Recycled materials for metal and plastics, responsibly grown wood and biobased epoxy and fibers are common ingredients for the more sustainable products.

DAC tent poles WHEN: 2019 WHAT: Tent poles surface treated with “green anodizing.”

PROS: The tent pole supplier DAC invested eight years in R&D to find an alternative to the harsh acid chemistry for “pickling” aluminum. Pickling is a process where the aluminum oxide on the tent pole surface is removed to prepare for the anodizing process. For a company with DAC volumes, this means more than 100 tons of acids per year. The acid use contributes directly to worker health challenges, high demands on wastewater treatment and risk for environmental pollution.

DAC’s unique solution is a chemical-free process where the oxide is mechanically removed by abrasion. This has lowered chemical load drastically.

CONS: The abrasive surface pre-treatment creates aluminum oxide dust, which has to be managed carefully.

GEAR

Edelrid HMS Bulletproof Eco WHEN: 2021 WHAT: Abrasion resistant carabiner with low-impact surface treatments.

PROS: The highest wear on an HMS carabiner comes from rope running through it in top-rope or belay situations. Steel is often used in professional equipment but considered too heavy for recreational climbing. With a stainless-steel insert, this aluminum carabiner extends useful service life considerably and protects the rope from burrs or sharp edges. Since the wear surfaces are made of stainless steel, the rest of the carabiner body can be produced in a natural, oxidized state that totally eliminates the anodizing chemical surface treatment process.

CONS: The non-anodized surfaces do not look as shiny as anodized surfaces and may need some explanation for customers. It is also more sensitive to corrosion, an issue mainly for equipment that is either stored wet over longer times or exposed to salt water and not rinsed.

Edelrid NEO 3R 9.8 mm WHEN: 2021 WHAT: Climbing rope using 50% recycled material.

PROS: The NEO 3R 9.8 mm is the first rope to be made from 50% reused rope material. Edelrid has succeeded in producing a recycled rope that meets the high safety standards for climbing ropes. The challenge lies in fine-tuning processes to achieve the desired strength and elasticity in recycled yarns. They can now re-utilise production scraps into high-end use in ropes and minimize the production waste, with a maximum material value.

CONS: There may still be customers not trusting recycled materials, even with thorough controls and certifications in place.

SAFETY EQUIPMENT The Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) requirements that apply to safety equipment provide an extra challenge to sustainability efforts. The standards are strict with high safety factors, meaning that any change of design, materials or processes must be rigorously tested and proven safe to make sure the product integrity is unaffected.

Primus SIP Power Gas WHEN: 2022 WHAT: Gas canisters that help scale up biogas.

PROS: Until now, there have only been fossil fuel options for outdoor gas stove canisters. By buying biofuel certificates, Primus reserves production of bio-propane and stimulates the upscaling of a European bio-propane market. Through the certificates, they buy gas production for SIP Power Gas in biogas. The actual gas in the canisters is still fossil-based due to transport limitations, but their intentions are clear – they want to increase the purchased volumes of biofuel until they can fill actual Primus canisters with biobased propane gas.

Certificates are excellent tools for upscaling new energy sources. The GHG emissions are reduced by approximately 50%, the production is in Europe - and doesn’t cooking with biofuel in nature just feel much better?

Cons: The solution requires a bit of explaining but with clear goals, this is a truly ground-breaking initiative in the outdoor gas market. The standard EN 417 gas canister itself is still a challenge, though. Re-filling is not permitted for safety reasons and there is currently no dedicated recycling method for them.

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COOKING & FOOD EQUIPMENT The cooking segment is covered by strict standards and regulations. Stoves and fuel systems need approval according to product safety standards, and food contact materials need approval according to food contact regulations. This makes sustainable development slower than in many other areas, as new materials often need formal approval for the specific use before entering the market.

GEAR

ACCESSORIES Outdoor accessories and electronics have few examples of products demonstrating sustainability innovations. However, this may change fast as electronics are within scope for EU circularity and chemistry initiatives.

Silva Terra Scout headlamp WHEN: 2022 WHAT: Lightweight headlamp for hiking and camping.

PROS: The Terra Scout has a shell made from recycled polypropylene and hemp fibre, offering a CO2-footprint reduction of up to 90 percent compared to standard plastics. A rechargeable battery with USB charging is included in the top model, reducing the need to change batteries.

CONS: While this bio-composite is recyclable and hence can be re-purposed in new products, it needs to be correctly sorted and returned to the manufacturers at end-of-use to avoid its fiber content becoming a contamination of pure plastic fractions. This return and sorting system is not yet realized.

Rossignol Essential Ski WHEN: To be introduced 2023.

