Sustainability Coverage For Every Product
Let’s start with what you’ll see on Better Trail: Every product on our site receives a detailed sustainability analysis by our in-house team of experts. In our gear guides and reviews, every product has its own unique sustainability rating as well as a dedicated sustainability box below the product description. Here you will find all of our sustainability criteria for that category represented by our custom icons, whether or not that product qualifies for each of those criteria (the green ✅ or red ❌ below), and a short description of each. Last but not least, you will see a write-up summarizing the sustainability findings for that product, along with any additional context or relevant information we dug up in our research.
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Longevity
Choosing durable outdoor gear and keeping it in use for longer is one of the best ways to reduce environmental impact. Our proprietary longevity rating assesses factors like overall build quality, materials, fabric denier, component durability, and real-world performance. A green check indicates that we expect the product to be long-lasting relative to its peers, a yellow check mark indicates average longevity, and a red X indicates a product that may have a limited lifespan.
PFAS-Free DWR
Durable water-repellent (DWR) finishes can contain PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). These highly persistent “forever chemicals” are used in outdoor gear for their strong resistance to water, oil, and heat, but are linked to environmental contamination and a range of health concerns. A green check mark indicates the product uses a PFAS-free DWR, while a red X means the DWR contains PFAS.
PFAS-Free Waterproof Membrane
The membranes used in waterproof products such as rain jackets, ski jackets, and shoes can contain PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). These highly persistent “forever chemicals” are valued for their resistance to water, oil, and heat, but are linked to environmental contamination and a range of health concerns. A green check mark indicates the product’s waterproof membrane is PFAS-free, while a red X means it contains PFAS.
Recycled Materials
Recycled materials are prevalent in outdoor gear, with nylon, polyester, wool, and down among the most common, but the composition varies widely. A green check mark indicates the product is made with a substantial amount of recycled materials (100% recycled or the core fabric that makes up most of the product is recycled), a yellow check means it contains a moderate to small amount of recycled materials, while a red X means there are no recycled materials in the product.
Bluesign Approved
Bluesign Technologies, based in Switzerland, operates a third-party textile management system that ensures materials are manufactured to strict environmental, chemical, and worker safety standards. A green check mark indicates a product is either a Bluesign Product (contains at least 90% Bluesign-approved fabrics and 20-30% Bluesign-approved accessories) or features a significant amount of Bluesign-approved materials. A yellow check mark means it uses some Bluesign-approved materials but less than the aforementioned category, and a red X means there are no Bluesign-approved materials in the product.
Responsible Manufacturing
This criterion evaluates a brand’s commitment to fair wages, safe working conditions, and reducing environmental impact through certifications and programs like Fair Trade Certified, Fair Wear Foundation, Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), and the Fair Labor Association, while also recognizing brands that manufacture primarily in the U.S. or Europe under strict labor and environmental regulations. A green check mark indicates a brand meets our responsible manufacturing criteria, while a red X means it does not.
Recycled and/or Reduced Packaging
Packaging can add significant waste to outdoor gear purchases, so many brands work to reduce its impact by using recycled materials, incorporating Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper products, and minimizing plastic and paper use. A green check mark indicates a brand uses recycled or reduced materials across all of its packaging, a yellow check indicates moderate or limited use of recycled or reduced packaging, and a red X indicates the brand does not make either of these efforts.
Repair Services
Repair services extend the lifespan of outdoor gear and reduce overall consumption, though programs vary widely. Some brands offer comprehensive repairs for a range of issues, while others provide limited or no repair support. A green check mark indicates a robust repair program, a yellow check mark indicates limited repair services, and a red X indicates the brand does not offer repair services.
Resale and/or Recycling Services
Resale and recycling programs help keep outdoor gear in circulation longer and out of landfills, ranging from trade-in resale platforms that offer store credit to take-back initiatives that recycle products at the end of their usable life. A green check mark indicates a brand offers both resale and recycling programs, a yellow check mark indicates it offers one or the two, and a red X indicates it offers neither.
