Rab and Lowe Alpine owner reveals next stage in transparency programme

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Jun 5, 2023

British outdoor company Equip Outdoor Technologies, owner of the Rab and Lowe Alpine brands, has announced the next stage in its Material Facts sustainability programme that it describes as a “pioneering open and honest” CSR communication platform.

Having developed almost 500 Material Facts tables for its AW23 Rab apparel and sleeping bag ranges, the company is calling on other brands to also provide consumers “with a clear and simple industry-wide standard for communicating sustainability credentials so they can make their own, educated choices”.

As the company’s Material Facts tables start to roll out to consumers this summer, Equip’s CEO Matt Gowar is challenging the industry to work together to create an industry standard.

Gowar said: “Brands are competing to find unique and compelling ways of communicating the term ‘sustainability’. This doesn’t work, confuses the consumer, can be misleading or risks greenwashing. 

“We developed Material Facts as a non-branded simple way to convey data to the end consumer. We are happy to share our work and methodology so that we can as an industry work together to an agreed standard. This allows us all to concentrate on improvements in our own operations that will have a greater overall impact, rather than figure out how to state where we are today.”

Gowar added that Equip is “happy to work with all industry partners to show them how they can quickly and easily convey the information that consumers want, and shortly we will be legally required to report on.”

Other brands and industry stakeholders, including the European Outdoor Group, have expressed their support in the development of Material Facts, he also said.

Equip said it will drive industry-wide engagement “to constantly improve Material Facts and to jointly create an industry standard that is a clear step forward in terms of aligned accurate, honest and transparent CSR communication”.