Some of Rab's key pieces are made from recycled materials now. Rab Equipment photo.
Popular British outdoor brands Rab and Lowe Alpine have committed to become Net Zero companies by 2030. With the increasing demand from the outdoor community for brands to be more eco friendly, the two sub-companies of Equip have joined the efforts of other outdoor companies such as Patagonia to cut their carbon footprint. In November of 2020, Equip became a climate neutral company as the first step to being Net Zero. The company's CEO released a statement discussing their mission to ‘awaken the mountaineer in everyone’ and as a result, to protect the landscapes that inspire us.
So, what does being climate neutral mean for a company like Rab or Lowe Alpine? The term ‘climate neutral’ indicates that the company has reduced its overall carbon emissions, and any left over emissions get neutralized by carbon credits. Carbon credits are side projects that promote removal of emissions. Net Zero goes one step past this, by reducing all avoidable carbon emissions to zero. So far, Equip has switched to 100% renewable energy in their head offices and distribution center, replaced their sales fleet with plug-in hybrids or fully electric vehicles, switched to recycled fabrics in some of Rab’s most prominent lines, and reduced their use of plastic considerably.
Equip has also partnered with climate solutions provider, South Pole, both to achieve the climate neutral certification, and also to choose carbon neutralizing products in order to offset what emissions the company is still producing. Both representatives from Equip and South Pole are confident that the company’s efforts will make an impact. We’re stoked to see more outdoor brands working hard in favor of our planet.