WHAT: Eco-design ski with a recycling solution.

PROS: With reduced number of materials, low-impact materials and focus on recyclability, this ski is defining a new direction in design for Rossignol. It is made in France with renewable energy and materials that are either recycled, certified natural or biobased. In the development, Rossignol has teamed up with a recycling partner to assess and develop a recycling method for the product where up to 77% can be recycled and 17% incinerated, leaving only 6% residual waste.

CONS: The recycling looks promising, but the method does not currently seem to recover the valuable fiber materials which become residual waste, not possible to incinerate. suston – 41

ANSWERS FROM THE ICE

Citizen Science is a growing outdoor trend, where enthusiasts collect data on the ground for researchers. Two Norwegian adventurers have taken this concept a long step further, spending eighteen months – including two winters – in a cabin without electricity or water in the Arctic wilderness of Svalbard.

BY KICKI LIND PHOTO HEARTS IN THE ICE

CLIMATE ACTION

T

he voice shouting outside the house breathes panic and Hilde immediately understands why.

Sunniva had gone out to check for the northern lights and there, right next to the woodshed and only two meters from her, stands a polar bear.

“It turned around and wandered away,” recalls Sunniva afterwards, “But I managed to be struck by how indescribably handsome this animal was, despite being terrified to stand so near to it.

That’s a feeling I will never forget.”

When the pandemic first struck, making people all over the world realize what the term “self-isolation” means, Hilde Fålun Ström and Sunniva Sörby had already isolated themselves for several months – completely voluntarily – in the remote Arctic archipelago Svalbard. The place they chose, the small cabin Bamsebu on the Van Keulen Fjord on the island Spitsbergen, is no stranger to polar bears regularly roaming by. 140 kilometers of extreme wilderness stands between the cabin and its nearest neighbor. In winter, when the sun doesn’t creep over the horizon for several months, the temperature can drop to below -30° Celsius.

“In the ‘ordinary’ world, you can allow yourself to go half-speed sometimes,” says Sunniva.

“In Bamsebu, we had to give one hundred percent of ourselves in all situations.”

More than just an adventure The origins of Hilde and Sunniva’s almost twoyear stay in Bamsebu and the project they call Hearts in the Ice were formed during an unusually mild winter in Longyearbyen, the main town on Svalbard with about 2,600 inhabitants. This is also where Hilde and her husband Steinar normally call home.

Just before Christmas 2015, in what would later be described as the worst storm in thirty years, an unprecedented avalanche hit a dozen or so residential buildings, killing a man and a young girl.

Hilde actively participated in the rescue work.

“Those who died were close friends of mine,” she recalls, before continuing: “When the shock eventually subsided, I realized that climate change concerns me personally. The avalanche was a consequence of the kind of mild winter that previously never occurred on Svalbard. I asked myself how can we live more conscious lives? How can we change our approach to travel, plastic, food, clothing and more? If a lot of people begin to ask such questions, this can have an impact.”

It may seem strange, but the avalanche and its tragic consequences motivated Hilde to realize a long-held dream: “I’ve wanted to spend the winter in roadless wilderness since I came to Svalbard 26 years ago.

Preferably with Steinar, but he wasn’t interested.”

Her friend Sunniva, meanwhile, was more than happy to join in. Both Hilde and Sunniva had solid knowledge and previous experience of the polar regions. Before her stay in Bamsebu, for example, Hilde had spent a total of one year in various hunting cabins in the Arctic, including as a weather observer on Jan Mayen and Björnön. Sunniva participated in the first female ski expedition to the South Pole and has also worked as a guide in Antarctica for many years.

“What attracted us was not just the adventure itself. With our project Hearts in the Ice, we also wanted to create debate and engagement around climate change,” explains Hilde.

This usually goes by the name “citizen science,” whereby private individuals help various types of research projects by collecting data. As citizen scientists, Hilde and Sunniva would report to nine different international research projects on everything from sea ice, phytoplankton and aurora borealis to clouds and the amount of microplastics in the ice. Previously, similar studies were only done during the summer.

No Plan B In August 2019, Hilde, Sunniva and the dog Ettra boarded a specially chartered ship in Longyearbyen for a four-day trip to the Van Keulen fjord and the cabin Bamsebu. Autumn was approaching and the peaks of the mountains were already shining white.

At first, they brought equipment and provisions for ten months. Basic goods such as flour, groats

During the entire stay, the dog Ettra, an Alaskan Malamute, was also present. Etra was both companion and polar bear watcher. When Ettra barked, it was a sign that a polar bear was approaching.

suston – 43

CLIMATE ACTION

The Svalbard archipelago is located ca. 700 km due north of the Norwegian mainland, halfway to the North Pole.

