PRODUCT

< BACK TO CSR

DISCOVER MORE

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

 

We thrive to constantly increase the use of environmentally friendly materials and technologies. This in particular means selecting technical, safe and responsible materials to make long-lasting products that leave as little trace as possible in nature.

CHEMICAL SAFETY

One of our biggest responsibilities is ensuring all our materials and products are safe for both humans and the environment. We have strong internal policies for managing chemical safety. We also rely on external partners to make sure our products meet the highest standards.

We go beyond what regulations ask for. We took it all a step further and introduced our own internal standards for product safety and compliance to really make sure our products are as responsible and respectful as possible. In 2018 the Oberalp Group published the new Oberalp Chemical Policy, which outlines our strict internal standards for chemical compliance. This includes a Restricted Substances List (RSL), a list of all the chemicals that we’ve either banned from our products, or set a very strict limit on.

All our partners along our supply chain have to sign and commit to the policy and we conduct tests to ensure compliance.

We also work with third party certifications, indicators of high standards in safety and quality. We have been an official bluesign® system partner since 2012, a third party standard for environmental health and safety in all steps of textile manufacturing. Currently, 90% * of our styles have been chemically verified. This means they have either been tested according to our Chemical Policy or the main fabric has been tested by a 3rd party certification body (such as bluesign®). 

* (data refers to 2019 collection)

PRODUCT

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

 

We thrive to constantly increase the use of environmentally friendly materials and technologies. This in particular means selecting technical, safe and responsible materials to make long-lasting products that leave as little trace as possible in nature.

PFCs

Per-and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) are a type of chemical compound that is often used in outdoor gear to make it water repellent and permeable. However, in high concentrations PFCs can be harmful and linked to negative health effects in wildlife and humans. They are persistent chemicals, meaning they don’t easily degrade in nature.

As an outdoor brand, we want to take responsibility and protect the nature we work and live in. Back in 2014, we eliminated the most harmful PFCs (long chain, C8) from all our products. But this wasn’t enough. We are working hard on eliminating the use of all types of PFCs and finding alternative solutions that offer high quality water-repellency for upcoming collections.

PFCs

Per-and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) are a type of chemical compound that is often used in outdoor gear to make it water repellent and permeable. However, in high concentrations PFCs can be harmful and linked to negative health effects in wildlife and humans. They are persistent chemicals, meaning they don’t easily degrade in nature.

As an outdoor brand, we want to take responsibility and protect the nature we work and live in. Back in 2014, we eliminated the most harmful PFCs (long chain, C8) from all our products. But this wasn’t enough. We are working hard on eliminating the use of all types of PFCs and finding alternative solutions that offer high quality water-repellency for upcoming collections.

MICROPLASTICS

Micro-plastics are small plastic particles (under 5mm in size) that contaminate water bodies, soil and air quality. Some of these small particles are believed to come from synthetic materials like polyester and nylon. When we wash and tumble-dry our clothes, microplastics are released into water streams. Because of their extremely small size, these particles can easily escape sewage treatment plants and move through water. This means microplastic accumulates in our marine ecosystems and travels up the food chain, resulting in both environmental degradation and human health impacts. 

We are increasingly shifting away from polyester and nylon in our apparel collections and are focusing more on natural solutions such as cotton. We see this as an important step in reducing our impact.

As there is little awareness and studies on this topic, we have joined forces with other brands and started tackling the problem together. We are part of the Microfiber Consortium led by the European Outdoor Group. Together with scientific partners, we are supporting research projects to get a better understanding of the issue defining solutions to keep our impact at a minimum. We will keep you posted with any updates! 

MICROPLASTICS

Micro-plastics are small plastic particles (under 5mm in size) that contaminate water bodies, soil and air quality. Some of these small particles are believed to come from synthetic materials like polyester and nylon. When we wash and tumble-dry our clothes, microplastics are released into water streams. Because of their extremely small size, these particles can easily escape sewage treatment plants and move through water. This means microplastic accumulates in our marine ecosystems and travels up the food chain, resulting in both environmental degradation and human health impacts. 

We are increasingly shifting away from polyester and nylon in our apparel collections and are focusing more on natural solutions such as cotton. We see this as an important step in reducing our impact.

