Cash was tight in 2022鈥斺�攁nd my budget for buying new outdoor gear was nonexistent. Thus, I relied heavily on trusty reliables, some freebies, and stuff I bought used or at a steep discount. I spent way too much time scrolling through listings on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist this year. I lowballed. I bargained. I circled back again and again. But the听 work paid off, as some of the items I used the most were acquired through shameless haggling.

And that is the thru-line that connects my ten favorite products from the year. This is the stuff that got me through skiing, cycling, and hiking seasons, and helped me enjoy precious outdoor time with my three-year-old daughter. It鈥檚 also stuff that I can scrutinize with my inner accountant and feel good about having either purchased or held onto. Because in 2022, I got my money鈥檚 worth.

Prana Red Slate Vest ($185)

As you may know, those lucky few of us who work in outdoor media benefit from a freebie piece of gear or apparel from time to time. This past spring I arrived at our headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, to find that an editor from a different title had dropped footwear and apparel from a recent gear test on the 鈥渇ree鈥� table in the cafeteria. I grabbed the stylish , and since then it has become part of my regular repertoire (yep, those stains in the photo are authentic). I鈥檓 a vest guy, and I love this one for its versatility. It has vintage Marty McFly puff matched with a contemporary color scheme that make it appropriate outerwear for a night on the town. Plus, its insulation and PFAS-free water repellent coating make the vest great for cold and camp conditions, and there鈥檚 plenty of pocket space with six total pockets (two of which are zippered). Yes, I scored this vest for free, but after using it heavily听I would buy it retail.

Thule Yepp Maxi Rack Mounted Child Seat ($249)

Earlier this year I got a Radwagon 4 electric cargo bike for carting my daughter around town, and I started researching which seats to buy. I had been stockpiling gift cards from REI, and in the fall I plunked down the $279 for a new version of the child seat with a rack mount (note: don鈥檛 buy the frame mount version if you own a cargo bike). I was bummed when I was unable to get the Maxi Nexxt鈥檚 mounting jaws to work with the metal cargo cage on my Radwagon 4鈥攖hey wouldn鈥檛 fit into the square-shaped hole in the bike鈥檚 built-in ack. (A Thule rep told me that the seat and its clamping system does work with the Radwagon 4, but I couldn鈥檛 figure it out). Luckily, REI has a friendly return policy, and I was able to get a refund. But we still needed a seat.听I found someone on Craigslist selling a 2020 edition of the original seat (not the Maxi Nexxt), and haggled the price down to $150. The mounting system for this seat is a rectangular-shaped box that simply drops into the Radwagon 4 rack and then tightens. It鈥檚 been ideal for our trips to and from my daughter鈥檚 preschool, and it gives me the presence of mind that my most precious cargo is safe and secure.

Shotgun Child Seat + Handlebars ($135)

My wife bought me the by Kids Ride Shotgun last Christmas鈥攖hanks honey!鈥攁nd it has transformed my life as a parent who craves outdoor adventures with my child. As many parents know, getting your kid to enjoy an outdoor activity is a lesson in patience and frustration. We鈥檝e done hikes with my three-year-old daughter where our turnaround point was well within sight of the car. The Shotgun enabled us to go on long rides that span hours, and take us far away from the parking lot and trailhead. My daughter loves riding in the front of the bicycle due to the vantage point it gives her. The plush seat is cushy enough for small to moderate bumps, and the kid handlebars give her something to grip onto for the twists and turns. Note: It only works with a mountain bike. As with most outdoor kids gear, your results may vary, but my experiences with the Shotgun Child Seat + Handlebars thus far have been extremely positive. Just remember that the seat and handlebars don鈥檛 include the most important component of any outdoor adventure with your kids: snacks.

Trek X-Caliber 9 ($1,929)

I’ve bought and sold used bikes online for decades, and am keenly aware of the frustrations that are present on both sides of the exchange. Everyone wants the best price, and few sellers are willing to budge. This year I was looking to purchase a hardtail mountain bike for my daughter’s Shotgun seat. I was shocked by the high asking prices on Facebook Marketplace. After a few whiffs, tried a new buying strategy: I would message a seller, praise their item, and immediately admit that I could not meet the asking price. Instead, I鈥檇 tell them the ceiling of my budget, acknowledge that it was below asking, and then simply say that my offer would stand if no buyer met their price. Then, I鈥檇 wait. It took a few weeks for this strategy to bear fruit, but I was patient. Eventually it worked, and I purchased this (with a dropper post) for under $1,000. The 100 millimeter fork and tubeless tires offer more than enough cush to enjoy the buffed out trails I ride in Summit County, Colorado. The frame geometry works well with the Shotgun seat, and I’ve taken my daughter on multiple long trail rides deep into the backcountry. Sure, I鈥檝e found myself wanting the forgiving squish of a dual-suspension bike from time to time, but this hardtail works for me鈥攁nd my pocketbook鈥攔ight now.

Banjo Brothers Small Handlebar Bag ($20)

Have you ever accidentally left a metal multitool in your jersey pocket and then sent it through the 鈥淗eavy Duty鈥� cycle in your tumble dryer? I have, a few times, and it makes your laundry room sound like a gravel quarry. I promised my wife I would stop damaging our home appliances with bike parts. So, earlier this year I purchased the (at $20, the cheapest handlebar bag I could find), as a way to permanently remove the gear from my pockets. I chose this bag because it has a rigid liner that provides the bag its cylindrical shape. I’ve used soft-sided handlebar bags in the past, and on both occasions the rattling of the bag鈥檚 metal contents actually chipped paint from the head tube. I鈥檝e had zero problems with rubbing or paint chips with this. More importantly: I have yet to dent the washer or dryer with my bike stuff.

Dynafit Mercury 2 Pants ($199)

For several years, outdoor brands Dynafit and Salewa liquidated their samples and excess inventory at an outdoor garage sale here in Boulder, Colorado. These events were like Christmas for me, and over the years I picked up an entire gear closet鈥檚 worth of backpacks, shoes, jackets, and other stuff. In 2015 I purchased a pair of Dynafit skimo pants, and wore them for a wide-range of outdoor activities, from high-altitude hikes, to warm-weather ski sessions. In January, these pants finally blew鈥攐ne of the welded seams tore apart. I鈥檓 part of a Facebook group called SKIMO GEAR SWAP AND FORUM, and sure enough, I found someone selling a lightly used pair of for less than $100. These pants immediately replaced the old ones as a versatile garment that can be comfortable for a wide range of activities. They are my go-to for my sunrise skimo sessions. When I wear an insulated base layer, these pants are more than up for a day of resort skiing as well, so long as temperatures don鈥檛 dip below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. After one ski session, I even wore these pants out for an evening in Boulder鈥攁nd I wasn鈥檛 the only one wearing them.

Black Diamond Element Hoody ($230)

Like听 many of the other items on my list, I purchased this one on Facebook Marketplace. The tags were still attached, and the buyer said he’d simply bought the wrong size for his torso. My is threadbare and covered in “forever” stains鈥攁 testament to how often I have worn it over the last two seasons. Had I kept track of my outfits, this would be my most-worn garment, by a wide margin. It kept me warm and dry during my pre-dawn patrol skimo sessions in the winter, and comfy in those variable shoulder-season conditions in the spring and fall. I even wore it during a 95-degree day in rural Kansas, as the fibers vented my body heat while protecting my neck and arms from the beating sun. And here in Boulder, Colorado, where performance outerwear counts as appropriate evening attire, this hoody has been my outfit of choice for social events as well.

Goodr Mint Julep Electroshocks ($35)

I learned long ago that fancy and expensive sunglasses are not my jam. I lose them, crush them, or scratch the lenses. In recent years, I’ve bought cheap ones from gas stations, or purchased name-brand glasses used. That was before I discovered Goodr, the consumer-direct eyewear brand that makes just-good-enough shades with contemporary styles for bargain prices. The size fit my large noggin perfectly. Are these glasses going to allow me to spot a smallmouth bass in low light from the bank of a river? Probably not. Will they block every ray of ultraviolet light from entering my eyeballs? Who knows? Will I feel bad when I eventually sit on them or back them over with my car? Nope. I鈥檓 already on my second pair of them鈥攖he first disappeared when I dove into a foam pit during a toddler birthday party. But the glasses are just $35 and they look great. I can tolerate buying another pair.

Shimano XC7 MTB shoes ($230)

I鈥檓 infamously finicky when it comes to cycling footwear. My long (size 13) and narrow foot is a tough ask for most brands, so when I find a shoe that fits, I tend to wear it until the sole literally comes off. This is what happened in June to my previous cycling shoes, a pair of size 45 Shimano XC5 lace-up kicks from 2016. These shoes were so blown out that I had cut new eyelets in the upper to accommodate the laces (the original lace holes tore). I was bummed to learn that Shimano discontinued the lace-up version of is XC5, and I also experienced some sticker shock when I saw the price tag for the new lineup. But I found a seller in the midwest liquidating his set of Shimano mountain bike shoes from 2020 on Ebay, and I purchased a pair new for well below MSRP. I like the for its stiff sole, with great power transfer to the pedals. Plus, the bottoms have a Goodyear rubber coating, which gives you plenty of grip on slippery rocks. I have broken plenty of Boa closure systems in my day, but after one year of use, the one on my pair of XC7 shoes is still going strong.

My Local Bike Shop (Priceless)

In December, 2021, my community was devastated by an urban wildfire, which burned more than 1,000 structures and left even more families either homeless or stranded. My local bike shop, , became a hub for the recovery. The shop asked customers to donate used bicycles in any and all conditions, and the mechanics fixed up the rigs and gave them free to anyone who lost a bike in the blaze. I鈥檝e been a regular at the shop for a few years, and throughout the winter and spring I marveled at how the shop became a social hub for cyclists who suffered from the fires. People just hung out at all hours of the day to chat with the sales staff and mechanics. It felt like a clubhouse. This community effort is just one of the many reasons why I love Louisville Cyclery, which has operated since 1980. Greg Jones, the owner, remembers every customer鈥檚 name. Doug Nishimura, the service manager, gives clear and straightforward tech advice without any hint of bike-shop-dude attitude. The sales staff are friendly. In a year when I had to pinch pennies, every cent I gave to Louisville Cyclery was money well spent.

