At Montane, we're all in for making more sustainable choices. We also know sustainability is an increasingly important topic for many of you too. With more and more people seeking to explore the outdoors responsibly and shop more consciously, we wanted to help provide additional transparency about our fabric sourcing decisions. Cue More Sustainable Choice!
“Highlighting More Sustainable Choice products is an exciting step forwards for Montane’s sustainability agenda. We acknowledge that there is more to be done, however, this criteria and additional product information sheds light on the materials we are using and the progress we are making.
Montane is working hard to lower our environmental footprint and enhance product transparency by increasing the range of More Sustainable Choice products each season. At the heart of our sustainability agenda is product durability and longevity, which are supported by our product aftercare advice and UK repairs service.” Anna Pitman, Montane CSR Manager
Why More Sustainable Choice?
For many years now, we have had more sustainable materials in the Montane range and there has been an active drive to increase their use more widely in our various products. Alongside introducing alternative fabrics that are more environmentally and socially conscious, we’ve also been working towards a better way to track how we calculate more sustainable content. In addition to this, we have been figuring out how best to communicate this with you so that it is clear and easy to understand.
With this in mind, we believe now is the time to provide greater visibility on the work we’ve been doing. More Sustainable Choice has, therefore, been developed to help do just this, enabling you to easily see which clothing and kit contains the greatest amounts of materials that are better for the planet. Our criteria covers a variety of things, from recycled materials such as recycled polyester found in our popular Dart Base Layer range, to our exclusive use of organic cotton rather than conventional cotton, and the fact that our down is either certified RDS or recycled.
So what is More Sustainable Choice?
We’ve identified which products in our range qualify against our criteria to be categorised as More Sustainable Choice. To qualify, More Sustainable Choice products must use a minimum of 50% more sustainable materials, which we have defined as: recycled content, organic cotton, non-mulesed wool , RDS down and Tencel. Where a DWR is used, this must be PFC free for a product to be highlighted as More Sustainable Choice.
On each of these product pages, you’ll find a table of information (see below example) which provides an overall percentage of more sustainable content, extra information about the materials used and any certifications, as well as the country of manufacture. See our Graphic T Shirts for a sneak peek at how this looks.
The More Sustainable Choice calculation reflects responsible fabric sourcing decisions. Significantly, it does not reflect the full life cycle of the product. For example, transportation, how you use it, washing and eventual disposal. With this in mind, we still advocate that people take care of their kit as much as possible, either via appropriate aftercare or through our dedicated Repairs Service (please note, currently this service is only available to UK residents.)
An ongoing journey towards being better
First and foremost, we have a duty of responsibility to make sure you are safe in challenging environments, and that your products will stand the test of time. Therefore, the products we engineer must be both durable, as well as able to perform and protect. Ultimately, this means it’s important that we rigorously test recycled materials before introducing them into our range, something that takes time.
Another factor to bear in mind is that the garment industry, as a whole, faces challenges with availability of more sustainable materials. In turn, the costs can also be high for new emerging technologies and recycled materials with a lower carbon footprint. We, therefore, want to ensure that when we introduce these recycled materials, they are not only able to deliver on performance, but are affordable too.
Although not every product currently qualifies as More Sustainable Choice under our criteria, we have many more products in the range that contain some more sustainable materials. For example, products using up to 49% more sustainable materials, and products that are 50%+ more sustainable, but are not PFC free, do not qualify as a More Sustainable Choice, as qualifying products must be both PFC free and contain 50%+ more sustainable content. Rest assured, we are regularly reviewing our range and exploring, where possible, new more sustainable materials.
More Sustainable Choice is a big step towards providing information to help you make more informed decisions when you shop with us. We are working hard to develop this each season, to increase the range of products that meet Montane’s More Sustainable Choice criteria without compromising on the performance of our products.
For further peace of mind, every factory we work with to create our products works in alignment with Fair Wear Foundation principles. This ensures that the people who make your garments are treated fairly and work reasonable hours in a safe environment.
Browse More Sustainable Choice
Looking to shop more consciously this season? Explore More Sustainable Choice products to help you get started or, alternatively, use our search filter. For those seeking further transparency about Montane’s journey towards sustainability, take a look at our dedicated sustainability hub, where you’ll find information on the core principles that guide our thinking.
