From their vests and jackets being filled with 100% recycled 90/10 Re:Down, to their active footwear made from recycled materials, Cape Union Mart are slowly but surely lessening their impact on mother nature. With a sharp focus on sustainability, Cape Union Mart aspires to make gear that is not only durable and long-lasting but also considers the environment too.
Introducing: JOIN OUR JOURNEY
By producing this gear in local, green factories from sustainable materials, Cape Union Mart can create the products their customers need while protecting the outdoors everyone loves. Yet this is only the beginning. They are on a journey and determined to succeed. So, instead of just talking about what they have achieved, they are going to invite the whole of South Africa to help them keep taking steps towards a sustainable future.
Through quarantine, we’ve all seen how much we consume and how much waste we produce, and it has made us more conscious of our role in the environment and our communities. So, that’s the good news. The bad news, most of us don’t know how sustainability is defined and measured and how to make smarter, more sustainable steps in what we buy, use, and throw away every day. So, to take the first step in fixing this, some of the talented team members at Cape Union Mart have shared what their favourite eco-focused products are and some of their sustainability tips. The bottom line: we’re all in this together, and we’re all still learning and improving, join us as we take the first steps in becoming a more sustainably focused brand.
Brendan Le Riche, Buying Manager – Eco-choice: K-Way Creek Re:Down Jacket
“Down jackets have become a winter essential in South Africa, and that means the pressure on
reducing waste in this category is massive. By working on sustainable down options, we can make
a bigger impact faster. The Creek jacket is filled with upcycled down combined with recycled
polyester, making the insulation completely sustainable.”
Sustainability advice: Smarter sourcing, recycling, and carpooling.
Shuaib Smith, Technical Buying Specialist – Eco-choice: K-Way Edge 2 Boots
Motivation: “These boots have been designed with a real purpose: it’s a lightweight hiking boot
that offers a waterproof and breathable lining, a rugged Vibram outsole and a comfortable
Ortholite sock liner. The fact that we’re making this fantastic Edge range even better by
adding recycled materials is very exciting. We’ve designed this boot to be completely
synthetic and therefore changed fabrication to recycled material when they became available.
This allowed the product to grow in its sustainability journey, and it’s only getting better,
both for the customer and the planet!”
Sustainability advice: Don’t use single-use coffee cups.
Iska Jordaan, Outdoor Designer – Eco-choice: Otter 850 Eco Sleeping Bag
Motivation: “The best part of camping is enjoying a good night’s sleep under a starry sky, an experience that can give
you great pleasure and relaxation, but only if you do it right. Doing it right means gearing up appropriately,
which includes owning the right sleeping bag. The Otter is made from REPREVE, which is the most trusted performance
fibre made from recycled materials. It’s made by transforming recycling plastic bottles into a versatile fibre,
which is then used to make athletic and fashion apparel and items like my sleeping bag for the best outdoor brands.”
Sustainability advice: Check the label and see what kind of plastic is used.
