SUSTAINABILITY REPORT
Welcome to our first Annual Sustainability Report.
At its purest, Alpkit is a bunch of designers who share their love of the outdoors and playing outside. There was a time when we had a lot of free time. We worked, saved and got ourselves kitted out. These passing years taught us something, that we had the skills to create something new. So we set about building Alpkit as a business that we ourselves would want to work for: a vibrant, viable, sustainable brand for multi-sport adventure enthusiasts.
Our love of the outdoors also steers the way we do business. It’s in our nature to look after what’s important, whether that’s the environment, animals, suppliers, staff, community or our customers. We know we wouldn’t be here without you.
In 2019 we wrote down all our principles (in very small writing on a really big piece of paper) to explain our ideas to customers and staff. We did this knowing that we don’t know all the answers, that we’re not perfect and all our actions have consequences. And in the hope that, by choosing to do the right thing and aiming to do better each year, we are world-class in what we do.
David Hanney, CEOFor any queries or more information, drop a line to sustainability@alpkit.com
BUILDING A BETTER BUSINESS
We are investing in the UK and making sure we are responsible and fair in the way we set up our business.
WHAT WE’RE PROUD OF
1. 0% of waste from Alpkit HQ goes to landfill
2. 97% Use of renewable energy
3. Gender balance of senior management team: 50% female
4. Gender balance of whole workforce (excluding shareholders/directors): 44% female
5. 0.5% gender pay gap (excluding Board)
6. Highest to lowest pay ratio of less than 6
7. Updated our privacy policy and comply with GDPR
WHAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON
1. Gender balance of Share Ownership and Board: 0% female
2. 7% non-white British
THIS YEAR WE WILL
1. Take positive steps to encourage a more diverse workforce
2. Ensure every member of the team receives at least one week’s training on lifeskills and workskills
3. Move to Living Wage Foundation as our basic pay rate
4. Send zero waste to landfill from Alpkit stores
5. Move to B-Corp Certification
6. Introduce staff sustainability training
There’s loads more we do here - check out our sustainability policy at alpkit.com/sustainability
JOSH’S ALPKIT JOURNEY TO ACCOUNTANCY JEDI
I’m an Accounts Apprentice and started in October 2017 as my first proper job. I started doing book-keeping, then moved onto looking after management accounts and assisting senior members of the team. After just over two years I’m now training people on how to the job that I used to do when I first started!
Alpkit has paid for my formal training as well as what I’m doing on-the-job. I’m in college one day a week, training for my AAT qualification, which will be finished this year. The next step for me is to get the CIMA qualification, which will take three years and mean that I’ll be a qualified accountant, which is amazing.
I love working at Alpkit, it’s relaxed, positive and everyone here is supportive. It’s also been interesting to go on Adventure Training with the team, which totally took me out of my comfort zone! Hiking up hills, mountain-biking and running along trails in the dark learning about headtorches is very different to reconciliations and posting prepayments and accruals. Apparently the mountain biking was a beginners route but seriously, I could barely walk some bits, let alone ride them – great fun!
GIVING BACK
We’re committed to giving back to the communities that we’re lucky enough to be a part of, whether that’s the broad community of people who love the outside, people who need support or the local areas where we have our stores. Ultimately we want to help more people Go Nice Places Do Good Things.
WHAT WE’RE PROUD OF
1. £200,000 Alpkit Foundation donations and 575 awards
2. 1000 people at Alpkit’s Big Shakeoutour not-for-profit outdoor festival
3. Over 3000 people went on Alpkit courses and events - happy adventures!
4. Community events at stores every week, ranging from yoga nights and film nights to gear exchanges and talks
5. We work with local schools and colleges to provide industry experience
ALPKIT FOUNDATION: HELPING PEOPLE GO NICE PLACES DO GOOD THINGS
Spending time outdoors is good for the mind, body and soul. But generally people are spending less time outdoors. That is a problem we’re helping to tackle. 1% of Alpkit sales go to individuals and direct-action projects. From ti-spoons to titanium tandems, every penny adds up to a huge amount – more than £200,000 so far.
We support ordinary people doing extraordinary things to make the world a better place.We’re incredibly proud that the Foundation has now been involved in over 600 projects. That’s over 10,000 people that have directly benefited from the support that Alpkit customers have given through the Foundation.