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The bold lettering stamped on the front of prAna’s plastic-free garment bags is confident, but cautious.

鈥淭his Is A Test鈥︹�� the bags declare, explaining that prAna is experimenting with methods of shipping that don鈥檛 require plastic polybags. It鈥檚 a declaration that could characterize the company鈥檚 journey for the past decade, a crusade on plastic sparked by a single photo. Now, the time for testing is over. For prAna, this fall marks the beginning of a new era.

Beginning in August, Plastic Impact Alliance member prAna is using 100 percent plastic-free packaging across the entirety of its operations. That means garments arrive at customers鈥� doors with no plastic polybags, hang tags, or fasteners.

鈥淲e鈥檝e left no stone unturned trying to eliminate plastic,鈥� said Rachel Lincoln, prAna’s director of sustainability. 鈥淩eaching that 100 percent mark has been such a long time coming.鈥�

A Decade Gaining Ground

By now, you may have heard the story that birthed more than a decade of dedication to cutting plastic in prAna’s operations. If you haven鈥檛, it goes like this.

In 2010, at a prAna retail store in Boulder, Colorado, employees had spent the day unboxing products to put on the shelves. With every product came a plastic polybag, which the team piled up in a corner until the mound of plastic became a mountain. The day came to a close, and the store鈥檚 manager sent a photo of the plastic pileup to prAna headquarters along with a single question: 鈥淲hat do you expect us to do with all of this plastic?鈥�

鈥淚t gave us a moment of pause,鈥� Lincoln said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e over here trying to do the right thing, trying to make responsible products, trying to use organic cotton and recycled polyester, and we hadn鈥檛 thought about the packaging.鈥�

The company brought together staff from every department to figure out how to avoid creating more mountains of plastic. Roll-packing鈥攖ying rolled garments with recyclable twine or raffia and shipping them in master cartons鈥攂ecame the packaging method of choice. The change brought prAna’s packaging to 80 percent plastic-free, but certain garments鈥攖hose with unstable dyes or heightened susceptibility to weather damage鈥攕till required the protection that individual polybags provided.

Enter the 鈥淭his Is A Test鈥︹�� bag.

Paper That Performs Like Plastic

To cut out individual polybags altogether, prAna turned to a paper product called glassine. The FSC-certified alternative is curbside-recyclable, 100 percent biodegradable, and made from wood pulp, just like regular paper.

鈥淭he [sustainability] team brainstormed how to convert a plastic polybag into a paper bag version,鈥� Lincoln said. 鈥淲e found the solution in the glassine paper bag.鈥�

Glassine is produced using a method similar to standard paper, according to sustainable packaging company EcoEnclose. Wood pulp is bleached, spread on mats, and run through cylindrical presses called calenders. To produce glassine paper, sheets are 鈥榮upercalendered鈥欌�攔un through the calendering process several times at different temperatures and pressures. The treatment results in an incredibly strong, dense paper with very little porosity, making it difficult for water and other contaminants to penetrate.

Between roll-packing and introducing the glassine bags, prAna has eliminated over 20 million polybags from its distribution process since 2010. Though some customers may worry about product safety after the switch away from highly-protective polybags, Lincoln is quick to put those concerns to rest.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 get returns because of dirty or damaged products due to packaging,鈥� Lincoln said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 quantify it because it doesn鈥檛 happen.鈥�

Welcoming Industry Competitors

This month also marks the first anniversary of prAna’s Responsible Packaging Movement (RPM), an effort urging brands in the outdoor industry to cut plastic and virgin forest fibers out of company packaging. Though many of the brands involved in RPM are direct competitors to prAna, Lincoln highlights the 鈥減re-competitive space鈥� that issues like sustainability occupy in the industry.

鈥淭he Responsible Packaging Movement was founded on that concept of collaboration,鈥� Lincoln said. 鈥淗ow can we bring everybody together, share knowledge, and rise all boats?鈥�

Currently, over 80 brands鈥攊ncluding Burton, Hoka, and GSI Outdoors鈥攁re signed on to the movement, which provides education and space for the sharing of information and advancements in sustainability. Interested parties can email 鈥嬧�媝rana_sustainability@prana.com to ask questions or join the movement themselves.

Plastic is still all but ubiquitous in the outdoors industry, but Lincoln hopes that prAna can be a model for brands looking to take steps towards plastic reduction.

鈥淸Plastic elimination] is completely feasible,鈥� Lincoln said. 鈥淎utomation in companies鈥� distribution centers is still based around plastic, so there鈥檚 a bit of an unravel that needs to happen. There might be some retrofitting, but it鈥檚 feasible.鈥�

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Two years ago, Florian Palluel hit a crossroads. His employer, the France-based company Picture Organic Clothing, had emerged as a sustainability-driven player in the outdoor industry, building technical snow and surf apparel from recycled and organic materials while maintaining a minimal carbon footprint. The company had even secured B Corp certification, a status reserved for businesses that meet the highest standard of social and environmental performance. But, as Picture鈥檚 newly elected sustainability manager, Palluel had found a significant crack in his company鈥檚 green exterior. 鈥淲e were honestly not that good on packaging,鈥� he said.

Like many companies in the outdoor space, Picture relied heavily on plastic polybags to protect its products in transit. For Palluel, it was a harsh realization that Picture, despite its sustainability efforts, was actually contributing to one of the industry鈥檚 stickiest problems.

He began to research packaging alternatives, contacting larger outdoor companies like prAna and tentree that were already on their own sustainable-packaging journeys. Both had opted to roll-pack their soft goods, then pack multiples into a large master polybag instead of individually wrapping them, which helped each company drastically reduce single-use plastic waste in its packaging. But roll-packing requires human intervention, training, and tends to cut into efficiency鈥攁nd therefore profit鈥攚hich is why it鈥檚 not more widely adopted.

In 2018, REI released its Product Impact Standards, challenging outdoor companies to step up their sustainability efforts across the board, or be left out of REI storefronts. For Picture, the call to action couldn鈥檛 have been louder.

Within a year the company had its own system in place, combining the roll-pack method with a third-party package reuse company. So far, the brand has reduced its polybag use by 53 percent, while removing 425,000 polybags from its supply chain. Palluel acknowledges that there鈥檚 still plenty of work left to do.

鈥淲hen you want to remove polybags, it can鈥檛 be done overnight,鈥� Palluel said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a process.鈥�

For prAna, that process has been over a decade in the making. The clothing company first pledged to eliminate polybags back in 2010 and estimates that it has taken over 20 million plastic bags out of the supply chain during that time, according to prAna Director of Sustainability Rachel Lincoln. Still, the company has since realized that its individual impact isn鈥檛 enough to curb the problem鈥攊t needed to get other brands on board.

鈥淲e should be sharing our secret sauce with other brands wanting to make the switch to responsible packaging,鈥� Lincoln said.

Collaboration is Key

Driven by that desire, prAna started the Responsible Packaging Movement (RPM) in August 2020. RPM offers members educational resources like how-to guides and a live speaker series to help brands like Picture start their own shifts toward sustainable packaging. There are currently 77 brands that have joined RPM from the outdoor industry and beyond.

RPM isn鈥檛 the only show in town. The Plastic Impact Alliance (PIA) launched in 2019 after Kristin Hostetter (editorial director of 国产吃瓜黑料 Business Journal) wrote an editor鈥檚 note about the outdoor industry鈥檚 plastic waste problem at Outdoor Retailer. The letter sparked so much interest that she decided to form a coalition of brands to share ideas and bring about change. The PIA currently has more than 400 members鈥攃ompanies across the outdoor industry dedicated to eliminating plastic waste from their businesses.

Last summer, PIA members exhibiting at Outdoor Retailer hosted 170 water stations around the show floor and found reusable solutions for their in-booth show events, nixing untold plastic bottles from the show floor. And a new, private PIA LinkedIn forum serves as a place where members can collaborate, share, and brainstorm solutions. 鈥淲ater bottles and cups at trade shows were the low-hanging fruit,鈥� Hostetter said. 鈥淧ackaging鈥攁nd in particular polybags鈥攊s much harder to eliminate. But the problem is real. Retailers have sent me photos of mountains of polybags they get saddled with every time a shipment comes in.鈥�

PIA member NEMO recently launched an innovative partnership with DAC (also a member), dubbed the 100K Polybag Elimination Project, to replace the polybags that encase tent poles with reusable Repreve fabric ones. Both companies are hoping the initiative takes off鈥擝ig Agnes, Hilleberg, and REI are already in talks with DAC. Next up for NEMO is tackling the larger polybags used to ship sleeping bags.

There are plenty of other brands reimagining the way goods travel. Picture has teamed up with Finnish shipping company RePack to help recapture packaging from consumers instead of tossing more garbage into landfills. Picture buys the packaging from RePack and provides postage for consumers to send empty packages back to RePack, where it is sold back to Picture, essentially 鈥渃losing the loop鈥� and using far less energy than traditional recycling, said Palluel. Toad&Co has been using a similar reusable shipping bag (LimeLoop) since 2018.

But an even bigger challenge lies beyond direct-to-consumer shipping. After all, most product reaches the U.S. wrapped in polybags from manufacturing centers in Asia and Europe.

鈥淲e told our factory in Turkey that if the bigger brands like prAna can make the shift away from plastic packaging, there鈥檚 no reason for Picture not to do it as well,鈥� Palluel said. And it worked.

Raising the Bar

The industry-wide accountability established by RPM and PIA is proving to be a powerful driver of change, but the outdoor industry is also targeting change at the legislative level. PrAna and other outdoor brands have begun working with 5 Gyres鈥攁 nonprofit dedicated to ending global plastic pollution鈥攖o demand legal action.

