Product

We believe innovation enhances human experiences.

For products in the field, that means best-in-class warmth, protection, and ease of use. For products in development, that means forward-thinking design and sourcing to help reduce waste, pollutants, and inefficiencies. Our product-based initiatives are based on four key efforts:

We reduce consumption by making only high-quality, durable, long-lasting products.

We reduce water, energy, and other resource usage through innovative product design, manufacturing, and logistics.

We avoid the use of chemical treatments wherever possible, choosing forward-thinking alternatives.

We champion change by participating in industry-wide initiatives to improve the sourcing and manufacturing processes.

Sustainability Guidelines and Policies

Marmot’s Sustainability Guidelines and Policies outline our animal welfare policies, chemical management specifications, testing guidelines, and certification requirements. Suggested certifications for our partners include bluesign®, Higg Index, and WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production), the world’s largest independent compliance certification program dedicated to promoting safe, lawful, humane, and ethical manufacturing.

Product Transparency

Marmot strives for the highest level of performance and protection with the lowest possible impact on the planet. We have a rigorous process of selecting sustainable materials and manufacturing methods. To help make that process easy to understand, we’ve developed a product rating system.

Our Good-Better-Best rating measures the level of environmental impact in three important categories:

Recycled Materials

We adhere to the Global Recycled Standard

Eco-Friendly Fabrics

We’re bluesign® certified

PFC-Free Technologies

Fluorocarbon-free, water-repellent treatments

We use these metrics to measure our impact. The chart below illustrates our progress in 2019-20.

44% of our volume uses recycled, upcycled, and renewable materials. This includes Marmot UpCycle® gear, plus collections like Featherless and EVODry.

PFC’s are toxic chemicals that get into our waste water and don’t break down. For all products with a Durable Water-Repellent finish, 53% use a PFC-free solution.

bluesign® is the leading standard for apparel that certifies the elimination of harmful substances and guarantees the safe production of materials.

Chemical Management and Restricted Substance List

Marmot believes that proper chemical management is key to providing consumers with safe, high-performing products in a sustainable fashion. We also believe that best practices for chemical management ensure safety for all persons and environments touched by our supply chain. Therefore, we’ve created a Chemical Management and Restricted Substance List (RSL) policy. This means Marmot products and packaging materials don’t contain SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern) under the EU’s REACH Regulation or any chemicals on the California Proposition 65 List, and we comply with all applicable Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) and Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) requirements.

bluesign®

bluesign certification helps us move toward a world of low- or non-pollutant textiles, environmentally and human-friendly production, and the conservation of limited resources. The bluesign system is based on partnering with brands and suppliers to focus on tangible improvements in resource productivity, consumer safety, water and air emission, and occupational health and safety.

Recycling

We pledge to increase our use of recycled materials by making high-performance pieces that also lessen the waste stream. Plus, we leverage partnerships to use traceable recycled content in our fabrics. All Marmot products that contain recycled polyester and/or nylon are labeled UpCycle®.

Low-Impact Fabric Dying

From bold prints to rich solids, color is often what makes an outdoor product come to life. But color can come at a cost. The process of dying fabrics is water- and energy-intensive. Utilizing Low Impact Technology™ (L.I.T.™), we’re working to reduce the cost and impact of color. L.I.T.™ alters yarns to take on color using 60 percent less water and 15 percent less dyestuffs than traditional dying processes. Because the fibers can be dyed more quickly, the process requires 22 percent less electricity and half the thermal energy.

Animal Welfare

We make every effort to secure our raw materials in a responsible manner, including any Animal Derived Materials (ADM). Marmot ensures strict requirements, transparency, and traceability. Our guiding principles are the Five Freedoms of animal welfare as underlined by the World Organization for Animal Health:

Freedom from hunger, malnutrition, and thirst.
Freedom from fear and distress.
Freedom from heat stress or physical discomfort.
Freedom from pain, injury, and disease.
Freedom to express normal patterns of behavior.

Responsible Down Standard

Marmot was an early adopter of humanely sourced down. We were working with our suppliers to improve the process even before the establishment of the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) in 2014, and remain committed to using only RDS-certified down. Only products with 100 percent certified down and feathers carry the RDS stamp of approval.