Good
Flylow is best known for its ski outerwear, and the up-and-coming brand is making a concerted effort to reduce the impact of its products. In 2024, approximately 80% of Flylow’s fabrics featured recycled content, demonstrating its commitment to product-level sustainability. We also appreciate its Leftover Land resale platform and the brand’s commitment to low-impact manufacturing, as evidenced by its extensive use of Bluesign-approved materials. Still, Flylow has room for improvement: it has yet to set emissions-reduction targets, publish an impact report, or participate in a third-party responsible manufacturing accreditation program. Want to learn more about sustainability at Flylow? We'll break it down.
This sustainability analysis evaluates both product- and brand-level initiatives to capture the full scope of Flylows’s efforts to reduce its environmental impact. Our research draws from Flylow’s published sustainability data, third-party certifications (a cornerstone of our process), and correspondence with brand representatives. We have independently researched over a dozen Flylow 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.
Flylow’s transparency practices earn the brand a “Good” rating. While it has been tracking its greenhouse gas emissions since 2021, it has not yet set a reduction target. Still, we appreciate that Flylow offers a detailed sustainability page on its website with a variety of pertinent information about its material use, emissions, and packaging. Flylow doesn’t publish an annual impact report, however, so greenhouse gas data is minimal when compared to similar brands, and it has yet to publish up-to-date data for 2024. Although Flylow’s products are labeled with exact percentages of recycled materials, unlike other brands, it does not disclose which materials are Bluesign-approved, leaving room for misinterpretation.
Flylow earns a place among the industry’s sustainability leaders in incorporating recycled materials into its gear. The brand cites that swapping virgin fabrics for recycled ones reduces the energy required to produce the fabric by 65%, which is especially notable given that the majority of an outdoor brand’s emissions come from raw materials and manufacturing. This statistic aligns with other brands’ data on emissions reductions and energy savings; for example, Patagonia cites that according to the Higg Material Sustainability Index, swapping virgin polyester for recycled polyester reduces associated emissions by 50%.
In 2024, Flylow reported that 80% of its products feature recycled content and that all of its proprietary Greenloft insulation is made with 100% recycled polyester. Like most brands, Flylow primarily uses polyester made from plastic water bottles and nylon made from discarded fishing nets. Notably, all of the Flylow products we’ve researched (most of which are ski outerwear and gloves) incorporate recycled materials, putting it on par with brands like Patagonia, The North Face, and Cotopaxi in this area.
Although Flylow is not a Bluesign System Partner, it incorporates extensive Bluesign-approved materials into its gear. Bluesign-approved materials are subject to strict standards for chemical safety and environmental responsibility, and Bluesign System Partners are monitored with regular onsite assessments to ensure that they continue to meet Bluesign’s standards. In 2024, Flylow reported that 80% of its fabrics are Bluesign-approved, positioning it as a leading brand in this metric—notably, that’s a greater share than many of the System Partner brands we’ve evaluated. Nearly two-thirds of the Flylow gear we’ve researched features Bluesign-approved materials. Unfortunately, the brand doesn’t label which materials are Bluesign approved on its website, leaving room for misinterpretation. (Instead, Flylow places a generic Bluesign logo on its product pages.)
Flylow is also making efforts to source Oeko-Tex-certified materials, which are tested for over 1,000 harmful chemicals to ensure compliance. Once again, the brand’s labeling is subpar, so we have not been able to confirm how many products meet these standards. Despite these labeling issues, Flylow earns a place among the top brands in the industry for its use of clean chemistry across its products.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, were once standard ingredients in durable water-repellent (DWR) treatments and waterproof membrane materials for their standout water- and oil-repellent properties. In 2025, however, states including California and New York banned them from use in textiles because of their environmental persistence and human health impacts. Flylow completed its PFAS phase-out ahead of legislation, stating that all its products were free of intentionally added PFAS by fall 2024. Although it wasn’t the first brand to eliminate forever chemicals from its gear (props to Fjallraven and Keen for their early action), it finished its phase-out before California’s ban went into effect.
Flylow primarily uses a proprietary membrane and DWR, but recently expanded its line to use Gore-Tex’s PFAS-free ePE waterproofing in select products. It also recently started using a PFAS-free Empel DWR in many of its outerwear products. Notably, Empel is also solvent-free and certified to Oeko-Tex standards.
Flylow has made respectable progress toward sourcing certified, responsibly sourced natural fibers in its products. All of its down is certified to the Responsible Down Standard, which ensures that feathers come from farms that meet high standards for animal welfare, and that ducks and geese are not subject to excessive harm. To ensure transparency, the brand’s down products are also traceable using Allied Feather + Down’s Track My Down program.