The nonprofit helped introduce the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act of 2020 in Congress, an act that forces companies producing plastics to either develop sustainable end-of-life solutions for plastics or turn away from them altogether. The act didn鈥檛 pass in 2020, but was reintroduced in 2021 backed by over 400 environmental advocacy groups. Congress is set to vote on it later this year.

鈥淲e are definitely headed in the right direction,鈥� Lincoln said. 鈥淏oth brands and manufacturers want this change鈥攗nraveling the system will just take time.鈥�

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Reduce, reuse, recycle: We all learned the three Rs of environmentally conscious consumerism in third grade, but remembering them and implementing them have proved very different tasks. Now, long after elementary school graduation, the outdoor industry is still trying to put all three into practice. For years, companies have been looking to reduce their use of virgin materials, making gear out of recycled bottles and factory scraps, and manufacturing apparel to sustainability certification standards. Programs like Patagonia鈥檚 Worn Wear and The North Face鈥檚 Renewed line take used gear and repair or remake it into new clothing, checking the 鈥渞euse鈥� box.

But at some point, those boots have too many holes to fix, the jacket is in tatters, and another night in that sleeping bag is guaranteed to induce hypothermia. That鈥檚 where the third R comes in. And so far, recycling outdoor gear has been an elusive target.

鈥淭he end of life is still a really challenging piece,鈥� said Jessie Curry, sustainable business manager at the Outdoor Industry Association. The problem: The complex materials necessary for high performance are also what make gear and apparel difficult to fully recycle.

But this year has seen some of the first signs of hope as the industry sets its sights on cutting down its waste footprint.

Monster Materials

Nicole Basset co-founded The Renewal Workshop in Portland, Oregon, in 2015 to take in well-used apparel and home goods, repairing them enough to be resold or turn them into something new. After working on sustainability initiatives for Patagonia and prAna, she now counts The North Face among her clients (The Renewal Workshop supports the Renewed line). Competitor company Trove similarly manages Patagonia鈥檚 Worn Wear program.

The vast majority of textiles that end up in landfills could actually be repaired or re-created and sold, Basset noted in her company鈥檚 Leading Circular report, released last September. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not like all of those efforts [to repair or remake apparel] have been exhausted,鈥� she said. But gear can鈥檛 be rebuilt indefinitely鈥攈er report found that 18 percent of textiles overall have no avenues for revival: 鈥淭extile recycling options are extremely limited today.鈥�

Allied Feather + Down has been recycling some of the feathers it gets back from returned bedding since 2011. 鈥淒own is the easiest thing to recycle on its own,鈥� said President Daniel Uretsky. But, he adds, things get tricky when it comes to more complex products, like jackets, where stitching and baffles make recapturing the small amount of down inside inefficient.

Recycling only gets more complicated from there. The biggest problem is blended materials: Think nylon coated with polyurethane, wool mixed with elastane, and common cotton-polyester blends. The innovations that have made gear like baselayers and shells warm, breathable, and waterproof also make them very difficult to recycle. 鈥淲e call them hybrid monster materials,鈥� said Basset. She describes manufacturing like baking a cake: You mix together flour, sugar, vanilla, an egg, and the rest of the ingredients. Then the process of baking transforms those ingredients. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 deconstruct it back to an egg, flour, sugar, and vanilla, because you鈥檝e created something new,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 think, 鈥極h, I鈥檓 going to need the egg back at the end of this.鈥欌��

But while complex textile recycling is in its infancy, some pioneers are making progress. In January 2020, Patagonia announced that its investment arm, Tin Shed Ventures, would join three other partners in funding a textile recycling company called Tyton BioSciences. The company, which has since changed its name to Circ, has developed the ability to recycle any cotton-polyester blend.

COO Conor Hartman says that when the company was founded in 2011, it focused on biofuels. But about three years ago, a partner asked if their technology could be repurposed for textiles. 鈥淲e then refocused our company on the fashion industry, and that led to the rebranding.鈥�

According to Hartman, one of the challenges of recycling textiles made from multiple components is being able to extract the different fibers and chemicals without breaking anything down. He describes Circ鈥檚 solution as something like 鈥渁 household pressure cooker, and we鈥檝e got a really fancy one that can target polyester while not targeting cotton.鈥� As a result, Circ can separate the two materials and re-create the polyester and cotton fibers for reuse.

With a technology solution in place, the next problem is scaling up. Hartman says he expects the first pilot products made with their recycled materials to be out later this year. A similar blended textile recycling company, Stockholm-based Renewcell, needed about five years to get its first garments into production, says Brand Manager Nora Eslander. Last March, the company (which handles majority-cotton blends only) released a recycled cotton dress with H&M.

While recycling cotton-poly blends would take a big bite out of the apparel industry鈥檚 overall waste problem, the materials in more technical apparel are, as of yet, unrecyclable. Hartman says that鈥檚 his company鈥檚 next goal. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very much going to other fiber types that are in the clothes that all of us wear every day,鈥� he said, adding that Circ sees market demand for their technology 鈥渂oth from a business and an environmental standpoint.鈥�

Planning for the End

Both Hartman and Eslander say that while there is exciting potential for recycling more complex fabrics on the horizon, gear makers need to do their part by designing products that are easier to break down at the end of their lives. Salomon is making headway: In Spring 2021, runners will be able to purchase the Salomon Index.01, a recyclable running shoe.

鈥淭oday, when it comes to the end of life of shoes, most of them are burned or put in a landfill,鈥� said Olivier Mouzin, Salomon鈥檚 footwear sustainability manager. But the polyester used in the Index.01鈥檚 upper, tongue, laces, and foam can be recycled into polyester yarn and reused. Most of the rest is made from thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), which Salomon plans to recapture and use as a component in ski boots planned for release in 2022. (The shoe鈥檚 liner is the only part that can鈥檛 currently be recycled.)

Mouzin adds that part of the challenge isn鈥檛 just the technology, but the logistics of getting the shoes to the proper recyclers. If you burn more resources just trying to transport materials for recycling than you would tapping virgin ingredients, you lose any environmental gains. Salomon is tackling the problem by partnering with a network of recycling companies worldwide. After Index.01 owners have finished their last mile, they can print out a shipping label to send the shoes to the one closest to them.

For now, the next step is the end of the line: The molded plastic boots Salomon plans to make from the shoes won鈥檛 be recyclable themselves. JY Audouard, who works with Salomon鈥檚 Ski Boot Research and Development division, says the challenge is separating out the multiple plastic and metal components. He adds that the company is looking at ways to collect used boots from ski resorts and ultimately disassemble them en masse for recycling, as well as investigating options for making boots that can be disassembled more easily.

Mouzin acknowledges that the Index.01 is just a first step, but says he鈥檚 excited about the increased interest in recycling from the industry as a whole. 鈥淚n most cases, companies in our industry, and most industries, are always competing heavily against each other,鈥� he sad. 鈥淚n the case of sustainability, that competition is good for the environment because we鈥檙e all trying to improve on what is out there and what we have always done. But to progress, we will have to work together to some degree and keep pushing the possibilities.鈥�

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“If there’s any pattern to all this, it’s to听expect delays. Which categories, brands, or products鈥攖hat’s anybody’s guess. It’s best to just assume everything will be delayed and end up pleasantly surprised if it’s not.”

That’s Eastside Sports owner Todd Vogel’s take on the state of inventory challenges at this point in the pandemic, nearly eight months in.

“If there’s a delay, you pivot. Delay, pivot,” said Vogel, whose shop is based in Bishop, California. “That strategy has kept us going. It’s all about flexibility.”

It’s no secret that sellers of outdoor goods have been scrambling this year, trying to keep pace with a retail landscape strained by听supply chain disruptions, rapid shutdowns, unpredictable demand, and other hardships. Still, one way or another, many retailers are finding ways to keep their shelves stocked鈥攖o some degree鈥攁nd customers happy.

To figure out what retailers are seeing on the ground level, and how they’re coping, we got in touch with several shop owners and buyers to ask about what’s going right, what’s going wrong, and how everyone is bracing for the upcoming season.

What’s Causing Problems

To start things off, we wanted to know about specific pain points. In some sense, we were looking for a pattern, but that exercise quickly proved futile. After speaking with shop owners in several different states, the moral of the story seems to be that there’s no rhyme or reason to what goods or which brands are causing inventory problems on a consistent basis. All the retailers we spoke with say they’re trying their best to prepare for anything.

“Our biggest vendor overall is Patagonia,” said Sam Barg, a buyer at Ute Mountaineer in Aspen, Colorado. “Those orders have come in anywhere from 20 to 50 percent complete.听They can鈥檛 promise anything. But then other stuff trickles in that we didn鈥檛 expect. Our reps have no idea what’s happening either. Week to week, we have to reassess and chase what we can.”

Barg says Ute Mountaineer has seen cancellations from at least half a dozen vendors that are critical to the shop’s core inventory: Patagonia, Kuhl, Columbia, prAna, Hoka One One, Black Diamond, and Sorrell.

“Those are the big brands a lot of people have had trouble with,” he said.

Marinna Merkel, co-owner of Round House Ski and Sports Center in Bozeman, Montana, says she’s also had a lot of trouble with Patagonia and The North Face.

“Patagonia’s Powder Bowl Pant always does great for our store, and I can鈥檛 get them, none. That鈥檚 a staple piece for Patagonia, so it says something about where they’re at,” Merkel said. She also says the company expects not to see the bulk of its winter order from The North Face come through until late November鈥攁 huge problem for getting product out the door before ski season starts.

Across the state in Missoula, Todd Frank, owner of The Trail Head, says he’s experienced similar cuts from Patagonia.

