About Our Sustainability Ratings
Nov 20, 2024
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 is perhaps the most effective way to reduce environmental impact—the longer it lasts, the less it needs to be produced. Our proprietary longevity rating evaluates overall build quality based on factors such as materials, fabric denier, component durability (including zippers and toggles), real-world performance as reported by our field testers, and our experiences with the brand.
PFAS-Free DWR
This product’s DWR (Durable Water Repellent) finish is made without per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These synthetic compounds are known as "forever chemicals” because they take an extremely long time to degrade, if at all. PFAS can eventually end up in everything from soil to drinking water and have been linked to a range of health issues.
Recycled Materials
This product is made partly or entirely from recycled materials, the most common being nylon, polyester, wool, and down. Some products include a single recycled component or partially recycled fabric, while others are 100% recycled (generally excluding accessories like zippers, Velcro, toggles, etc). Look for these details in our product sustainability report linked below.
Bluesign Approved
Bluesign Technologies, based in Switzerland, operates a third-party textile certification system that ensures materials are manufactured to strict environmental, chemical, and worker safety standards. A Bluesign-approved material indicates that it has undergone a rigorous vetting process based on the criteria above. A Bluesign Product goes the next mile, containing at least 90% Bluesign-approved fabrics and at least 30% Bluesign-approved accessories.
Responsible Manufacturing
This criterion evaluates this brand's commitment to fair wages, safe working conditions, and reducing its environmental impact throughout the production process. Responsible manufacturing is most commonly demonstrated through certifications and membership in programs such as Fair Trade Certified, Fair Wear Foundation, Worldwide Responsible Accreditation of Production, and the Fair Labor Association. We also recognize brands that prioritize local production, such as those that manufacture primarily in the United States or Europe, to reduce carbon emissions, maintain better oversight of working conditions, and comply with strict social and environmental regulations.
Recycled and/or Reduced Packaging
This brand uses recycled packaging and/or is making efforts to reduce packaging altogether. For example, it may use a certain percentage of recycled cardboard or make efforts to use less plastic across its packaging operation. In some cases, brands also use Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper products, which helps to ensure sustainable sourcing of forest materials.
Repair Services
This brand offers repair services, which can extend this product's lifespan and reduce overall consumption. Some brands offer comprehensive repair programs that can fix a wide range of issues, while others have more limited capabilities. If a brand's warranty policy only covers replacement, rather than repair, these programs usually do not meet this criterion.
Resale and/or Recycling Services
This brand has a resale and/or recycling program, which helps keep gear in circulation for longer and out of landfills. The most common form is a trade-in program, where consumers can exchange items for store credit, which is then resold. Some brands accept products back for recycling at the end of their life, thereby reducing waste. Occasionally, some do both.
Carbon Footprint Tracking
This criterion evaluates whether this brand measures its greenhouse gas emissions, along with its commitment to reduction and transparency in reporting. Typically, we require brands to follow established frameworks such as the Higg Index, Greenhouse Gas Protocol, or The Change Climate Project. Generally, companies use the widely recognized scope categorization system for measuring brand emissions.
Annual Impact Report
This brand produces and publishes an annual impact report for public consumption, tracking its environmental footprint and sustainability efforts. These reports vary in form but generally cover topics such as material sourcing, greenhouse gas and emissions tracking, waste and water usage, supply chain analysis, and packaging efforts. An impact report is an important step toward transparency and accountability on the sustainability front.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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