HILDE FÅLUN STRÖM Age: 55 Lives: Longyearbyen on Svalbard

SUNNIVA SÖRBY Age: 61 Lives: Vancouver Island in Canada

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and spices, dried vegetables, coffee, two moving boxes of chips and fifty cases of beer. Hilde had also shot a reindeer that she had butchered, packaged and froze.

“We had no plan B,” recalls Hilde.

“We had everything we needed but had to work hard every day to survive. Giving up was not an option. Despite the dangers and the effort, it was a wishful existence.”

Collecting data for the various research projects was both challenging and time-consuming.

“Just taking a boat trip and collecting phytoplankton in these areas is fraught with risk. It is important to have thought through everything beforehand.

What do we do if the engine breaks down? We must always and in all weathers have equipment, provisions, and a signal gun to scare away polar bears and communication equipment for several days.”

And plenty went wrong. They had technical issues with the cameras, the drone, the boat and the pump that picked up the phytoplankton.

“But we managed to solve everything as time went by, and that strengthened us,” says Hilde.

“When we were going to document the aurora borealis for NASA, we were completely enchanted by the shifting veils of light in the sky and forgot for a moment about the risk of getting frostbite on our fingers or that there could be polar bears in the vicinity,” continues Sunniva.

“Within one week, we had ten polar bears come very close to the cabin. It’s not like they knock on the door and announce their arrival. We were very

vulnerable and had to be constantly on our guard.”

Climate change is particularly evident in the Arctic. The researchers fear that these changes are happening so quickly that the polar bears will not have time to adapt. Their significantly altered behavior already stood out: “We saw with our own eyes how the polar bears try to adapt to melting sea ice and rising temperatures,” says Hilde.

“Their main source of food is seals, and the seals live on the ice. We saw how polar bears now try to hunt reindeer by lying down at high altitude and then attack the reindeer passing below. With a few hundred years they might be able to adapt, but they use up a lot more energy hunting reindeer and these don’t have as much fat as seals.”

While this data is useful, it wasn’t only the researchers who got to share in their observations.

With satellite communication and live broadcasts, thousands of children and young people were also reached in classrooms all over the world.

The importance of gratitude News of the pandemic reached Hilde and Sunniva via satellite, and when in the spring of 2020 it sunk in how serious the consequences were, they decided to replenish their provisions and carry out another wintering in Bamsebu.

“We had mixed feelings returning in the dark for another winter,” says Sunniva.

Ahead of them lay nine more months, three of which were without daylight.

As citizen scientists, Hilde and Sunniva contributed to various international research projects and collected data for, among others, the Norwegian Polar Institute and NASA.

“But once we had re-established ourselves, the research that we could contribute and the live broadcasts via satellite felt more meaningful than before. And seeing the world take such measures to manage a global crisis, in a way this gave hope.”

To cope with the extreme conditions in Bamsebu, Hilde and Sunniva stuck to their daily routines. In addition to keeping a close eye on the implementation of the various research projects, the wood and water supplies needed to be constantly attended to and the stove kept warm.

They were also careful to maintain their circadian rhythm, with daily outdoor exercise and yoga.

“One thing I will remember most from this time are all the funny inventions, especially when it came to a crisis,” says Hilde, who continues: “Like dressing up on Halloween and when Sunniva was Santa on Christmas Eve. Or when there was so much snow that we couldn’t get the front door open or when a storm blew it right off.”

But both Hilde and Sunniva agree that the greatest challenge was living so close to each other for such a long time.

“Of course, we haven’t been best friends all the time, that would be unreasonable, but we have managed to communicate through all situations. It’s about constantly double-checking and asking the other ‘is this what you mean?’ before you react with counter attacks. It is so easy to misunderstand. We have also been careful to show gratitude towards each other. Saying ‘thank you for chopping wood.’ Showing gratitude

The cabin Bamsebu was built in 1930 to house whalers.

Nowadays, it is culturally marked and privately owned.

might sound obvious, but it’s super important to remember to show it. And we are still best friends,” says Hilde.

Sunniva shares the same sentiments: “You don’t always have to agree. But it’s important that there is room to openly share thoughts and reflections. It’s important to be able to listen to each other. In this way, we have learned a lot, both about each other and about ourselves.”

New wintering awaits In the summer of 2021, Hilde and Sunniva left Bamsebu after a combined total of eighteen months in the roadless wilderness.

“It was completely shocking to come back to civilization,” says Hilde.

“It was wonderful to meet family and friends again, of course, but it was difficult to take in all the sounds and smells, all the noise. Everything we did in Bamsebu had a meaning. Both for our own survival and in the satellite calls about climate change and what we can all contribute.”