“Patagonia is our biggest vendor. They cut about 40 percent of our pre-season order, but customer demand also dropped, so it evened out,” Frank said. “This year, we’re making a lot of concessions with product鈥攁ccepting different colors than we wanted, things like that鈥攂ut we’ve found that people are less picky about color and other small details these days. They’re willing to support us, even if they can’t get the exact product they want.”

Down in Flagstaff, Arizona, Steve Chatinsky says he’s had a lot of trouble with survival items his shop, Peace Surplus.

“I ran out of Reliance water containers for two weeks. We鈥檝e had three or four shipments of those since the summer, and we usually do one per year,” Chatinsky said. “We鈥檝e been a little slow on freeze dried food, too. We went seven or eight days without any at one time. But we鈥檝e been chasing it between multiple vendors.”

Perhaps Vogel, at Eastside Sports, summed it up best. “It’s hard to find a pattern,” he said. “Lots of things are in short supply, but it’s hard to predict. Tents have been hard to get your hands on; backpacking stoves and Black Diamond cams have been problematic. Bikes and car racks have been tough. Even bear canisters have been strangely difficult to get. What do all those things have in common?”

Answer: nothing. Inventory is simply tough right now across the board.

Areas of Success

It’s not all doom and gloom, however, these retailers were quick to point out.

“For us, footwear has done well鈥攖hough it’s hit or miss by brand,” Vogel said. “Other than Merrell, which basically ran out of shoes, we鈥檝e done pretty well. La Sportiva and Topo Athletic are two that have been outstanding in terms of getting us product.”

Merkel says that while inventory hasn’t been easy in any category this year, there have been areas with fewer challenges. Round House has most of the downhill skis it ordered for the season, as well as a healthy selection of Nordic hardgoods. Some of that, she noted, is carryover product from last year, but that hasn’t posed a problem; there’s more of an appetite for older gear this season.

“There鈥檚 something to be says for reminding consumers that we do have carryover product from last year,” Merkel said. “Brands are cutting back expansion of their lines, so there鈥檚 probably going to be a lot more carryover for the next few years as well. It’s good to get customers used to that now.”

At The Trail Head in Missoula, Franks says he was pleasantly surprised by the performance of the vendors he uses for his watersports categories.

“All of our boat vendors did a really excellent job,” he said. “We struggled with kayaks and paddles and accessories a little, but not as much as you might have imagined.”

Softgoods vs. Hardgoods

Slicing things a different way, there’s no clear trend in supply differences听between softgoods and hardgoods, according to the retailers we spoke with. Here, though, there’s at least some pattern in demand difference.

“Apparel is down by double digits this year,” Frank said of overall sales at The Trail Head. “The more casual it is, the more people don’t want it.”

Franks says that technical clothing has done well and hardgoods are flying off the shelves. He attributes the demand change to one simple factor: caution. Customers don鈥檛 want to try things on unless it’s something they absolutely need, like a raincoat, or something they feel safe trying on, like a ski boot.

“On the hardgoods side, we鈥檙e up 100 percentage points on uphill gear,” said Barg of his sales in Aspen. “Brands like Dynafit, Blizzard, and Technica are flying out the door. And surprisingly the inventory from those guys has been pretty good thus far.”

Again, though, there’s no clear pattern from a supply perspective, taking into account an experience like Merkel’s. She noted that, even though Round House has most of its pre-season ski orders filled by now, special orders are another story entirely.

“Our story with hardgoods is shipping delays,” sayidMerkel. “Companies are short-staffed, they don鈥檛 have the manpower to get special orders out, and that causes a trickle-down effect. We’ve been turning people away on the hardgoods side for special requests, just telling customers we’re sorry, but we can’t get them what they need.”

Add to that a massive fire this fall that burned down the main ski factory for Fischer, one of Merkel’s big vendors at Round House. Hardgoods have been wildly unpredictable, even with some modest success at getting orders filled, she says.

Solution: Sourcing from Multiple Vendors and Leaning on Relationships

One workaround many retailers have pursued is quick pivots to different vendors.

“We鈥檝e been able to keep things going because we have three or four vendors for each of the items in camping, which is a big category for us,” Chatinsky said of Ute Mountaineer. “For instance, in the past we’ve ordered solar showers from Tech Sport, Coghlan鈥檚, and Reliance. Those channels are all open, so if one of them closes, we lean more heavily on the other two.”

Chatinsky says that, in his view, that communication and multiple channels to source product are key to managing inventory chaos as the pandemic progresses.

“Of course, that’s just another way of saying it’s all about relationships,” he said. “When it comes down to crunch time, relationships will sink you or keep you afloat. When you call a vendor and get a friend on the other end of the line, that’s when things get done for you. Pay attention to who you do business with and why. It鈥檚 not all about price.”

Vogel echoed the sentiment, and says that another important factor is nimbleness.

“You have to be quick on your feet,” he said. “You have to anticipate shortages and either stock up ahead of time鈥攍ike we did with fuel canisters this summer鈥攐r pivot quickly and look for smaller quantities of similar items from different vendors.”

Of course, pivoting to new vendors and maintaining relationships are two strategies that don’t always play well together. Frank, at The Trail Head, says he chose not to introduce uncertainty for his vendors out of respect for their business. They rely on him just as much as he relies on them, after all.

“We talked about pivoting to new suppliers, but we wanted to stick with the people we鈥檝e always been working with,” Frank said. “We鈥檝e had some new vendors reaching out. I got an email yesterday from a big brand鈥擨 won’t say who鈥攖hat started as a direct-to-consumer operation and now wants to get into wholesale. We鈥檒l probably take a hard pass on that. We want to support people who have supported us in the past. That’s just how it works.”

For Merkel, the courtesy of sticking with your old partners has another benefit鈥攊t gives you room to ask for flexibility when needed. That give-and-take might include discounts, shipping assistance, or changes to invoice dating.

“The willingness to flex is different for each company,” Merkel said. “When we go and ask our vendors to ship additional product or cover freight, we know they鈥檙e in a hard spot too. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t done it. One area we鈥檝e succeeded in is asking our vendors to pay for expedited freight. We tell them we need such-and-such product, we can鈥檛 wait weeks, so we need you to ship it overnight and cover that cost. And most of the time they’re willing. Yes it’s a big ask, but ultimately it’s to support sell-through, which benefits them too.”

Frank says that his big ask always comes down to invoice dating. He doesn’t push his vendors too hard to ship product faster, but he does insist on keeping the timeline for payment at its agreed-upon length if an order arrives late.

“My standard approach is, if you ship something 30 days late, I鈥檓 adding 30 days to the dating for payment. I鈥檓 going to call up and ask for more time, because we had less time to sell it,” he said. “To me, that just makes sense.”

How Are Customers Handling It?

In the end, all these retailers seemed to agree that customer flexibility is a big factor鈥攑erhaps the biggest鈥攊n dealing with inventory challenges during the pandemic. If customers are willing to wait a little longer for their gear, reserve pickiness about color and other details, and occasionally shop around for carryover product from last season, much of the inventory chaos can be buffered enough to keep retailers and brands going until things even out again.

“Thankfully, there鈥檚 a push this year to shop local,” Merkel said. “People know that shipping is backed up, and they’re sympathetic. Many consumers still want to buy things locally. Even if we can’t guarantee special orders or promise to have every single new product in stock, the forgiveness of our customers can get us through. And we won’t forget that when things get back to normal.”

The post The Puzzle of Inventory During the Pandemic appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

When prAna couldn鈥檛 hire fit models at the start of the pandemic in March to photograph the brand鈥檚 fall 2020 line, the creative team went to their drawing boards to devise an imaginative solution. Photography is their normal method of showcasing products for retailers, media, and even customers, but these weren鈥檛 normal circumstances.

Diego Chamorro, prAna鈥檚 creative director, had been wanting to use illustrations in other types of communication and he saw an opportunity. Chamorro even had an artist in mind who was already skilled at capturing textures and patterns in a painting.

鈥淲e thought illustrations would be a great way to differentiate the products and highlight their details,鈥� Chamorro said. 鈥淭he solution presented itself in a very elegant way.鈥�

Right away, prAna started working with Kasiq Jungwoo to give life to the brand鈥檚 newest sweaters, yoga pants, and other activewear. The creative team explained how each garment was supposed to fall and fit on the body, and they offered suggestions for their favorite poses.

Jungwoo, from Seoul, Korea, got to work. In about two months, prAna had a stunning collection of art pieces to include in their workbook. Each new fall 2020 garment has its own watercolor with realistic shadows and folds in the fabrics. Chamorro says this type of illustration is usually seen in the fashion industry, but it鈥檚 a first for the outdoor industry and for prAna.

鈥淚鈥檝e been talking to my teams about the results of these great ideas and these great processes, and the most important thing we鈥檝e learned is flexibility,鈥� Chamorro said. 鈥淎nother thing that I learned is to use the creative resources that you have.鈥�

The response has been so positive that prAna is planning on using illustrations for their fall 2021 line, whether or not social distancing is required. It鈥檚 about the same cost as photography, he says. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had fun stretching ourselves creatively and bringing new energy to the team,鈥� said Chamorro.

The post Coping with COVID: How prAna Used Watercolors to Overcome a Pandemic-Era Challenge appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The outdoor industry, more than most, is keenly aware of the effects of climate change and, in particular, the need to create greener supply chains. It鈥檚 the reason more than 377 outdoor brands have joined the Plastic Impact Alliance, committing to making our industry more sustainable by eradicating single-use plastic from their businesses.

Although everything from materials to manufacturing contributes to a company鈥檚 carbon footprint, it鈥檚 end-of-the-line packaging that really adds up and is often unable to be recycled curbside. Still, it鈥檚 arguably one of the easiest things to change and make more sustainable (not to mention, it serves as a significant touchpoint with customers, especially as ecommerce continues to trend upwards).

Only about 9 percent of all plastic waste is currently recycled and as such, single-use plastic packaging accounts for nearly half the plastic waste found in nature. In August, prAna, an early member of the Plastic Impact Alliance and a leader in sustainable, outdoor fashion, announced the Responsible Packaging Movement, a program designed to create industry-wide change. Since 2010, prAna has successfully eliminated more than 17 million polybags from the supply chain and its new initiative takes it a step further by collaborating with other industry brands.

