Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1154057
14 • Sports Insight July/August 2019 sportsinsightmag.com IN THE MARKET / OUTDOOR Peak Potential: Arc'teryx is Launching a Recommerce Program V ancouver-based outdoor brand Arc'teryx, known for its technical, performance apparel and gear, is launching a recommerce program called Rock Solid Used Gear. Harkening back to the company's original name when it was founded over 30 years ago, Rock Solid Used Gear is a repurposing hub designed to keep products in service as long as possible and to lighten the company's environmental footprint. As part of the program, Arc'teryx will buy back used gear in good condition, clean and repair products with plenty of life le in them and resell the items at a lower cost. e prolonged lifecycle allows customers to access supremely technical gear for less while also minimizing the brand's environmental footprint. "We are framing sustainability as a design problem," says Arc'teryx GM and president Jon Hoerauf. "Strictly focusing on building leading gear is no longer an option for us — we must apply the same design ethos to solving problems of broader social and environmental relevance." Customers can bring used gear into local Arc'teryx stores or use an online mail-in portal to start the trade in process. e gear will then be assessed and gear that is deemed as lightly worn to excellent con- dition, with the inner label still attached, will be eligible to receive a gift card of 20 percent of the product's original retail price. Any items that cannot be resold, but are still functional, will be donated to organizations with outdoor programs that need gear. The brand is exploring circular solutions such as repurposing and upcycling for items that have reached the end of their useful life and cannot be repaired to a functional state. n Arc'teryx is buying back used jackets from consumers. OUTDOOR INDUSTRY STORIES TO WATCH