Carbon Footprint Tracking
This criterion evaluates whether a brand measures, reports, and works to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions using established frameworks such as the Higg Index, Greenhouse Gas Protocol, or The Change Climate Project. A green check mark indicates a brand publicly reports greenhouse gas emissions data, sets clearly defined reduction targets, and uses established tracking frameworks such as Higg or The Change Climate Project. A yellow check mark indicates the brand tracks emissions and outlines reduction goals but provides limited data, lacks science-based verification, or does not clearly report progress. A red X indicates the brand does not appear to track greenhouse gas emissions or provides so little information that its efforts cannot be verified.
Annual Impact Report
Annual impact reports provide transparency and accountability by outlining a brand’s sustainability efforts across areas such as material sourcing, greenhouse gas emissions, waste, water use, supply chains, and packaging. A green check mark indicates a brand publishes a detailed, brand-specific impact report that closely aligns with our sustainability criteria and leaves little room for ambiguity. A yellow check indicates a brand provides some relevant sustainability reporting but lacks detail in key areas or is covered only briefly within a parent company report. A red X indicates a brand does not regularly publish an impact report.
We frequently get asked: “How on earth did you gather all of this information?” We started by putting together a talented team of experts. This group researches every product category to develop our criteria, then researches every individual product to determine if and how it fulfills these criteria. This process involves many hours looking at brand, retailer, and third-party websites, communications with brands to gather more information, coffee-fueled debates, and deep evaluation of nuance in a space that isn’t as clear as we all would like it to be. We are extremely proud of the results and offer you the first real sustainability coverage of its kind. More on the process below.
Introducing Our Sustainability Team
Our sustainability content starts with a talented team of dedicated writers and researchers, all of whom hold degrees in relevant fields like conservation biology, ecology, and environmental science. These individuals are passionate about both exploring and protecting the outdoors, and they specialize in communicating complex scientific concepts without the confusing technical jargon. With expertise that allows them to quickly identify greenwashing and navigate the subtle nuances of brand sustainability reports, our team works together to find the most up-to-date, accurate sustainability information so you don’t have to.
We Start With Publicly Available Information
For any given product category (ski jackets, for example), we take the 20 leading models as specified by our gear team and conduct a deep dive into publicly available information. This includes product listings on brand and retailer websites, sustainability sections of these websites, and annual impact reports (many brands publish an annual report that details their sustainability practices). During this process, we spend hours breaking down and understanding the technical language, statistics, and certifications so that you don’t have to. When applicable, our findings are then cross-checked with trusted third-party organizations like Bluesign, SBTi, and the Outdoor Industry Association. The quality of this publicly available sustainability information varies, which often leads us to reach out to the brands with questions.
Communication With Brands
As a next step, we often reach out to brands directly for clarification or more context. In many cases, brands have been responsive and helpful, and this process has led to increased accuracy on our part and even adjustments or corrections on brand websites. That said, there are a number of brands that have not responded to our questions or requests for clarifications. In those situations, we operate with what we have available to us until we receive further information.
Importantly, we also offer brands the opportunity to submit information via our sustainability contact form. This can include clarifications, corrections, and additional materials/background that are not provided on their website. We take this brand communication seriously, and if the information provided to us checks out, we will promptly update our site to reflect it.
We Love Third-Party Certifications and Real Numbers
While future goals are important and transitioning to sustainable manufacturing and products takes time, too many brands have kicked the can down the road. Our sustainability content is all about what is happening right now, highlighting the current steps that brands are taking today, not just promising for tomorrow.
We love real numbers and third-party certifications in particular, as these are the best tools we have for accountability, consistency, and avoiding being victims of greenwashing. Examples of third-party certifications include Bluesign-approved materials, Fair Trade Certified, and responsible materials certified to the Responsible Down Standard, Responsible Wool Standard, etc. And nothing gets us more excited than seeing the data itself—when a brand can provide the actual percentage of recycled materials in a certain product or share a timetable of how much they’ve reduced their greenhouse gas emissions over the years, we can rest assured that the brand is actually walking the walk, allowing us to compile the most transparent and informative sustainability information for our readers.
