Sustainability

Gear re-Store Sustainability Charter

All my life I have abhorred waste in its myriad manifestations.  Early influences were my grandfather, a product of the Great Depression, who saved elastic bands and pieces of packaging twine, operated 40-watt light bulbs…you get the picture; and a 22-year hitch in the Canadian Forces Reserves, where resources were scarce, so we had to make do with old kit and did so by scrupulously maintaining it.

All along I thought my parsimony may have been attributable to my Scottish heritage, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter where it came from, the outcome is, I am and always have been borderline obsessive with waste.  Drive calm to not waste gas.  Don’t throw out food.  Don’t throw stuff out if it is still functional.  Don’t dispose of things just because they are “last year’s” style.  Buy quality stuff and keep it maintained.  Harvest rainwater and compost kitchen scraps.

It should be no surprise that when the technical outerwear industry began looking for sustainable options, I was immediately interested.  Gear re-Store is committed to helping our brand partners achieve their own sustainability objectives, by encouraging and supporting the following practices:

• • Provide feedback to the brands so they can design product that lasts longer, thus delaying the eventual trip to the landfill.
  • Provide feedback to the brands so they can design product that is easier to repair.  Time-consuming repairs are expensive, and more people will be encouraged to repair their gear if the cost is reasonable.
  • Provide support to the brands by helping correct factory flaws, so brands don’t have to dispose of otherwise perfectly good products.
  • Support and encourage customers who understand that quality gear will last longer and is worth maintaining.
  • When a customer no longer desires to keep a garment, provide the customer and the brands with options including re-commerce, upcycling, and downcycling.

Additionally, Gear re-Store will engage in the following practices internally:

• • Re-cycle anything possible, including cardboard packaging, office paper, etc.
  • Utilize energy- and water-efficient commercial laundry equipment.
  • Use environmentally responsible soap and DWR products.
  • Have a permanent EO1L (end of first life) group, led by a Sustainability Champion.

If you are as excited about sustainability as we are, give us a call to see if we can help you achieve your sustainability objectives.