OUTp8,9 Tom Hutton 8/15/08 12:18 PM Page 8
Tom Hutton - Outdoor Retail
SGB
Sports and Outdoor
w w w. s g b - s p o r t s . c o m
Photo credited: Michael Howard.
How Green is my gear?
Everybody has a vested interest in the health of the planet; but those that seek sanctuary among its wildest and most beautiful places
should by definition be those most attuned to the damage being done. Are we? Tom Hutton takes a look.
A
nyone who loves the outdoors is likely to want to on its greatest devotees for meaningful support, things vocabularies, so these embers have finally flickered back
care for it, protect it, and conserve it. It’s little were indeed bad. into full-blown fires and many of their contemporaries
wonder then that we, as walkers, climbers, Fortunately the flame of hope hadn’t been completely have been waiting there in the fringes, ready to throw on
cyclists, paddlers and all other variations of extinguished from our industry and a few embers of a few logs and give them a quick stoke. As we start to get
outdoor addicts, tend to have vociferous views on all true authenticity still burned hot – mainly in the our first glimpses of the new product ranges for
matters environmental and ethical. shape of a handful of companies owned and Spring/Summer 09, I am optimistic I can feel
As well as really worrying whether or not our run by lovers of the great outdoors, who the warmth of those flames.
grandchildren or great grandchildren will have wanted to do their bit to save it. The So what’s changed? Perhaps the biggest
somewhere to protect, we also care about everyday best-known of this select club is thing is our attitude. Instead of focusing our
matters such as the imminent extinction of rare and Patagonia, whose founder, Yvon attention on specific products or fabrics,
wonderful species, about the receding glaciers, about the Chouinard, placed green and which was definitely the way things were 10
lack of good winter conditions in Wales (well I do ethical policies above all others, years ago, we are now looking at the whole
anyway!) and about the overall state of our countryside. eventually becoming a role model caboodle. We’ve become less obsessed with
Sad then, that when Ethical Consumer magazine not just for the outdoor industry but the odd single ‘green’ product and have
published its guide to buying rucksacks in 2006, that it for business in general. But there Beeline BackPack instead turned our attention to the whole
was able to produce a lengthy list of environmental and were others: German giant Vaude production process from design and sourcing
ethical horror stories pertaining to the production of the brought out a range of ‘Ecolog’ fabrics and materials, through manufacturing
gear that we all need in order to get out into the hills and recycled polyester clothing over a itself to marketing, sales and even where it ends
enjoy them comfortably and safely. From minimal decade ago, but this was launched to an up when it’s no longer needed. We now want to
auditing processes in overseas factories, through regular industry that was sadly not ready for it and sales never know where things are sourced, how they are
use of ultra-hazardous chemicals, to cruel processes for really took off; and our own Páramo has consistently transported and how far, how the factory was lit, what
filling sleeping bags with down insulation, just about shouted its best ethical and environmental practices age are the people making it, how much do they get
everything we could possibly stuff into that ‘ethically from the rooftops. paid, how did it get to our shops, what the box is made
purchased’ rucksack deserved to come with its own As the phrases ‘climate change’, ‘carbon footprint’ and of, how long is it going to last, and what’s going to
‘Planet Health Warning.’ If Mother Earth couldn’t rely ‘low impact’ have found their way into mainstream happen to it when it’s worn out. We even want to know
8 AUGUST 2008
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