And Hilde and Sunniva’s icy research journey continues. Beginning autumn 2022, they have now set out to spend another winter in the wilderness.

This time in the Canadian Arctic. But as Sunniva explains, the mission remains the same: “We want to continue communicating with people around the world and calling for action.

We must address climate change for the serious crisis it is. Now. We need strong leaders, but it starts with you and me.”

THE HEARTS IN THE ICE PROJECT

During two long winters isolated in the wilderness on Svalbard, Hilde and Sunniva have conducted citizen research and communicated the climate changes affecting the Arctic.

Citizen Science is research that is carried out with the help of the public. Participants can collect materials, act as assistants, partners, project managers or initiators.

During eighteen months on Svalbard, Hilde and Sunniva participated in nine international research projects.

During the winter of 2022-2023, they will continue the same adventure in northern Canada. heartsintheice.com

PERFORMANCEDAYS

MARCH 15-16, 2023 MUNICH & ONLINE

! t e k c i t ee r f r u Get yo THE SUSTAINABLE SOURCING FAIR FOR FUNCTIONAL FABRICS & ACCESSORIES performancedays.com

With Fabrics in Focus Performance Days in Munich, with its Performance Forum dedicated to more sustainable materials, connects leading material suppliers and ingredient brands with other key representatives from the outdoor and sports industry.

LENA WEIMER, SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER, PERFORMANCE DAYS This is a hybrid-event, but many prefer to visit in person. What are the main reasons for this?

The atmosphere – it is familiar and focused at the same time. I think people also appreciate our high aspiration on quality and sustainability. They will get the look, feel and haptic experience of our curated materials, and the opportunity of a face-to-face dialog after an expert talk. The possibility to join in digitally is worthwhile but will never substitute the interpersonal contact.

JULIA BERGH, R&D MANAGER, PEAK PERFORMANCE When visiting Performance Days – what are the biggest advantages from a brand perspective?

When you work with sourcing, it is so important to actually meet suppliers, especially if you are looking for new ones. Both because of the “touch and feel” aspects, but also to be able to ask questions in connection to the materials you have in front of you. The sustainability aspects are also easier to elaborate when you meet in person, both how they work and what we are searching for.

CHARLES ROSS, SPECIALIST IN PERFORMANCE SPORTSWEAR DESIGN & SUSTAINABLE MATTERS You have moderated at Performance Days for several years. What are your key topics this November?

First, I must say that sustainability is no longer an option, it is the baseline of the product. Topics or themes that I see are gaining momentum is for instance PolyProp-materials, as are some fibers from regenerative agricultural process (like wool & cotton). And that all eco-claims now have to be justified and contextualized - the word “Sustainable” is too vague to use.

ANNA RODEWALD, CO-FOUNDER AND SUSTAINABILITY EXPERT, GREENROOMVOICE GreenroomVoice will host panels and an interactive game on climate action. What can visitors expect to see?

The first panel is dedicated to the complex connections of human action that influence the global climate situation. The second panel is about Circularity. What do we need for a circular world? Research, services and competences are key. Besides the panels, we have an interactive part in the form of a game and a quiz, which allows the participants to gain background information and insights on climate. suston – 47

ISPO MUNICH NOV. 28–30, 2022 ISPO.COM/MUNICH

Let’s Meet in the Hub! ISPO Munich is a platform to connect brands, retailers and consumers, and the Sustainability Hub will continue to be one of the main arenas at the trade show. Four key players share why ISPO Munich is needed for a more sustainable outdoor community.

MARIA FRYKMAN, CEO, ISBJÖRN OF SWEDEN AND CHAIR, SCANDINAVIAN OUTDOOR GROUP Why is it important for brands to share how they work with sustainability?

Everyone is talking about sustainability today. That makes it hard for retailers and others to navigate through the buzz. At the same time, communication legislation is getting tougher. To share clear, transparent messages at the trade shows can be a way for us brands to guide our resellers, so they in turn know how to address the end-consumers.

ARNE STRATE, GENERAL SECRETARY, EUROPEAN OUTDOOR GROUP Outdoor trade shows are changing. What role does sustainability play in the new concepts?

It is a foundation! What we should experience at the outdoor shows, is how we as an industry manifest our values. This can be via products, but also sharing engagement and knowledge, with seminars, panel discussions and more. Also, the “new” trade shows must be more sustainable themselves, a process we started together with Messe Munich already in 2019.

LENA HAUSHOFER, EXHIBITION DIRECTOR, ISPO MUNICH & OUTDOOR BY ISPO Networking is a USP for the international trade shows. Why is this networking important?

