Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1445070
16 • Outdoor Insight • Winter 2022 outdoorinsightmag.com From Plastic to Steel: Gnarly Sports nutrition brand Gnarly has just transitioned its product packaging to recyclable tin coated steel cans, moving away from plastic tubs. With the move, Gnarly hopes to spearhead a movement in sustainable packaging within the supplement industry. Shannon O'Grady, COO at Gnarly Nutrition, had been thinking about ways to adopt sustainable packaging for many years, and the idea of switching to metal sparked when she was drinking from a large mouth beer can. Not only is the recycling rate of steel higher than plastic (70% compared to 7%), steel is often pulled out of landfills with magnets even when discarded. A walk down the supplement aisle of any shop selling nutrition items reveals the abundance of plastic in the category. Gnarly knows its steel cans will stand out. Plus, the cans are also hermetic, or air tight, enhancing shelf life and product integrity. Gnarly is also a member of the Plastic Impact Alliance and just signed on to be one of the 100+ brands dedicated to reshape packaging as part of prAna's Responsible Packaging Movement. Respect on the Slopes: Rossignol French ski brand Rossignol is deep into a multi-decade sustainability project that looks at their manufacturing impact holistically, from where they get the energy they use, to how far they have to ship products from source to sale, and, of course, the sourcing of the raw materials they use to make their products. The program is called Respect and it has four pillars: Design, Manufacturing, Commitment to Advocacy and Community and Act — preserving the playgrounds people use Rossignol products in. For example, Rossignol's flagship Experience and Blackops lines of skis are maxing out their sustainable material claims — featuring 15% recycled top sheets, sustainably harvested wood cores, 70% recycled material in the bases and 100% recycled steel on the edges. Objectives include a 40% reduction in production waste by 2025, 30% in carbon footprint by 2030 and carbon neutral by 2050. And Rossignol is committed to planting 25,000 trees to reduce 4,000 tons of CO2 from the environment. A Green Manifesto: Scarpa Mountain sports brand Scarpa is bring a steadfast commitment to sustainability and renewable sources to its latest winter gear, aligned with the brand's Green Manifesto. Every boot in the brand's popular Maestrale or Gea RS or Maestrale and Gea ski-boot family has been redesigned to incorporate Grilamid Bio and Pebax Rnew, plastics made with renewable resources, while a dollar from each sale of a boot that includes these materials will be donated to Protect our Winters (POW). "We enacted our Green Manifesto at the start of 20201 to outline Scarpa's commitment to sustainability to the public in an easy- to-understand manner," said Kim Miller, CEO of Scarpa North America. "Along with the Mojito Bio, the industry's first fully biodegradable shoe that has a performance rubber sole, the plant-based plastics used in the Maestrale and Gea are one of our most significant initiatives in the product realm this year. We're excited to showcase that in a way that also gives back to POW, an organization that has done a lot of excellent work in raising awareness and lobbying around the effect of climate change on winter sports." The values at the core of Scarpa's Green Manifesto are Sustainability, Care, Air, Respect, Performance and Authenticity — all created to help reach Scarpa's goal of becoming B Corp Certified within the year. Scarpa's redesigned Maestrale and Gea boots fall under the Performance pillar, which underlines the STEPPING STONES SUSTAINABILITY STORIES Shining a light on innovative eco initiatives from around the outdoor industry — from hardgoods to packaging and beyond. Gnarly uses steel containers instead of plastic. Rossignol uses recycled material in its skis.