Additionally, Flylow only uses Responsible Wool Standard-certified wool, a standard that addresses the welfare of sheep and the land they graze on. Flylow primarily uses leather in its gloves and mittens, and the brand states that suppliers are encouraged to source leather from Leather Working Group-certified suppliers (but that it does not require this). In this area, Flylow is a step behind similar brands, which use only suppliers certified to Leather Working Group standards (which are subject to strict chemical and waste management and energy and water use standards).
Flylow has a code of conduct for its suppliers based on the International Labor Organization and the UN Declaration of Human Rights. However, that alone does not meet our standards for the responsible manufacturing criterion. To make the grade, we require brands to participate in a third-party program that provides certification and regular factory audits to ensure safe working conditions, fair wages, and reduced environmental impact. Other brands use organizations like Fair Trade USA, Fair Wear, and Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production to meet these standards.
Although packaging accounts for only a small fraction of a brand’s carbon emissions, it accounts for a significant amount of waste. We appreciate that all of Flylow’s paper-based packaging is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an organization that ensures that paper products are sourced from responsibly managed forests that protect forest ecosystems, reduce climate impact, and minimize chemical use while protecting worker welfare and indigenous rights. Unfortunately, we have not been able to confirm whether it uses recycled FSC-certified materials, but the brand states that it is moving toward using packaging that is both recycled and recyclable. We also appreciate that Flylow redesigned its packaging to minimize single-use plastics and reduce the total amount of packaging material needed.
Repair services help you keep your gear in use longer, preventing you from replacing it and decreasing your impact in the process. If your Flylow gear is covered under the brand’s warranty, it will repair it for free at one of its two repair centers (located in Colorado or Pennsylvania). The brand’s warranty covers manufacturer defects like zipper failure (within a year of ownership), buckle and snap failures, seam taping, and stitching issues.
For gear that isn’t covered under warranty, Flylow offers a selection of repair services for a fee. These include mending holes with repair patches, replacing zipper sliders, and doing complete zipper replacements, as well as seam tape replacements. Note that repair costs are relatively high (ranging from $60 to $128, depending on the service), and that Flylow won’t repair any products purchased before 2017. You pay for shipping to and from Flylow’s repair center for out-of-warranty repairs; if your repair is covered under warranty, Flylow will pay for return shipping. All in all, although the services are more limited than those of some brands, we applaud Flylow for its repair offerings and dedication to getting your gear back out in the field.
Flylow’s Leftover Land resale platform helps keep used gear out of landfills while offering discounted ski and bike gear for those seeking a great deal. In partnership with Geartrade, the brand accepts well-loved to brand-new Flylow gear for resale, with trade-in values ranging from 10% to 30% of MSRP depending on condition. Flylow offers you credit toward new gear in exchange for sending yours in. Notably, unlike other resale services, Flylow will still give you 10% of MSRP for gear that it cannot resell. During select periods, the brand also takes bibs from other brands through its Bib Buyback program (although this program only runs for short periods of the year). Note that Flylow does not accept products with less than a $50 retail value (like socks and water bottles), but it will take just about anything else.
Unfortunately, Flylow does not offer a recycling program for its gear. Still, we appreciate that it donates unsellable Leftover Land gear to keep it in use longer.
Although Flylow has tracked its carbon footprint since 2021, it has yet to set emissions reduction goals. Most brands set science-aligned or Science Based Targets Initiative-verified reduction goals to ensure that their operations are on track to keep global temperatures from rising by 1.5 °C. In 2023, Flylow reported emitting 16,003 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO23), with the vast majority of emissions falling into the Scope 3, or supply chain category. It has yet to report on its 2024 emissions. For comparison, similarly-sized brand Outdoor Research emitted just under 19,000 tCO2e, while Stio emitted over 11,500 tCO2e in 2023. Flylow does not report year-over-year emissions, so we are unfortunately unable to track its progress, though representatives say the brand has made some reductions. In the future, we hope to see the Flylow set reduction targets, publish year-over-year data, and demonstrate progress toward reducing its emissions.
Unlike similar brands, Flylow does not publish an annual impact report detailing its progress toward sustainability goals. Still, it offers a sustainability webpage with information about its materials, emissions tracking data, and packaging. Compared to brands that publish a yearly report, we have limited data on its practices, including year-over-year emissions data and a more detailed breakdown of its material use. Annual impact reports are an essential source of data on a brand’s sustainability progress and a measure of accountability toward sustainability metrics. Many brands similar to Flylow in size publish such reports, highlighting a gap in the company’s transparency.
Flylow donates gear and sponsorships totaling $150,000 in cash and in-kind donations annually for around 50 community organizations. It also fundraises through a program known as The Good Lab, which donates proceeds from sold Flylow products to its nonprofit partners, which include Big City Mountaineers, Protect Our Winters, High Fives, and others.
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