THIS YEAR WE WILL
1. Alpkit Foundation will donate £80,000 to projects in the next 12 months
2. Biggest and best Big Shakeout ever
3. Introduce Staff Charity Giving Scheme
4. Get to know our local communities even better
It’s humbling to see the effect that these small steps can make to so many people. Our hope is that everyone gets the chance to Go Nice Places and Do Good Things just sometimes. The Foundation is a thank you from us to all our customers as we know we would not be here without you.
If you know of a deserving project or think you’re someone that only needs a bit of backing to make a big difference, it’s simple to apply, or donate. Just head to www.alpkit.com/foundation
OUR PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE
DESIGNING GEAR THAT LASTS FOR LONGER
Products are designed for durability so the product lasts longer, doesn’t use any more material than necessary and are constructed to reduce wear points.
SOURCING THE RIGHT MATERIALS
Sourced close to manufacturer. Sourced ethically. PFOA-free.
DEVELOPED IN WORLD CLASS FACTORIES
We visit our factories regularly and know our people really well. All our factories comply with Ethical Trading Initiative. UK-made products are made with pride at Alpkit HQ by our skilful workforce.
YEARS OF GO NICE PLACES DO GOOD THINGS
You and your lovely Alpkit gear will enjoy many, many incredible adventures together.
The Alpkit Foundation has been set up to look after outside spaces and encourage participation in outdoor activities.
YOU BECOME THE OWNER!
The moment of joy where you become the owner of a product we hope you’ll love for years and years.
TRANSPORTED TO YOU BY THE LOWEST-IMPACT FORMS OF TRANSPORT
80% of products are moved by boat from far east factories. 100% of products are moved to the Alpkit warehouse from our UK factory by human power!
REPAIR AND CARRY ON
When you’ve had a misadventure and your gear gets damaged, it doesn’t have to mean the end. Get it repaired, ready for more abuse!
We carried out 1,731 repairs in 2019!
PASS IT ON THROUGH CONTINUUM
And when you’re finally ready to say goodbye to your beloved Alpkit gear, we can find it a new home through the Continuum Project.
1.5 tonnes of gear was donated through Continuum in 2019. Thank You!
WE’RE IN THE PROCESS OF BUILDING A COMPLETELY CIRCULAR ECONOMY
WORKING WITH PEOPLE WE BELIEVE IN
We work with the best factories in the world mainly in China, Taiwan, Vietnam and the UK. Our most senior team (CEO, MD, Head of Design, Sonder Product Manager) regularly spend time at our factories and personally review conditions. We only work with factories who are as committed as we are to modern slavery across the entire supply chain.
WHAT WE’RE PROUD OF
1. All our factories sign up to the Ethical Trading Initiative Base Code
2. 100% of factories reviewed by Alpkit in the last 18 months
3. 100% of outsourced UK suppliers paid the living wage
THIS YEAR WE WILL
1. Establish a written code of conduct with our factories
2. Conduct an environmental review at all of our tier 1 factories
3. Develop a framework of more formal reviews of our significant suppliers
OUR TIER ONE FACTORIES
Who Alpkit HQ
What Bikepacking bags, packs, bouldering mats
Where Nottingham, UK
Who J Adams
What Waterproofs
Where Taipei, Taiwan
Who KC Manufacturing
What Legwear, Midlayers
Where Hong Kong, China
Who Taraniss
What Down, Midlayers
Where Xiamen, Fujian, China
Who Changzou Himalaya Outdoor Products
What Tents and Camping Equipment
Where Changzou, Jiangsu, China
Who Zhejiang Nature Travel Goods Co. Ltd.
What Sleeping Mats
Where Pingqiao Town, Zhejiang Province, China
Who Wellgreen Outdoor Limited
What Dry Bags and Back Packs
Where Minhou, Fuzhou, China
Who Firemaple
What Cookware
Where Weihai, Shandong, China
Who Kingcamp
What Sleeping Bags
Where Beijing, China
Who Shanghai Solarwool Apparel
What Merino
Where Shanghai, China
Who Artplus
What Sonder Bike Frames
Where Gongming Town, Shenzhen City, China
TREATING ANIMALS HUMANELY
Wherever we use animal products we do it as conscientiously as possible. There are three animal materials in our products: goose and duck down, merino wool and goatskin leather. We have a policy of sourcing these materials using the most humane methods available to us.
WHAT WE’RE PROUD OF
1. 100% Responsibly sourced down
2. 100% non-mulesed merino
3. 100% of leather has a functional use
4. 0% fur
5. 0% angora
6. 0% alpaca
THIS YEAR WE WILL
1. Investigate further leather alternatives
2. Continue to use non-mulesed merino and RDS down
3. Consider more animal-free alternatives where appropriate
4. Adopt a Responsible Wool Standard on all our wool, including merino
THREE QUESTIONS WE GET ASKED ABOUT ANIMAL PRODUCTS ANSWERED BY RONNIE (HEAD OF DESIGN)
Why use animal products?