In line with the Plastic Impact Alliance and prAna鈥檚 mission of sharing knowledge and transforming the industry together, we鈥檝e compiled this list as a resource for outdoor brands.听From mailers to labels, protective wrapping to polybags, here are five companies out to revolutionize how we package and ship products. The first three innovations on this list were recent winners of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition听2020 Protective Packaging Design Challenge.

Returnity

The Product

Chrysalis is a reusable shipping bag designed to replace poly-mailers and reusable shipping boxes.

How It Works

Brands work with Returnity to design mailbags that, once used for shipping, can be flipped inside out by the customer and transformed into a tote, duffle, or makeup bag. The boxes are made for companies engaged in a circular shipping model.

鈥淥ur view is that companies will not scale the use of reusables if it doesn’t make sense financially, so we enable them to make the switch by making it cost-effective,鈥� said Returnity CEO Michael Newman.

Returnity believes its packaging creates perfect social media moments once in the customer鈥檚 hands.

鈥淚n addition to cardboard boxes and poly-mailer bags being wasteful, they鈥檙e just boring,鈥� said Newman. 鈥淔or so many retailers, this is the one physical touch point they have with the consumer. When you ship something in a reusable package, consumers take notice and love it.鈥�

Environmental Credentials

All bags and boxes are made from recycled plastic bottles. Returnity is also working with a household name in outdoor fabric to turn used or deadstock fabrics鈥攖hings that may have failed color matching or quality control and might otherwise be landfilled鈥攊nto reusable shipping bags. Additionally, all of Returnity鈥檚 boxes have a layer of rigid plastic in between them, meaning they outperform cardboard in terms of strength, durability, and product protection. Returnity guarantees its packaging for 40 shipments and will even take products back from clients at the end of their life span in order to handle the recycling of the material.

Applications for the Outdoor Industry

Returnity鈥檚 willingness to work with brands on a case-by-case basis means its industry applications are endless. Although the company鈥檚 model is similar to LimeLoop, which is used by Toad & Co, it differs in the respect that its reusable packaging isn鈥檛 leased.

鈥淚’m super proud of our ability to adapt our reusables in a way that makes sense for almost any product,鈥� said Newman. 鈥淭he thing that we鈥檙e working on now is really enabling systems, so that if your company isn鈥檛 inherently circular we鈥檙e able to help you get there.鈥�

Returnity counts O鈥橮ros Fly Fishing and Camp Rents among its current clients. In the coming weeks they will add a yet-to-be-name gear rental company plus another big name in outdoor apparel.

Mushroom Packaging

The Product

High-performing packaging made from hemp and mycelium that resembles pulp packaging or an egg carton, and easily could replace similar plastic versions as well. Additionally, it鈥檚 cost competitive, thermally insulating, and water resistant.

How It Works

Every piece of Mushroom Packaging (powered by Evocative Design) is custom designed, using CAD software, and grown in just seven days. The product is a living material and spends four days in its tray before being removed to grow for two more days, and finally, dried for one to disable future growth.

Environmental Credentials

Mushroom Packaging takes just 30 days to break down in a home compost, no industrial composting required. (It takes 180 days in a marine compost.) Consumers simply have to break the packaging into small pieces and place it outside in the soil, allowing nutrients to return to the earth. Additionally, the trays used to grow the packaging are reused hundreds of times.

Applications for the Outdoor Industry

Mushroom Packaging has distribution centers in the U.S., Europe, Oceania, and the U.K. Paradise Packaging, located in California, is the main hub for growth and distribution across the U.S. and does have some standard shapes available. Incredibly versatile and with custom options available, this packaging could be used on everything from ski goggles to fly rods, from solar lights to camping stoves, or anything that benefits from a more rigid form of packaging.

Flexi-Hex

The Product

A range of plastic-free packaging solutions made from recycled cardboard that use a honeycomb design and are ideal for replacing bubble wrap.

How It Works

The hexagonal cellular structure of Flexi-Hex means it can wrap a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and materials, including glass. Flexi-Hex Air is a lighter, tissue paper-based packaging ideal for smaller, fragile objects.

Environmental Credentials

Flexi-Hex鈥檚 mission is simple: remove plastic from the packaging industry and raise awareness of the threats currently facing the world鈥檚 oceans. Flexi-Hex is nontoxic, reusable, biodegrades readily, and is made of 100 percent recycled cardboard. The company is also currently investigating bio-adhesives in order to remove its reliance on petroleum-based glue.

Although much more low-volume than its plastic counterparts, Flexi-Hex is still manufactured in China and shipped around the world (distribution accounts for the majority of its carbon footprint, although the company does purchase carbon offsets to compensate). Internally, every Flexi-Hex employee also gets a personalized carbon footprint report complete with recommendations on how they can improve things like their travel habits, diet, and home energy use. As of 2020, the company is carbon-negative according to conservation organization Mossy Earth.

Applications for the Outdoor Industry

Flexi-Hex can be used to protect surf boards, skis, snowboards, bikes, small electronics, water bottles, tent poles, sunglasses, helmets, oats, lanterns, coolers鈥攜ou get the idea.

Vela

The Product

A durable, paper polybag alternative, Vela bags are weather resistant and protect their contents from humidity, moisture, and dust.

How It Works

A product of family-owned Seaman Paper, a company that now focuses on lightweight paper solutions used in packaging, the Vela bag officially launched at the beginning of this month. Although the bag was designed with apparel companies in mind, it has potential beyond that.

鈥淲e’re in testing with lots of global apparel brands whose names you would know,鈥� said Seaman Paper鈥檚 VP of business development, Julie Skibniewski. 鈥淲hat’s been surprising to us is the non-apparel inquiries we’ve had from consumer products companies.鈥�

Environmental Credentials

Vela bags are made from paper, one of the most highly recyclable products in the world. What鈥檚 more, the Vela bag is made from Forest Stewardship Council-certified, sustainably harvested paper fibers; globally, FSC is considered the strongest system of forest management. Since Vela bags can be recycled four to six times, they also promote a circular economy where maximum value is extracted from raw material. Finally, Seaman has partnered with sustainable solutions firm South Pole to calculate the carbon footprint of producing Vela bags and to purchase corresponding carbon offsets.

Applications for the Outdoor Industry

In addition to prAna, the women鈥檚 fashion brand Mara Hoffman and sustainable clothing brand Outerknown are already using Vela bags. 鈥淭here鈥檚 really a limitless opportunity for Vela bags,鈥� said Skibniewski. 鈥淎nywhere you鈥檙e currently using plastic, you can use a Vela bag.鈥�

EcoEnclose

The Product

EcoEnclose, based in Louisville, Colorado, isn鈥檛 a new company but its product line is extensive鈥攆rom mailers to boxes, packing tape to hemp twine鈥攁nd constantly evolving. We particularly like their focus on shipping supplies, specifically zero-waste shipping labels, which the company claims are the world鈥檚 most eco-friendly.

How It Works

Companies can request free, individual samples of specific products or full sample kits. EcoEnclose has the capacity to serve companies of all sizes, whether you need 1,000 units or 5 million. Additionally, the majority of its products can be custom branded.

Environmental Credentials

EcoEnclose offers two types of zero-waste shipping labels, the first being 100 percent recycled white labels, compatible with laser and inkjet printers, which come on EcoEnclose鈥檚 100 percent recycled and curbside recyclable liners. The second option is direct thermal labels that are compatible with standard thermal printers, also on the Zero Waste Release Liner. There are also several tape options that are better than the typical plastic stuff, including Cello Carton Sealing Tape, which combines cellulose backing with a natural rubber adhesive, making it plant-based, renewable, and biodegradable.

By 2030, EcoEnclose hopes to be an 鈥渆cologically net positive鈥� company, meaning that its products, operations, and supply chain are a positive, regenerative force for the planet. The company has a comprehensive sustainable packaging framework and is committed to innovation.

Applications for the Outdoor Industry

EcoEnclose鈥檚 outdoor industry clients already include La Sportiva, United By Blue, Adidas, and Fj盲llr盲ven.

The post 5 Innovative Packaging Solutions That Can Help Your Company Kick Plastic appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

This story originally ran in the Summer 2020 issue of The Voice.

Who, exactly, should qualify for a pro deal in the outdoor industry?听A ski patroller? Full-time mountain guide? Retail employee? Most everyone can agree that these professions get a green light. But how about a seasonal whitewater guide getting a deal on skis or a yoga instructor getting a discount on a tent鈥攇reenish yellow? How about someone who takes an avalanche safety course or an amateur photographer with a nature blog鈥攔ed?

What about average enthusiasts who just claim they do one of the above?

Figuring out who deserves a steep gear discount is crucial to running a successful brand pro program. Connect with the right pros, the theory goes, and a manufacturer helps these influencers do their jobs, while also familiarizing them with the gear and driving full-price sales to local retailers for a win-win. But if standards loosen so much that practically anybody can stock up on gear for 40 percent off or more, then pro deals become something else entirely.

鈥淧ro programs are a complete farce,鈥� said Wes Allen, owner of Sunlight Sports in Cody, Wyoming. 鈥淭he idea of a program where you discount to shop employees and people who work in the industry is a solid one. But anybody who鈥檚 being honest about it knows that the programs are completely out of control. It鈥檚 a way for brands to sell direct-to-consumer at a discount without violating their MAP [minimum advertised price] policy. And let鈥檚 be real, there are brands out there encouraging this behavior because they see it as an easy, high-margin sale.鈥�

Without any industry-wide standards or watchdogs for pro programs, it鈥檚 tough to judge how well the system is really working. So we went digging for evidence.

