Interesting article in yesterday's
Observer
Magazine
asking,
'Do
environmentally friendly outdoors jackets exist?'
The news from the nationals isn't all bad. Gore-Tex and other PTFE
membranes, are chemically inert and non-toxic, points out Lucy Siegle,
but 'the real issue isn't necessarily PTFE, which is
chemically inert and non-toxic, but the synthetic chemical used in its
production – perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). PFOA is persistent in the
environment, and in outdoor clothing – even in offerings from
ecologically conscious labels,' it says.
Not only
that, but even Patagonia has a water repellent finish containing the
stuff it seems. It's not all bad news though, the article praises
Patagonia and Swedish brand Klattermusen for being 'upfront about the
production process and what goes into a jacket'. Klattermusen even has
some PFOA-free jackets alongside its own Eco Index.
Finally there's a big thumbs up for Paramo and Nick Brown for
'biomicry' - read the article for an explanation - and a suggestion
that reproofing and existing jacket is a great, green alternative.
Green Trends
We'd say that the concern for the outdoors industry, is that
virtually all outdoors brands these days have nailed their colours to
the eco-friendly mast, admittedly not to the same extent as Patagonia,
but there are plenty of eco-friendly initatives that seem to have swept
right under the Observer's radar. So that message simply isn't getting across.
Take
Montane,
which has a selection of new
Live Lite clothing - pictured -
which is both recycled and recyclable under the ECO-CIRCLE programme or
fabric manufacturers like Polartec, Pertex and Primaloft, all of who
offer eco-friendly fabrics now as part of their range. Or GoLite which
is majoring big time on its ecological credentials for spring 2010. Or
Timberland which is using Green Rubber - a mix of 50% mostly
recycled-tyre rubber and 50% virgin rubber in the sole units of its new
Mountain Athletics range of running shoes.
In other words, though the industry's far from perfect, there are lots
of companies out there aside from the three mentioned in the article
You can read the full article at
www.guardian.co.uk
