Good
Exped matches its reputation for quality, comfortable sleep systems with meaningful efforts to reduce its environmental impact. It shines for its industry-leading use of Bluesign- and Oeko-Tex-certified textiles, as well as its robust repair services. The brand also offsets the emissions of all its products through its partnership with Myclimate and is working to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, but it could improve its transparency by sharing emissions data and publishing an impact report. Let’s explore where the brand is succeeding and where it has room to grow.
This sustainability analysis evaluates both product- and brand-level initiatives to capture the full scope of Exped’s efforts to reduce its environmental impact. Our research draws from the brand’s published sustainability data, third-party certifications (a cornerstone of our process), and correspondence with brand representatives. We have independently researched 13 Exped products to date, giving us a broad understanding of the brand’s use of low-impact materials, chemistry, and manufacturing practices.
You can explore our analyses of other outdoor brands, or use our advanced search to find products that align with your sustainability values.
We rate Exped’s transparency as “Good.” The brand features well-labeled sustainability information on its product pages, detailing third-party certifications, low-impact materials, and PFAS content. While it doesn’t publish an annual impact report, Exped maintains a sustainability page on its website that covers its PFAS phase-out, circularity services, packaging, and other environmental efforts. The company tracks its greenhouse gas emissions and has Science Based Targets Initiative-verified goals to reduce them, but it doesn’t share emissions data, limiting insights into its progress.
Nearly every Exped product we’ve evaluated features recycled materials, including its sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and backpacks. These materials, such as post-consumer polyester and nylon, have lower carbon footprints than their virgin counterparts, which are derived from fossil fuels. Recycled fabrics can be made from various feedstocks, and Exped sources its recycled polyester from used plastic bottles and textile waste. It also upcycles fabric scraps that would otherwise be discarded into its products. However, the brand doesn’t report the total amount of recycled content it uses, and we haven’t found recycled materials in its tents. This places it behind top-performing brands, such as Nemo, which uses 100% recycled proprietary Osmo fabrics across all its backpacking tents.
Bluesign is an independent company that works with textile manufacturers and brands to reduce environmental impact and the use of hazardous chemicals throughout the production process. The company sets standards for worker safety, resource efficiency, water use, emissions, and chemical management, and Bluesign-approved materials meet these requirements through third-party verification. Beyond materials, Bluesign System Partnership assesses brands’ supply chains and requires ongoing commitment to improving sustainability across their operations. While Exped isn’t a Bluesign System Partner, it uses Bluesign-approved and Oeko-Tex Standard 100-certified fabrics, buckles, and zippers in most of its products.
The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 ensures textiles are free from over 1,000 substances harmful to human and environmental health, but unlike Bluesign, it tests finished products rather than evaluating the entire production process. Exped’s sleeping pads feature fabrics that are either Oeko-Tex or Bluesign certified, and all its sleeping bag fabrics meet the Oeko-Tex Standard 100. With its use of these textiles, Exped stands out for certified low-impact materials, particularly among camping and backpacking brands.
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of chemicals that have historically been used to repel dirt and water from outdoor gear. However, the indestructible nature of these chemicals means they don’t degrade, persisting in the environment and earning them the name “forever chemicals.” PFAS have also been associated with negative health effects, and California and New York banned the chemicals from textiles in 2025.
This legislation has prompted the elimination of forever chemicals in the outdoor industry, and Exped completed its PFAS phase-out at the end of 2024. It continues to work with its suppliers and conduct independent testing to ensure its products are PFAS free. The brand has always manufactured its sleeping pads without PFAS, and its tents and backpacks are now treated with non-fluorinated durable water repellents. Lastly, it doesn’t use flame retardants or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in its products (both of which, like PFAS, have adverse health consequences).
Like most outdoor gear, Exped’s products are primarily made from synthetic materials. However, some incorporate natural, animal-derived fibers, and third-party certifications such as the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) and the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) ensure these fibers are sourced in ways that prioritize animal and ecological welfare. Exped obtains its down from RDS-certified suppliers, meaning feathers come from animals that haven’t been subjected to practices such as live plucking and force-feeding. The RDS also promotes traceability, and Exped’s down products include QR codes that provide more information about their materials. The brand also sources RWS-certified wool and Fair Trade-certified cotton.