The Broadening Definition of 鈥淧ro鈥�

Employees at The Trail Head, an independent outdoor retailer in Missoula, Montana, run into shoppers with pro deals 鈥渆very single day,鈥� said owner Todd Frank. Sometimes they鈥檙e just showrooming鈥攖rying on boots and apparel in the store before heading off to order their gear directly from brands or on third-party pro platforms. Sometimes they鈥檙e attempting to use a prAna influencer card (good for direct purchases from prAna only) for a discount in the store, not understanding how the program works. Sometimes they鈥檙e getting their new pro-deal skis mounted.

鈥淥ver the last bunch of years, the number of skis we sell has dropped 15 to 30 percent a year, but the number we鈥檙e mounting has gone up,鈥� noted Frank. 鈥淧eople are very open about [getting a pro deal]. It鈥檚 a badge of honor in a community like Missoula. It makes you a legit outdoor guy.鈥�

鈥淟egit鈥� is exactly the point of contention. Who鈥檚 legit? Brands and retailers alike agree that true industry professionals deserve a gear hookup, noting that gigs like ski patrolling, guiding, and wildland firefighting often pay so poorly that these pros would struggle to buy needed equipment. Without pro deals, 鈥渢here鈥檚 no way you could afford this stuff,鈥� said Steve Kunnen, an avalanche forecaster, educator, and guide for Washington鈥檚 Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort, the Northwest Mountain School, and the Northwest Avalanche Center. He considers his pro deals an essential part of his job: This past winter season alone he bought two pairs of Atomic skis and goggles, a Patagonia ski pack, and Arc鈥檛eryx shell pants, all at 40 percent off or more. 鈥淧eople don鈥檛 realize you hammer your gear鈥� with daily, hard use, Kunnen said. 鈥淭here鈥檇 be a lot more patches and duct tape without pro deals.鈥�

And in the right hands, pros do serve as valuable influencers. 鈥淚f a retail consumer sees a pro using a product, that鈥檚 a pretty big stamp of approval,鈥� noted Derek Young, who manages the pro program for Sawyer Paddles and Oars.

Getting gear into the hands of specialty retailer employees can also pay off for outdoor stores: Not only is it a valuable perk for recruiting workers, but an enthusiastic recommendation from a shop clerk can drive sales. 鈥淎ll you have to do is walk into [a store] and meet an employee who鈥檚 like, 鈥業 was using this last weekend鈥欌�攖hat鈥檚 hugely positive,鈥� noted Gabe Maier, vice president of Grassroots Outdoor Alliance.

What some retailers do object to, however, is the extension of pro deals to the far margins of the outdoors, such part-time yoga teachers, students enrolled in AIARE avalanche courses, or 鈥渓iterally people who work in the parks department鈥攏ot Yellowstone park, but tennis courts,鈥� said Sunlight Sports鈥檚 Allen. Another gripe: Often, pro members are eligible for discounts well beyond their job categories, as in a backpacking guide also qualifying for ski boots. And some report concerns about straight-up fraud, with faux pros falsely claiming they deserve a deal. Young of Sawyer Paddles and Oars says applicants have sent him snapshots of themselves in a whitewater raft as proof that they鈥檙e professional guides.

Nobody in the industry tracks overall pro purchases, says Grassroots Public Relations and Policy Advisor Drew Simmons, but the organization has heard plenty of anecdotes from its member shops. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an income stream [for brands] that鈥檚 based on promotional, off-price behavior,鈥� Simmons said. 鈥淚t seems to be broadening and growing at a significant pace.鈥� (Several retailers say pro programs really started going off the rails about ten years ago.) Simmons added, 鈥淩etailers are understandably concerned that it has become such a significant part of many brands鈥� businesses that they will have a really hard time reining it in.鈥�

And stores argue there鈥檚 much at stake when pro programs get bloated well beyond their original intention. 鈥淓verybody and their dog 85 has a pro form in a mountain town like ours, when they absolutely should not,鈥� said Brendan Madigan, owner of Tahoe City, California鈥檚 Alpenglow Sports. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e effectively retraining the public to shop online always and first, and to look for discounts online, which makes them think brick-and-mortar stores are always more expensive. Brands are effectively undercutting retailers.鈥�

鈥淚f a product that we sell is readily available from the vendor for 40 to 50 percent less, it makes us look really bad,鈥� added The Trail Head鈥檚 Frank. 鈥淎nd it harms the vendors just as much, because they鈥檙e going to end up with nothing but a discounted sales channel.鈥�

The Middlemen

You can鈥檛 talk pro deals鈥攁nd their potential for abuse鈥攚ithout taking a hard look at third-party pro platforms like ExpertVoice, Outdoorly, Liberty Mountain, and Outdoor Prolink. These businesses partner with brands to manage their pro programs, in many cases vetting applicants, facilitating orders, and providing other services in exchange for a fee and/or a cut of each sale. (Another site, IPA Collective, approves applicants and then connects them directly to brand pro programs.)

Such programs maintain that they help vendors find and vet influencers, and also instruct their pros to send anyone who admires their gear to buy it at a local retailer. 鈥淭he clear reason to have a pro program is to drive more full-price consumer sales,鈥� said ExpertVoice CEO Tom Stockham. 鈥淚t鈥檚 [about] finding the people who have the most credible influence with consumers, and making them better ambassadors for your brand.鈥�

Reps for all platforms we questioned for this article (ExpertVoice, IPA Collective, and Outdoor Prolink) stressed they use strict protocols to evaluate applicants. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e not careful with your pro program, you start to undermine your price point and extend discounts too broadly,鈥� said Stockham, who adds that ExpertVoice uses anti-fraud software and cross checks with professional organizations鈥� databases to limit its members to true pros. A spokesperson for Outdoor Prolink noted that the company has five staffers who review the thousand-plus applications it receives weekly (90 percent are accepted, which the company chalks up to clear criteria on its website that weed out unqualified would-be applicants) and requires members to re-certify annually: 鈥淭his ensures that 100 percent of our base [is made up of] vetted professionals.鈥�

Retailers aren鈥檛 buying it. 鈥淭he third-party sites are like drug dealers,鈥� said Allen of Sunlight Sports. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e coming in with this story about how 鈥榳e鈥檙e going to get influencers to push people to your retailers.鈥� That鈥檚 such a bunch of crap.鈥� He argues that third-party shoppers don鈥檛 have any real connection to their local outdoor stores.

Frank adds that the sites鈥� business model encourages them to view applicants with a generous eye. 鈥淸Third-party sites] are making commission sales,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o they鈥檙e going to drive as much volume as possible, because that鈥檚 the only way it works.鈥�

What鈥檚 more, some retailers say their vendors are on board with such everybody-in policies. According to a member of the sales team who worked closely with Black Diamond鈥檚 pro program, left the company within the past year, and asked to remain anonymous, 鈥淯sing ExpertVoice captures a broader audience and requires less in-house maintenance. Yes, ExpertVoice is too lax with who they approve for pro deals, which Black Diamond is acutely aware of. However, it is also a huge revenue driver for the brand.鈥�

In response, the brand shared a statement acknowledging that the pro program isn鈥檛 perfect, but Black Diamond continues to improve its system. It also notes that the brand is a key player in an industry working group on pro sales, which meets to share notes on best practices, including dealing with abuses.

So what鈥檚 the truth behind becoming a pro? We went undercover to find out. In our investigation (see p. 87), the third-party platforms we applied to accepted our fake profiles more often than not. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e willing to lie about who you are, it can be hard to catch someone like that,鈥� noted ExpertVoice鈥檚 Stockham. 鈥淏ut it will happen, and you鈥檒l be kicked off the platform forever. We will always want to work with retailers and others to figure out how to make the system work better.鈥�

Some brands say they recognize the loopholes as well. 鈥淲e are aware of some issues regarding pro/industry purchase sign-up validation and are taking aggressive steps to correct any problems around our internal approval process as well as those of our chosen partners to 鈥� tighten controls in a way that ensures a healthy program,鈥� said Andy Burke, head of commercial sales at Outdoor Research.

Bro Deals鈥攁nd Consequences

In some pro programs, membership comes with an extra perk: periodic discount codes meant to be shared with friends and family, aka the 鈥渂ro deal.鈥� Recent promotions from Patagonia and prAna have offered each of their pros three codes at 40 percent off to share鈥攎uch to the chagrin of the retailer community (Patagonia鈥檚 codes were each good for up to $2,500 worth of gear).

鈥淭he question is, is a friends-and-family program really an extension of the pro purchase influencer program?鈥� asked Grassroots鈥檚 Simmons. 鈥淓xpanding accessibility to everyone you know鈥攊s that supporting the original idea [of a pro program], or is it a whole different area of revenue generation? Friends-and-family promotions seem like the number-one thing to train people to [wait for] a good deal every year.鈥�

Besides, members of a pro鈥檚 social circle could otherwise be full-price customers鈥攕o why offer them deep discounts? According to prAna鈥檚 vice president of marketing, Jeff Haack, 鈥淲e want to give [our influencers] an opportunity to share their love of the brand and products.鈥� (No other brands we approached agreed to comment.)

But retailers suspect otherwise. Allen guesses these promos are a way to unload excess inventory, and Frank said, 鈥淔riends-and-family discounts are prolific because most of the companies are just using them to drive volume. We have a lot of publicly traded companies in the outdoor industry now, and they鈥檙e beholden to the board and the shareholders鈥濃�攚hich means they鈥檙e under pressure to maximize profits every quarter by whatever means necessary.

Ultimately, such complaints about excessive pro deal activity can translate to concrete consequences for brands. Frank dropped Scarpa from The Trail Head last winter: 鈥淭here are people who should not be getting deals from Scarpa who are getting deals every day. Consequently, I just can鈥檛 sell it.鈥� (Scarpa did not reply to our requests for comment.) Allen has similarly scaled back business from several brands so far, and is 鈥渉aving super-hard conversations with鈥� a few others (he declined to name which ones).

