Ethically Made, Mindfully Manufactured
Here at the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, we’re proud of our partnership with Craghoppers, one of our recommended kit partners. Their mission is to make their clothing and products as sustainable as possible, doing what they can, wherever possible, to look after our planet.
Craghoppers are taking a huge sustainable step forward without compromising on the technical details. Here are just a few ways that they are leading the fight for a cleaner, greener planet:
Manufacturing
Craghoppers are members of the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI). They work to improve the conditions of their working environment through regular checks, to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of their employees.
They have also mapped out their major material and component supply chains, giving them full visibility of how their products are manufactured at every step of the process.
Another useful tool Craghoppers use is the Higg Index. It is used to practically measure the facilities in the supply chain to assess their environmental impact and continually review the materials, trims and products that are used or manufactured. This allows for grander sustainability ambitions while simultaneously enabling real, tangible targets to work towards. They are looking to reduce their energy consumption by 20% this year, and with the help of the Higg Index, they have a clear plan of action in place to achieve this.
Fabric and materials
In 2020, Craghoppers won the Drapers Sustainable Brand of the Year Award, in recognition of the advances they’d made in their sustainable production practices. To achieve this, several changes had to be products, now offering synthetic fillings as their substitute insulation. They also only use gold standard tanneries for their leather boots and shoes, which use better methods of tanning, which create less waste and use less water. Their incorporation of Merino wool means their wool products are now ethically sourced.
A particularly interesting aspect of their production is their research into second-life products. Craghoppers use recycled coffee beans in the EVA midsoles for some of their footwear styles. They also use a wax coating for some of the Naturally Outdoors range jackets, which is derived from oil made from rice bark (or rice peel) – this is a by-product of the food industry.
We share Craghoppers’ belief in encouraging young people to enjoy the outdoors, as well as teaching them how to protect it; the outdoors is for everyone to explore and enjoy. As such, the DofE features sustainable products from Craghoppers on our Recommended Kit List; The Waterproof Orion Jacket is partly made from recycling plastic bottles into polyester, reducing carbon emissions and landfill waste, as are their Verve Trousers and Stromer Fleeces.
Looking into the future, they are exploring the plausibility of using oyster shells to make polyester. The shells are responsibly sourced and would normally be the product of food waste. The crushed shells would then be added to the extrusion process to make polyester.
Environment
What pledges have Craghoppers made to their environmental impact?
They are looking to reduce water consumption in all their worldwide offices and factories by 20% by 2022, measuring their impact using the Higg Index. They also have zero landfill for any waste from their facilities.
Over 10 years ago, Craghoppers started to import goods from Liverpool rather than Southern ports, reducing road transportation by 400,000 miles per year. They are also members of the UN Climate Change Group and primary members of Smart Freight, working to improve transport efficiency whilst lowering emissions. They are committed to net zero emissions by 2050, and as such, a considerable effort in benchmarking is undertaken.
In 2020, Craghoppers saw a 23% drop (against 2019 emissions) in overall Carbon Footprint which was driven by origin initiatives and greater container utilisation. They also used the train from Asia in 2020 more than ever, instead of transporting by air. This saved around 11,000 tonnes of CO2. They also offer a Guarantee For Life on all of their products – meaning they will replace any purchase that is at the end of its life with the same or a like-for-like item.
Useful resources
Recommended Retailers of Expedition Kit
Click here to read Craghoppers’ report on Modern Slavery.
Click here to read Craghoppers’ report on Gender Pay.