Exped maintains a supplier code of conduct that outlines its policies on human rights and employment practices, the environment, and ethical business behavior. It also provides information about its manufacturing partners (most of which it has worked with for more than 10 years) on its website to promote transparency. Several of these partners are certified to the ISO 14001 international standard for environmental management. Exped also reports that 80% of its products are manufactured in facilities audited by Fair Wear, an organization that works with brands to improve labor conditions in the textile and apparel industry. However, Exped isn’t a Fair Wear member, and therefore doesn’t receive the organization's annual assessment, which details the results of its audits and performance across its standards. Since Better Trail requires Fair Wear member brands to achieve “Leader” recognition from the organization, Exped falls short of our criteria for responsible manufacturing. That said, we appreciate its efforts to build and maintain strong relationships with its suppliers.
Packaging accounts for a relatively small share of a brand’s overall footprint, but it still generates waste. As a result, many companies have made efforts to reduce the impact of their packaging by using fewer materials or recycled alternatives. Exped is one of these brands, and keeps packaging to a minimum. Only a small selection of its products are packaged in individual poly bags, while some of its accessories come in reusable zippered pouches. The packaging materials Exped uses are all recyclable and Forest Stewardship Council certified, ensuring that wood- and paper-based products are sourced from responsibly managed forests that protect ecosystems, mitigate climate impacts, minimize chemical use, and protect worker welfare and Indigenous rights.
Repair services help extend product life and keep gear out of landfills. However, brands differ in the services they provide: some perform only warranty-related repairs, while others offer maintenance for almost any issue. Exped shines for its comprehensive repair program, making every effort to repair rather than replace products (even when it’s not economically viable) at its in-house workshops in Tacoma, Washington, and Zurich, Switzerland. Repairs under its five-year warranty against material and manufacturing defects are free, and it addresses non-warranty issues for a nominal fee.
For those seeking to repair their gear themselves, Exped has videos on its website that show how to fix sleeping pad leaks and tears, as well as other issues. It also shares gear care and maintenance resources, and can supply replacement parts directly, allowing customers to make repairs without sending products to a workshop.
Similar to repair services, resale and recycling programs keep used products out of landfills and give them new lives. While Exped doesn’t operate a formal program for customers to trade in their gear for resale or recycling, it partners with several organizations to support circularity. In Switzerland, customers can rent Exped products through Createlab and buy or sell used items through 2nd Peak. The brand also occasionally offers used and repaired products for sale on its U.S. website. We grant Exped partial credit for these efforts, and we hope to see it expand its services in the future.
Exped has tracked its greenhouse gas emissions since 2022. It aims to reduce its direct footprint (Scopes 1 and 2) by 42% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions (defined as a 90% reduction across all scopes) by 2050. Interestingly, the brand hasn’t set a near-term target to address its indirect emissions (Scope 3), which account for the vast majority of its overall emissions and include activities such as raw-material extraction, processing, and manufacturing. However, the Science Based Targets Initiative has verified Exped’s goals, meaning they align with the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C warming threshold.
Additionally, the brand works with Myclimate to mitigate the impact of its operations by funding carbon removal projects, including conserving shrubland and savannah in Tanzania. Since 2024, it has calculated and offset the emissions associated with all its products. While we respect Exped’s partnership with Myclimate, we would like to see the brand provide year-over-year emissions data. It shares its 2024 emissions data through its participation in the Outdoor Industry Association’s Climate Action Corps (a group that supports brands in measuring and reducing their carbon footprints), but the limited scope of this data makes it difficult to evaluate the company’s progress over time.
Annual impact reports are among the primary ways brands discuss their sustainability strategies and disclose data on their progress. They offer insights into brands’ material and chemical use, manufacturing, packaging, waste management, and more, promoting transparency by making this information publicly accessible. Unfortunately, Exped doesn’t publish an impact report, so our knowledge of its initiatives is less comprehensive than brands that do, such as REI Co-op. The company previously worked with Greenroom Voice, an independent sustainability communications organization, to produce a sustainability report in 2024, but that report is no longer available online. However, Exped maintains a detailed sustainability page on its website that covers topics such as its PFAS phase-out, low-impact material sourcing, circularity services, and its partnership with Myclimate, which we appreciate.
Exped partners with several organizations committed to conservation and climate action, including the European Outdoor Group and Protect Our Winters (POW). It worked with POW Switzerland to promote the “1,400 Glaciers, 1,400 Reasons to Act” and “Keep Swiss Glaciers Cool” campaigns, which advocate for climate protection measures in the country.
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Better Trail Certified products score 4 out of 5 or higher in our sustainability ratings and generally meet around 80% or more of our criteria. While it’s true that no product is 100% sustainable—all take resources to create and arrive at your doorstep—these products are industry leaders and among the most sustainable on the market.
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