And Maier of Grassroots predicts that overly generous pro programs will backfire industrywide. 鈥淚t seems like the programs were created to enhance brand loyalty,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut where the programs are now, all the anecdotal information points to creating price loyalty. Instead of building up brand equity, it鈥檚 having the opposite effect.鈥�

Reining It In

Nobody tracks the precise number of pro program members across the industry鈥� or what percent of total purchases they account for鈥攂ut our investigation shows how easy it is for someone without real credentials to get access to a killer deal. So how can the industry dial back the free-for-all and restore pro programs to their original purpose?

The first, and likely most effective, step: tightening up the vetting process. 鈥淚t would be a huge positive step to get some validation at all levels,鈥� said Maier. 鈥淚f these programs are truly intended to be there for influencers or people who are connected at retail, then what鈥檚 the harm in doing a little more work in verifying who鈥檚 accepted?鈥� Despite assurances from program managers that all applicants must pass strict scrutiny, our undercover investigation proves otherwise: In some cases, fake pros were granted almost instant access using fake credentials.

Instead, managers could require additional documentation if something in an application looks fishy鈥攕uch as professional certifications or, for retail employees, the store鈥檚 invoice number鈥攐r even call someone鈥檚 claimed employer to double-check. Another safeguard for retail employees: Mandate that all purchases be shipped to the store, as Patagonia does. The best-run pro programs also require members to recertify every year, Maier says, so former pros can鈥檛 hang on to their discounts.

And, 鈥渋f there鈥檚 not a direct connection to the local retailer, it doesn鈥檛 work,鈥� said Frank. Many programs do include a note in their acceptance email about sending anyone who admires the gear to their local outdoor shop to make purchases, but there鈥檚 currently no guarantee that members even know which shops carry the products. Young of Sawyer Paddles and Oars says he asks his qualifying pros to send curious clients to specific local shops: 鈥淚鈥檓 trying to build that bridge between the pros and the retailers. Retailers have to trust that manufacturers aren鈥檛 abusing that discounted sales channel.鈥� He even suggests taking the connection a step further: 鈥淢aybe it鈥檚 time for retailers to vet who鈥檚 qualified for programs.鈥�

Wrestling these pro programs back down to size, of course, depends on vendors and third parties actually wanting to limit pro deal purchases鈥攏ot intentionally treating them as a lucrative discount DTC channel, as some retailers contend they do. The current state of pro programs 鈥渋sn鈥檛 a misunderstanding,鈥� said Allen. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not people making a mistake in executing pro deal programs. This is a calculated business practice that people are being dishonest about.鈥�

Patagonia is one brand heeding its dealers鈥� calls for overall reform by embarking on a revamp of its own program. Among other steps, the company is reviewing pro categories and individual members and scrubbing those not deemed to match a stricter set of criteria, plus ending its twice-yearly friends-and-family promotions.

鈥淲e know we can have a deeper connection with fewer pros 鈥� that supports our business in a better way,鈥� noted Patagonia鈥檚 Bruce Old, VP of global business, and John Collins, leader of global sales teams, in a statement to The Voice. 鈥淲e also realize there are too many access points for discounted products in the market.鈥� The fact that the brand is investing in more environmentally and socially responsible鈥攁nd expensive鈥攑roduction practices, they add, helps make its full-price business even more important.

These kinds of brand-led reforms鈥攅ssentially, hiring tougher bouncers for the pro deal club鈥攁re likely key to reducing abuses and maintaining a more exclusive definition of 鈥減ro.鈥� After all, when everybody鈥檚 a pro, then really, nobody is. And that renders a pro program essentially meaningless.

Getting In: An Undercover Investigation

Just how tough鈥攐r easy鈥攊s it to get into a pro program? We went undercover to find out.

Most brands and third-party platforms say their pro programs are for true outdoor industry professionals only, and that applicants are carefully vetted to ensure only the deserving get in. Not everyone believes it.

Industry insiders report concerns about several types of objectionable 鈥減ros.鈥� There are the applicants with questionable outdoor credentials鈥� part-time guides, one-time NOLS students, etc. There are straight-up liars posing as legit pros. And some retailers even charge that platforms will accept absurd applications that are obviously frauds (The Trail Head鈥檚 Todd Frank successfully applied to ExpertVoice as President James Madison).

We tested the system ourselves with three fake personas, complete with bogus credentials, designed to probe brands鈥� defenses against those concerns. 鈥淎pril O鈥橦ara鈥� posed as a retail employee using a free, fake pay stub created online. Yoga instructor 鈥淩ashida Samat鈥� submitted a screen shot of a real teacher鈥檚 online profile that didn鈥檛 include a name. And for our most ridiculous attempt, 鈥淢innie Mouse鈥� applied with a photo of a coffee shop punch card. We tried 11 pro programs (five third-party pro platforms and six brands directly). When admitted, we placed an order and, in all cases, received the gear (items will be donated).

In some cases, our applicants received a green light within a few minutes, suggesting no vetting process or a very limited automated one. In others, someone reviewed the application, but didn鈥檛 probe deeply into our supporting documents. Andy Marker, founder and principal of IPA Collective, who approved our application for 鈥淩ashida Samat,鈥� noted, 鈥淚 saw the [online studio] profile, and on that day, it was good enough for me.鈥�

Ten of the 11 targets rejected Minnie Mouse (Liberty Mountain accepted her without question). But the results were mixed for April and Rashida.

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In 2010, an employee at prAna鈥檚 Boulder retail store snapped a photo that depicted a room littered with mounds of polybags. The capture鈥攁nd the astonishing amount of plastic鈥攔epresented the aftermath of unboxing a single day鈥檚 shipments to the shop. When the photo made its way to the brand鈥檚 headquarters, it arrived with a simple question: 鈥淲hat do you expect us to do with all of this plastic?鈥�

The answer, of course, would not be as simple as the request. But that was no deterrent for a brand that has baked sustainability into its operations from the very beginning. Rachel Lincoln, who is now prAna鈥檚 sustainability director, worked in its product department at the time. She understood the issue鈥攁nd recognized the opportunity. 鈥淚 love to tackle problems that just seem so giant and so big, because no problem is impossible,鈥� said Lincoln. 鈥淚t’s just about taking it down to its smallest component and starting there. If you build it bit by bit, eventually you’ll fix the problem.鈥�

And that鈥檚 exactly what prAna did. The brand called all hands on deck, from the product team to the marketing department to representatives from its distribution center. The idea was to buck corporate tradition and instead of, say, tapping only packaging or sustainability experts, instead seek the collaborative wisdom, experience, and passion of all corners of its team. From this creative think tank, an equally unconventional idea emerged鈥攚hy not eliminate the need for polybags altogether?

It was a bold concept. Garment manufacturing status quo dictates that bags are required for protection; a brand simply can鈥檛 risk consumer dissatisfaction, not to mention potential losses that could result by sending out dirty or damaged products. But the in-house working group lit upon a possible solution in roll-packing, where garments are tightly rolled and bound with a length of recyclable raffia, then packed into shipment boxes with a single, reusable poly lining.

Lincoln says that starting small, then scaling up, was key; prAna began testing its roll-packing process on a single garment before eventually expanding wide. The brand tapped in-house product experts to carefully consider each item and develop a decision tree with branches for characteristics like color and materials that would guide handling of each item. The team also created specific roll-packing methods for each item to ensure its integrity throughout the manufacturing and distribution process. And they tested their creations by shipping a dizzying number of packages between the factory, their distribution center, and headquarters.

While the garments themselves passed with polybag-free flying colors, the roll-packing initiative鈥檚 overall success would require buy-in at all levels of the supply chain. Luckily, prAna worked with a factory that was willing to be not only patient, but also exceptionally supportive as they retooled their process to ensure that products wouldn鈥檛 be damaged along the way. To achieve this, the working group consulted directly with the factory and distribution center to learn exactly how items were handled during each phase of the manufacturing process, so they could design an instructional video, training manual, and in-person trainings that would allow for a smooth flow. 鈥淲hen we go to onboard a new vendor, this is part of our training, just as we train them with our code of conduct, or our restricted substance list, or how to submit prototypes,鈥� said Lincoln. 鈥淭his is just part of doing business with prAna at this point.鈥�

A Bigger Goal鈥攁nd a Larger Movement

Roll-packing has now been part of prAna鈥檚 operations for almost a decade. Lincoln says that the brand hasn鈥檛 seen returns for dirty products, nor have they witnessed a spike in damaged ones. And as for a time-cost analysis, roll-packing doesn鈥檛 take more of the former or require more of the latter. As for the larger impact, the numbers tell the story. In 2011, after prAna launched the initiative, nearly a third of their products were shipped without polybags; by 2018, that increased to 80 percent. Lincoln says it鈥檚 the equivalent of removing roughly 3.6 million polybags from circulation.

Lincoln is proud of the brand鈥檚 work on packaging sustainability, which directly inspired REI to begin roll-packing their own Co-op branded products last year, but she鈥檚 also excited by prAna鈥檚 commitment to close the gap on that final 20 percent. While prAna does recycle the remaining polybags at its distribution center and at their stores, they鈥檝e continued to work on solutions for eliminating them altogether, going back to what Lincoln says are the core principles of pursuing sustainability for its own good, following employees鈥� passions for finding solutions, and moving one small step at a time.

Tasked with continually dreaming bigger and aiming higher, the team at prAna have spent several years researching polybag alternatives and have since formed an unofficial coalition of sorts with other brands who are interested in the same; at this time, Lincoln is unable to name the others who are involved. In part thanks to the group鈥檚 sharing of both resources and inspiration, the company hopes to roll out Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper bags by the end of the year, fully achieving their goal of using only plastic-free packaging. And that same spirit of collaboration, not competition, with others in the industry has led to additional sustainability measures, like prAna converting to use only 100 percent organic cotton after another brand reached out to recommend a vendor.