The Results: A Sustainability Criteria for Each Category
After our in-depth research process and communication with brands, we decide on our final sustainability criteria for each product category. This includes sustainability traits both at the product level—like recycled materials, Bluesign materials, Fair Trade Certified production, and a PFAS-free DWR finish and/or membrane—and at the brand level, including whether the brand offers repair services or recycled/reduced packaging, tracks its carbon footprint via the HIGG Index or a similar method, and publishes an annual report. Altogether, the sustainability criteria for each category can vary based on the specifics, but we often settle on around eight to ten product- and brand-level sustainability criteria for each category, give or take (apparel often has the most criteria, hard goods often have the least).
Next comes analysis. Our sustainability team then assesses each product in the category (chosen by our gear team) and determines whether or not they qualify for each of our sustainability criteria. Recycled materials? Check. Repair services? Nope. This gives us a strong, data-centric framework for determining our sustainability scores. For example, the Patagonia Powder Town Insulated meets all nine of our criteria for ski jackets, while the Trew Gear Popover meets only two of those same criteria, setting the stage for vastly differing ratings.
The final step is taking the hard rating factors and considering any additional information that is available to us. For example, “Recycled Materials” is a “yes or no” checkbox in our criteria, but the percentage of recycled materials used in a particular product can vary substantially (from 1% to 100%). Or a product can be a Bluesign Product instead of simply using Bluesign-approved materials, which is an even higher bar. This type of additional information is used as part of our final considerations to hone our ratings as much as possible.
Our Ratings and Better Trail Certified
The end result of all of the research described above is a sustainability rating (0 to 5) for every product featured in our gear guides. For those who like to dive deeper, we provide all of the details in each product’s sustainability box, in addition to a short write-up describing any nuances. With our handy sort function, you can sort the entire gear guide by sustainability to see how the products stack up.
Better Trail Certified is a defining standard in the sustainability space and we are proud of it. For those who want to shop for sustainable products, this badge is given to products that score a 4.0 or higher out of 5 in our sustainability ratings. These products meet the vast majority (often three-quarters or more) of our sustainability criteria for that category. Around 25% of the products we analyze get a Better Trail Certified badge. From the perspective of our readers, this offers a high level of confidence that what you are buying has a low environmental impact relative to its peers.
How Will Our Ratings Evolve?
Given that both outdoor gear and sustainability are wildly changing landscapes, we can expect our ratings and rating system to evolve over time. One area we continue to workshop is durability: how long a product may last relative to its peers, thereby keeping it out of a landfill and you from needing a replacement. This is extremely complicated as there are so many unique variables involved, but we are actively brainstorming how we can thoughtfully make this a part of our sustainability analysis at the product level. You can start by reading our article “Where Durability Meets Sustainability,” and we expect that this metric will make its way into our ratings sooner rather than later.
In addition, our ratings evolve alongside the outdoor industry. We hope that transparency will increase at both the brand and retailer levels and that new technologies and sustainability practices will be developed. Our current sustainability ratings and content are a snapshot of 2024/2025 and what is happening now, but our model will continue to develop with the changing landscape.
More Sustainability Content on Better Trail
You’ve read a lot about our process, our sustainability ratings, and the sustainability boxes on our product pages, but there is a lot more to explore on Better Trail. We’ve created in-depth informational articles on topics like PFAS and recycled materials, closely analyzed notable sustainable brands like Patagonia, Arc’teryx, and REI, and created an entire portal (coming in early 2025) where you can start your product search via a sustainability lens and sort accordingly. As always, please feel free to reach out to our sustainability team with questions or comments. We look forward to this journey with you all.
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