If you’re as passionate about sustainably-made outdoor gear as we are here at Terradrift, there’s a material you should definitely know about: NetPlus. Made of recycled fishing nets, it’s being used by a number of outdoor brands to reduce the impact of every garments, craft high quality fabrics, and clean up oceans in the process. Here’s what the material is and some of our favorite gear and clothing made of the stuff.
You’re probably familiar with the concept of synthetic shirts, packs and more being made of recycled water bottles, milk jugs, etc. (like Shredly mountain bike apparel, many UPF sun shirts, even sunglasses), but Patagonia has a whole line of clothing and gear made of recycled fishing nets saved from an environmentally disastrous watery grave! It’s the Patagonia NetPlus line. And here’s why it’s a big deal.
We love shining the spotlight on cool, sustainable brands here on Terradrift. And there aren’t too many brands more responsible than prAna. They’ve been leading the way in eco-friendly clothing manufacturing for decades now, and we were thrilled to get to learn a bit more about the brand and some of their dope clothing recently. Ready to learn more? Sure you are. Check out all the cool stuff the brand is up to and all about prAna clothing and how it contributes to positive change.
Leather is everywhere in the outdoor industry: boots, bags, climbing shoes, even decals and zipper pulls on backpacks and jackets. But why? For ages, leather has been the material of choice for sturdy, “natural,” durable gear that lasts. But now that other materials are available, do we really need leather? And is leather sustainable? While many in the industry would say yes, citing that it came from nature and will eventually biodegrade back to nature, leather is far from natural and neither sustainable nor environmentally responsible. But how does it stack up against competitors and substitutes like synthetic materials and faux leather? We’ll break it down and take a look at why you might want to ditch leather.
Lots of brands tout organic cotton as better for the environment than conventional cotton. But what’s the difference? Is organic cotton really that much more sustainable than conventionally grown cotton? We investigated so we could all make better choices when it comes to sustainable apparel. So check out our comparison of conventional cotton vs organic cotton and see for yourself which comes out on top.