At ISPO Munich, we can try to shape a contemporary outdoor mindset. A major part of this mindset is awareness of the challenges the industry is currently facing. Our passion for the great outdoors goes hand in hand with a passion to protect it. At ISPO Munich, we are determined to stand up for this attitude, and to strengthen and further expand the network and relations.

MARIA VENUS, SUSTAINABILITY ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGER, FENIX OUTDOOR As a Sustainability Manager, what are the main reasons to visit trade shows like ISPO Munich?

I go to ISPO to stay connected with the current development by looking at products, technologies, materials and also brand communication. To get a feeling of what’s cooking. Also, ISPO tends to be a gathering point for us sustainability managers, especially in the Sustainability Hub. It’s great to listen to presentations and be able to reflect and discuss together with colleagues from other companies.

suston – 49

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EVENT CALENDAR

Sustainability Events Fall 2022 Meet the experts, join the discussions, and learn the latest in outdoor industry sustainability!

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3

PERFORMANCE DAYS 10:00 – 10:30 / 14:00 – 14:30

Climate Quiz With: Bénédicte Herbout, Climate Fresk Location: Sustainability Hub, Hall 4

11:45 - 12:45

Panel: Global Connection, Local Action With: Anna Rodewald, GreenroomVoice Location: Expert Talk Area

16:15 – 16:45

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4 10:00 – 11:00

Keynote: EU Green Deal with Focus on Sustainable and Circular Textiles With: Bowie Miles, Leadership & Sustainability Location: Expert Talk Area

11:30 – 12:30

Panel: The EU Green Deal what DOES it mean for textile (recycling)?

With: Charles Ross Location: Expert Talk Area

12:30 – 13.30

Primaloft’s 360° approach for an environmentally sound future With: Mike Joyce, Primaloft Location: Expert Talk Area

Panel: Competences, services and research for a circular world With: Anna Rodewald, GreenroomVoice Location: Expert Talk Area

16:45 – 17:45

13:30 – 14:30

Consumption – are we getting it all wrong?

With: Charles Ross, Royal College of Art Location: Expert Talk Area

Panel: Higg (& other CSR audits) - a lot of dirt being thrown around, but is it missing the point?

With: Charles Ross

Location: Expert Talk Area

15:00 – 16.00

Panel: Consumption - the Elephant in the Room With: Charles Ross Location: Expert Talk Area

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28 ISPO MUNICH* 11:00 – 12:00

Growing Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) beyond apparel: the benefits and opportunities of comparable, credible social & labor data for the hard goods sector With: Giulia Lemmolo – Assessment & Quality Lead, Social Labour Convergence Project

12:00 – 13:00

The Fair Working Hours Guide to help reduce excessive overtime With: Niki Jansen – Performance Check Coordinator, Fair Wear Foundation

13:00 – 14:00

Making circular business models mainstream – the growth of the second-hand market With: Lucy Peacock – Head of Pre-loved Proposition, eBay

13.40 – 14:10

A Collaborative Approach to scaling supply chain decarbonisation With: Verity-Gay Hardy - CSR & Sustainability Project MGR, EOG

14.00 – 15:00

How to maximize your sustainability data with Higg

Sign up for the Suston Monthly!

Besides the Summer and Winter print issues of Suston Magazine, we also publish one of the most popular newsletters within the outdoor industry: The Suston Monthly. Each month, you will receive our stories, knowhow, inspiration, as well as best practices from our Suston Partners. Sign up and read more articles and guides at: sustonmagazine.com

With: Izzy Joly, Customer Success Manager (Europe), Higg

15.00 – 16:00

Microfibre Update With: TBC, The Microfibre Consortium TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29

11.00 – 12:00

Mimicking Nature with PHA: The natural alternative to plastics With: Rick Passenier - CoFounder, GoPHA!

12.00 – 13:00

Plant Based Leather Alternatives: Some Food for Thought.

With: Dr Mark Taylor, Research Officer, University of Leeds

13.00 – 14:00

PFAS updates With: Lisa Skedung, RISE Joel Svedlund, Peak63

14:00 – 15.00

Sustainability Strategy Course With: Joel Svedlund, Peak63

15.00 – 16:00

Retail Sustainability Round Table European Outdoor Group

16.00 – 18:00

Hard Goods Round Table European Outdoor Group & Peak 63

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30 7.30 – 9:00

Industry Breakfast With: European Outdoor Group *check the EOG website for synopsis/meeting locations.

NEXT ISSUE: Summer 2023 “Sustainability Natives: Meet the generation born into change.”

Published before OutDoor by ISPO

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