As there is little awareness and studies on this topic, we have joined forces with other brands and started tackling the problem together. We are part of the Microfiber Consortium led by the European Outdoor Group. Together with scientific partners, we are supporting research projects to get a better understanding of the issue defining solutions to keep our impact at a minimum. We will keep you posted with any updates! 

ORGANIC COTTON

Cotton clothing provides you with a wide range of next to skin luxuries; soft, comfortable, and hypoallergenic not to mention the colorful patterns and designs that represent who you are. We have decided to shift towards cotton as the main fabric for our apparel collections. To take it a step further and really make our material choice even more sustainable, we have started using organic cotton for some styles!

Organic cotton helps ensure these benefits are not lost to a negative environmental impact. The production of Organic Cotton is eco-friendly and utilizes natural fertilization through crop rotation and organic composts like manure. It also eliminates the use of pesticides and toxic dyes which run into the groundwater. And let’s not forget the little guy; organic cotton benefits small farmers by providing an opportunity to sell their crops more easily. We are increasing the use of organic cotton in our apparel collections and all climbing t-shirts in our 2020 collection will be in organic cotton.

UPCYCLING PROJECT – CURBAR JACKET

We want to close the production loop and make sure as little as possible goes to waste. Textile companies around the world have excess textiles lying around in warehouses destined to become waste. We think these materials should be put to use. So we decided to get creative with some of our leftover high-tech fabrics.

Engineered for climbing, the Curbar Jacket is made of high-performance leftover material from our sister company SALEWA. We took material that would have otherwise gone to waste and gave value to it by creating this shell jacket. Curbar offers robust and reliable weather protection, and outstanding mobility that moves with you – ensuring unrestricted arm-lift, even when the jacket is tucked under a harness.

 

CHEMICAL SAFETY

One of our biggest responsibilities is ensuring all our materials and products are safe for both humans and the environment. We have strong internal policies for managing chemical safety. We also rely on external partners to make sure our products meet the highest standards.

We go beyond what regulations ask for. We took it all a step further and introduced our own internal standards for product safety and compliance to really make sure our products are as responsible and respectful as possible. In 2018 the Oberalp Group published the new Oberalp Chemical Policy, which outlines our strict internal standards for chemical compliance. This includes a Restricted Substances List (RSL), a list of all the chemicals that we’ve either banned from our products, or set a very strict limit on. All our partners along our supply chain have to sign and commit to the policy and we conduct tests to ensure compliance.

We also work with third party certifications, indicators of high standards in safety and quality. We have been an official bluesign® system partner since 2012, a third party standard for environmental health and safety in all steps of textile manufacturing.

Currently, 90% * of our styles have been chemically verified. This means they have either been tested according to our Chemical Policy or the main fabric has been tested by a 3rd party certification body (such as bluesign®). 

 

* (data refers to 2019 collection)

ORGANIC COTTON

Cotton clothing provides you with a wide range of next to skin luxuries; soft, comfortable, and hypoallergenic not to mention the colorful patterns and designs that represent who you are.

We have decided to shift towards cotton as the main fabric for our apparel collections. To take it a step further and really make our material choice even more sustainable, we have started using organic cotton for some styles! Organic cotton helps ensure these benefits are not lost to a negative environmental impact. The production of Organic Cotton is eco-friendly and utilizes natural fertilization through crop rotation and organic composts like manure. It also eliminates the use of pesticides and toxic dyes which run into the groundwater. And let’s not forget the little guy; organic cotton benefits small farmers by providing an opportunity to sell their crops more easily. We are increasing the use of organic cotton in our apparel collections.

UPCYCLING PROJECT – CURBAR JACKET

We want to close the production loop and make sure as little as possible goes to waste. Textile companies around the world have excess textiles lying around in warehouses destined to become waste. We think these materials should be put to use. So we decided to get creative with some of our leftover high-tech fabrics.

Engineered for climbing, the Curbar Jacket is made of high-performance leftover material from our sister company SALEWA. We took material that would have otherwise gone to waste and gave value to it by creating this shell jacket. Curbar offers robust and reliable weather protection, and outstanding mobility that moves with you – ensuring unrestricted arm-lift, even when the jacket is tucked under a harness.


SHOP THE COLLECTION