A new circularity program from 础谤肠鈥檛别谤测虫, whose name derives from the first reptile to develop wings, has taken flight.
The Canadian outdoor apparel and equipment brand, a division of Amer Sports, this week launched a program called ReBird, which includes three components: the sale of upcycled and repurposed products; the sale of used 础谤肠鈥檛别谤测虫 gear; and the offering of care and repair services to keep gear out of the landfill.
In addition to allowing customers to buy used 础谤肠鈥檛别谤测虫 items and repair their own items through the brand鈥檚 care and repair service, the ReBird program includes three new upcycled products. The Stowe Windshell is made from end-of-the-roll materials reclaimed during the production process, while the brand鈥檚 Upcycled Tote and the Upcycled Pouch were crafted from post-consumer materials and gear that鈥檚 no longer usable.
础谤肠鈥檛别谤测虫 said ReBird 鈥渕arks an organization-wide commitment to shift away from a take-make-waste economy by continuously seeking to adopt and evolve a circular way of operating. It also contributes to the brand鈥檚 science-based targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 65 percent by 2030.鈥
鈥淎t 础谤肠鈥檛别谤测虫, we have always built products that last, and durability is crucial to how we see ourselves contributing to a more circular economy and achieving our global climate goals,鈥 said Katie Wilson, senior manager of social and environmental sustainability. 鈥淚t enables us to do fun work like make new product from old, resell used gear, and repair. While some of this work has been happening as long as we鈥檝e been in existence, some of it is brand new.鈥
Wilson told 国产吃瓜黑料 Business Journal that 础谤肠鈥檛别谤测虫 will measure the ROI of ReBird with a unique set of metrics. It鈥檚 not about hitting a specific financial target or achieving a certain number of units upcycled, repaired, or sold. Instead, the program鈥檚 goal is about simply doing the right thing, being a better steward of the environment, and offering customers a way to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
鈥淭he ROI for us with ReBird is in increasing the amount of business we do in this new lower carbon approach,鈥 she said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e learning by doing, and we know that in order to meet our science-based targets on emissions reduction, we need to do more of this kind of work: upcycling, reselling, and repairing products.鈥
Upcycled and repurposed gear, as well as information on the brand鈥檚 care and repair service, are available on the 础谤肠鈥檛别谤测虫 ReBird website. Used gear is available on this site, and the brand is also hosting three used-gear pop-up shops in New York and Chicago this summer.
The move comes at a time when other brands are making similar moves. Patagonia, for example, late last year launched its 鈥淏uy Less, Demand More鈥 initiative that promotes pre-owned outdoor products. And the resale and used gear marketplaces continue to boom as consumers look for less expensive ways to get quality apparel and equipment.
Now, add 础谤肠鈥檛别谤测虫 to the mix of brands looking to make a difference by repurposing unused materials and selling used gear to reduce waste from the apparel industry.
鈥淭o us, circularity means continuously seeking to design out waste and pollution from our systems and to respect the resources of our finite planet,鈥 Wilson said. 鈥淩eBird is one way that 础谤肠鈥檛别谤测虫 is bringing this to life.鈥