Natural products have performance characteristics that synthetic products can’t yet match. Wool is a miracle natural fibre – it can absorb almost its weight in water before you start feeling cold. There’s no better insulator better than down for warmth to weight ratio. Leather is super hard-wearing – it’s famous for durability and dexterity.
Isn’t using synthetic better for the planet?
Depends on your perspective. For someone who doesn’t want to use animal products, synthetics are a great choice. For someone who wants to reduce their carbon footprint, animal products can be much better than synthetic. Our belief is that, if you’re going to buy something, choose something you’ll use for years and years.
How do you make sure animal products are responsibly sourced?
We take animal welfare very seriously. We only use down certified by the Responsible Down Standard, which means that birds aren’t force-fed, live-lucked and that their welfare is respected throughout their lives. We only use non-mulesed merino and in fact we’re investigating ways to improve standards throughout our wool supply chain by implementing the Responsible Wool Standard.
RESPECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT
We know that some materials, processes and chemicals used in our products and production processes are harmful to the environment – when you think about it, most outdoor gear is made from plastic or made from things that are dug up from the ground (we’re talking metals, not potatoes!). We seek to minimise that harm without compromise to performance or quality.
WHAT WE’RE PROUD OF
1. 100% PFOA-free
2. 82% of our clothing range is PFC-free
3. 89% organic/BCI cotton
4. 15 clothing lines made with recycled content
5. 90% recycled content in packaging
6. 100% BFR-free flame retardants
7. Less than 20% air freight
8. Founder members of the Single Use Plastic Project and Microfibre Consortium
PFOA-Free - The waterproofs that we all wore throughout the 1980’s to 2010’s were treated with perfluorooctanoic acid(commonlyknownasPFOA) tohelp rainwater bead away in bad weather rather than wet out. These compounds are now known to be harmful and have been found to build up in the environment, human body and Polar Bears. We stopped using PFOA in 2016.
THIS YEAR WE WILL
1. 100% PFC-free DWRs
2. Reduce air freight to 10%
3. Review chemical usage in our production process
4. Conduct life-cycle reviews of some key products
5. Calculate our complete UK carbon footprint
6. Move to 100% recyclable or compostable packaging
7. Move to 100% organic/BCI cotton
Double the number of products made with
PFC-Free - Modern waterproofs are treated with poly-flourinated chemicals rather than PFOA to help water bead away in bad weather rather than wet out. Whilst these breakdown quicker than PFOA they still cause damage. Alpkit is one of the few brands moving to completing PFC-free high performance waterproofs in 2020.
BFR-Free - Many tents are treated with flame retardents so they don’t burn as quickly in the event of fire. However research shows these chemicals are toxic and tents are safer for you without them.
BCI Cotton - The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) is a global organisation which encourages sustainable cotton farming through training, reducing environmental impact and poor work practices. (And it still feels super soft.)
toxic
REDUCE REPAIR REUSE RECYCLE
Our design ethos is to make gear you’ll love for longer – gear you’ll come back to year after year. Every Alpkit product has a specific purpose, which means there’s limited cross-over in our range and ultimately fewer garments in your wardrobe. And to make sure we’re making the best products, our design team actively listens to customers, gets feedback and reads every one of our customer reviews. We’ve offered repairs since we started and in 2017 we launched the Continuum Project, which finds old kit a new home, irrespective of brand.
WHAT WE’RE PROUD OF
1. 1731 repairs carried out last year
2. 1.5 tonnes of gear donated through The Continuum Project
3. 7% products made from recycled content
THIS YEAR WE WILL
1. Increase the percentage of our products made from recycled content
2. Reduce waste tonnage
3. Work with other industry bodies to share knowledge and promote a circular economy
CONTINUUM PROJECT IN ACTION
“Birmingham City Mission is amazing. They run a care centre every Tuesday where people in need can drop in for food, clothing and even a warm bed for the night. The range of people they help is huge – some are homeless, some are victims of domestic abuse and others are people suffering with mental health problems. Amongst the most frequently requested items are sleeping bags and outdoor clothing so it’s a real privilege to be able to support Birmingham City Mission by providing gear donated by our customers. It’s truly wonderful to think that the actions of our customers really are helping people through difficult times in their lives”
Elly Cundill, Customer Support Hero