Lincoln says that this spirit of working together, both in-house and across the industry as a whole, is going to continue the drive toward creative solutions across all areas of sustainability. Just as they鈥檝e done with REI and other collaborators, prAna is willing to continue sharing what they鈥檝e learned about developing a polybag-free roll-packing system in hopes that it will help other brands phase out plastics in their own packaging, or possibly inspire them to dream even bigger.

鈥淚 read a quote once that said something along the lines of, 鈥榃e don’t need five people doing everything perfectly; we need a million people doing it imperfectly,鈥� and that’s kind of what polybags are,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e’re not going to get rid of the problem by one brand doing it, by one factory doing it; it’s got to be industry-wide. It’s got to be systematic change, where we’re all working toward the better good. And we can.鈥�

The Plastic Impact Alliance Tackles Polybags

Transitioning from polybags to non-plastic packaging like roll-packing or paper is not a switch that companies can simply flip. Switching to non-plastic packaging alternatives is the end goal for eco-conscious brands, but in the meantime, retailers all around the country are being inundated with polybags that they cannot properly recycle. The Plastic Impact Alliance is seeking brand partners who want to help retailers recycle the polybags that flood their stores, so they don鈥檛 end up in the landfill or the oceans. If your brand is interested in learning more, please email plasticimpactalliance@gmail.com.

The post How Prana Squelched Polybags appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The outdoor industry has a love/hate relationship with polybags, those ubiquitous clear plastic bags that seem to encase every apparel item we sell. Growing public awareness about the urgent problem of plastic pollution is intensifying scrutiny of single-use plastic, and how brands manage their polybag dependence is increasingly under a microscope.

How We Became So Dependent on Polybags

The rise of polybags is linked to the surge in e-commerce and the complex global supply chain that brands rely on. The longer a product鈥檚 journey from factory to sales floor, the more likely it is to be damaged along the way. Polybags effectively prevent this problem. As a result, many third-party logistics services and retailers require brands to use polybags to protect apparel and other finished goods.

Several companies are leading the search for better alternatives, experimenting with all kinds of options to reduce the impact of polybag use. Roll-packing with paper banding, raffia or hemp ties as well as reusable lightweight bags are gaining traction thanks to brands like prAna, REI and Hydro Flask.

Rethinking Old Systems

Widescale adoption of these innovative alternatives are proving to be challenging as most material handling systems are currently engineered and optimized for products that are flat-packed and protected by polybags. Any change to packaging methods and materials may result in reduced efficiencies in brands鈥� supply chain operations.

The bottom line: as an industry that is committed to sustainability, we need to completely rethink the processes, systems, and machinery that prioritize polybags as the primary mechanism to keep garments from being damaged. Examples of these types of material handling system possibilities are pouch or pocket sorters that allow for pickers to place roll-packed or loose units in a pouch that the system routes to a workstation for packing.

The question is how can these types of material handling system technologies be expanded throughout the supply chain, and be adopted by factories and distribution centers? Paul Huppertz leads the Supply Chain Strategy practice at Crimson & CO North America, a global management consultancy that specializes in operations transformation. He said that 鈥渢hese end-to-end polybag supply chain issues are mainly driven by retailers and their distribution channels, and how they handle single unit, or less-than-full case orders. Manufacturers are bagging products because retailers are asking for it. Retailers are asking for polybagged items because of the way their material handling systems are designed, to drive massive efficiencies to get products to the customer, in a way that鈥檚 pleasing to them. To put a dent in reducing polybags, those handling systems and processes have to be redesigned. The main thrust for change has to be in distribution centers that handle those unit orders.鈥�

with their recent announcement that brand partners need to dial back on their polybag use by Fall 2021 or be charged a non-compliance fee to help offset polybag recycling and handling costs. This will no doubt challenge distribution centers across the industry as brands strive to meet opposing polybag protocols from different retailers. But as one of the most critical retailers in the country, REI wields a big and powerful stick. Change is inevitable and it will have to come fast.

Polybags 101: Understanding the Challenges

Until that elusive, scalable alternative is found, brands will continue to rely on polybags made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE or #2) or low-density polyethylene (LDPE or #4). LDPE bags are most commonly used for apparel because they have good clarity, strength, and moisture prevention properties. While these types of polybags are technically recyclable, they鈥檙e not able to be recycled through most municipal curbside programs. This is because the film gets caught in the gears of recycling trucks and in the sorting equipment at materials recovery facilities (MRFs), causing frequent work stoppage and creating dangerous situations as employees have to climb into the machinery to untangle the bags. Another reason that polybags are difficult to recycle is that they must meet recyclers鈥� specifications to be clean, dry, and empty, which is challenging in a single-stream recycling program where items are easily contaminated.

While polybags made from #2 and #4 plastic can be recycled by customers at 18,000 drop-off points across the country, few people are aware of, or make the effort to recycle polybags at grocery stores that are part of the Wrap Recycling Action Program (WRAP). Regardless, leaving polybag recycling solely to the end user is not the answer.

More Recycling (MORE), a research and consulting company focused on tracking recycling infrastructure data to support circularity of post-consumer materials, manages the data and technology aspects of WRAP鈥檚 infrastructure. Aside from consumer drop off points, WRAP, with support from MORE, piloted polybag recycling projects at malls where a porter collects polybags on a regular basis from stores, bales them and ships direct to market. Nina Butler, the CEO of MORE, said, 鈥淲e have a major crisis that demands we radically change our course. Rethink, reduce, recycle right and buy recycled are key to developing inter-circularity of the plastic film market.鈥�

Butler鈥檚 colleague at MORE, Emily Tipaldo, the director of strategy and business development, underscored that consumer drop off points are only part of the polybag collection equation. 鈥淲RAP is interested in working with brands along the entire value chain to get better audit data of where film is used each step of the way and developing case studies documenting how brands are working collaboratively to align value chains.鈥�

Butler also stressed the fragility of the current film recycling system and the key role brands play in strengthening it. 鈥淲ith the recent drop in price for virgin plastic, there isn鈥檛 enough value in post-consumer material to account for the handling costs. We need to stimulate market development for post-consumer recycled content in products and packaging. It may be an investment for brands, but it is critical to developing the circular economy that recycling programs like WRAP rely on. Brands have to be part of the demand solution.鈥�

Many brands are stepping up to embrace the challenge to use PCR plastic in their products. Some examples include Costa Sunglasses and their partnership with Bureo to make sunglasses from recycled fishing nets, and the partnership between PrimaLoft, adidas and Parley for the Oceans to manufacture high-performance insulation products. Patagonia recently reported that 69 percent of their line includes recycled material, including plastic, and is well on the way to meeting their commitment to use only renewable or recyclable materials in their products by 2025.

Recycling Polybags Requires a Proactive Effort

There are many partners working with brands to recycle polybags throughout the supply chain process, prioritizing the collection of them at distribution centers and retail outlets. Examples include TerraCycle鈥檚 partnership with The North Face that started in 2011. The North Face stores package and send polybags to TerraCycle鈥檚 New Jersey facility, where the bags are melted down into pre-production pellets. TerraCycle also offers a more generic polybag collection initiative through their website.

Another partnership possibility exists in Eco-cycle, a non-profit recycler based in Boulder. This spring, Eco-Cycle will be piloting a robust polybag recycling program along the Pearl Street Mall with the help of participating stores like Patagonia. According to Kate Christian, Eco-Cycle鈥檚 corporate sustainability coordinator, stores will pool polybag collection in one location to make it easier for Eco-cycle to haul away. 鈥淧earl Street鈥檚 collection hub and spoke model to recycle #2 and #4 polybags will show proof of concept that the industry can work together to minimize the impact of common waste streams,鈥� said Christian. 鈥淲hen an industry works together, we can begin to move the needle toward more sustainable solutions.鈥�

The Pearl Street polybags are delivered to Trex, where they鈥檙e turned into composite decking, that, according to Eco-cycle, provides 鈥渁 long-lasting product that needn’t be treated with toxic chemicals and lessens the burden on hardwood trees like redwoods and cedars that are more typically used for similar applications such as decks and piers.鈥�

While composite decking lengthens the life of a polybag, ultimately it will end up in landfill one day, unless future technology provides for another life as another product. But it serves as an example of how brands need to think of closing the loop when it comes to polybags, and all other plastic packaging.

While there are a lot of options available for brands to address polybag use, implementation has been slow. It will take a disruption like REI鈥檚 new polybag policy or a reconfiguring of material handling systems to eliminate the need for polybags and hasten solutions. Are you ready to rise to the challenge?

What Can You Do to Eliminate Polybag Waste?

In the face of pressures from the public, supply chain partners, retailers, and brands that rely on polybags are seeking alternatives to implement immediately while they continue searching for more sustainable solutions.

Here鈥檚 a List of Things You Can Do Today to Move in the Right Direction:

Join the Plastic Impact Alliance, a coalition of outdoor brands committed to eradicating single-use plastic from their businesses.

Communicate with your partners (factories, third-party logistics providers, and retailers) about your intent to stop using polybags. Discuss alternatives, ask for input, brainstorm ideas.

Place goods in large (or 鈥渕aster鈥�) polybag-lined boxes instead of individually packaging items.

Fold clothes tighter and use smaller polybags that are made with less material.

Use only #2 or #4 polybags, as these are technically recyclable.

Use polybags with increased post-consumer recycled content.

Avoid bags made from biodegradable material as (1) customers will confuse these with other types of polybags, contaminating waste streams and (2) biodegradable does not equal compostable.

Partner with WRAP, TREX, TerraCycle, or Eco-Cycle) to recycle #2 and #4 polybags along your supply chain.

Identify ways to collect polybags from back-of-house and retail operations to send to recycling partners.

Encourage customers to use one of WRAP鈥檚 18,000 plastic bag drops at grocery stores nationwide.

Communicate to customers about the type of polybag being used and how to recycle it. A relatively new logo program鈥擧ow2Recycle鈥攑rovides specific details so consumers better understand how an item can be recycled. There’s a fee for participating, but the How2Recycle team creates the labels.

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