Packaging in Outdoor Gear, Explained
A deep dive on reduced and recycled packaging—and which brands are decreasing their impact through sustainable alternatives
Updated:
Apr 08, 2025Updated:
Apr 08, 2025Table of contents
Before we discuss solutions, we need to talk about the root of the outdoor industry’s packaging dilemma. Beyond its aesthetic purposes, the primary function of packaging is to protect a product on its journey from manufacturer to consumer. If a product is rendered unusable due to damage in transit, it doesn’t matter how sustainably it was made—it ends up in the landfill. The Sustainable Packaging Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping brands improve packaging strategies, sums the issue up well: “When a product is damaged or spoiled before it can be used, all of the energy and materials used to produce the product are also wasted.” It’s a double-edged sword; packaging is waste, but it also plays a vital role in waste reduction.
Plastic, cardboard, and paper are the typical packaging culprits in outdoor gear, and these materials usually come from unrenewable resources, such as petroleum and unsustainably harvested wood products. Plastic packaging is a serious problem because it is made from fossil fuels, is often single-use, and can break down into microplastics. Paper-based packaging materials from unsustainably managed forests drive deforestation, which accounts for 10% of annual global carbon dioxide emissions and consequential biodiversity loss. While 97% of paper-based packaging—such as corrugated boxes—is recycled, only 13% of plastic is, meaning that most plastic in the U.S. is destined for the landfill.
Reduced packaging minimizes the amount of material used to protect products. This can be achieved by eliminating or downsizing poly bags, swapping hefty plastic molds for paper wraps, or downsizing shipping boxes. Some brands also cut back on fill materials or use solutions such as roll-packing to limit waste. For our sustainability ratings, Better Trail staff scores brands based on how substantial their reductions are. For example, a brand that only shrinks hang tags will score lower than one that reduces box size, eliminates poly bags, and cuts down on fill materials.
Why it Matters: The best way to make packaging more sustainable is to use less of it. Case in point: In 2014, Patagonia found that if it folded products into smaller shapes, it could decrease the size of plastic poly bags, reducing plastic packaging use by 50% per product. Rab did the same in 2021, reducing poly bag size by 70%.
Recycled packaging means that packaging materials incorporate recycled content. This doesn’t guarantee 100% recycled content, though some brands have achieved that benchmark. While some brands use almost entirely recycled materials, others include them only in select components. To score well in our criteria, recycled materials must make up a significant portion of a brand’s total packaging—generally 70-100%, though this percentage could be less if the brand has made major packaging reductions. We assess which packaging materials contain recycled content and what percentage of the total packaging is recycled.
Why it Matters: Recycled packaging decreases dependence on virgin materials like petroleum and forest products, thus reducing a brand's environmental impact. When packaging is necessary, recycled materials are a more sustainable choice than virgin materials. That said, eliminating poly bags altogether is more sustainable than swapping virgin poly bags for recycled ones.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is a nonprofit body that certifies forestry operations to sustainable management guidelines. It offers three certifications for wood-based products, each with a distinct meaning; two meet our sustainable packaging criteria, while one does not. FSC-certified packaging may contain recycled content, but not always.
An FSC Recycled label means that the packaging is made from 100% recycled content. An FSC 100% label, on the other hand, indicates that materials are made from 100% FSC-certified, sustainably managed forests but contain no recycled content. This label does not meet our criteria unless used to make significant packaging reductions, as it does not incorporate recycled materials The FSC Mix label signifies a blend of materials from FSC-certified sources and recycled materials. Because brands often do not specify which FSC-certified packaging they use, FSC-certified is usually a bonus rather than a basis for meeting our sustainable packaging criteria.
Why it Matters: Paper-based packaging's biggest environmental impact is its contribution to deforestation. An FSC label ensures that packaging materials are made of wood from sustainably managed forests, recycled materials, or both. However, even when sourced sustainably, recycling existing materials is more sustainable than cutting down new trees for virgin fiber.
While recyclability is part of circularity, it’s important to remember that recyclable packaging is not equivalent to recycled packaging. Recycled packaging is made from partially or entirely recycled materials—that is, materials that have been used, broken down, and made into something new. Recyclable packaging, on the other hand, can be recycled. Whether recyclable packaging gets recycled is up to the user to access recycling infrastructure. While paper can be recycled in most municipalities, infrastructure for plastic recycling is not always available. Companies will often market their virgin (read: not recycled) packaging as recyclable to make it sound more sustainable than it is.
Outdoor brands such as Prana, Rab, Patagonia, and Nemo are making impressive headway in sustainable packaging. Many of these brands use a combined approach in their packaging sustainability programs, and we’re hoping the rest of the outdoor industry follows their lead.
Prana saved 20 million poly bags from being used between 2010 and 2020. While an increasing number of companies have swapped virgin poly bags for recycled ones, Prana went a step further in 2021 by eliminating plastic altogether. It did this by piloting a low-packaging “roll-pack” method to protect most of its products in transit, and, by 2018, over 80% of its products were packed with only a recyclable raffia tie instead of a poly bag. For especially delicate or easily stainable items, Prana supplements the roll-pack method with an FSC-certified paper bag and plans to move to recycled bags in the future.
In 2022, Prana eliminated the use of forest products from old-growth forests in its packaging, meaning that the FSC 100% is the lowest standard its packaging can meet, but recycled content is used wherever possible. It now relies on 100% recycled paper labels, shipping envelopes, and boxes, as well as recyclable (not recycled) paper tape to seal orders. Prana uses some FSC-certified paper in its paper poly bags replacements—used when roll-packing isn’t possible—but is working toward swapping these bags for recycled ones. While innovating its own reduced-impact packaging solutions, Prana launched the Responsible Packaging Movement, which provides packaging sustainability resources for over 150 member brands, including companies such as Burton, GSI Outdoor, and Mountain Hardwear.
Patagonia has taken steps to reduce its packaging, stating that "The best packaging is no packaging.” Additionally, Patagonia’s bags, boxes, and paper mailers are made with FSC-certified materials or recycled post-consumer waste. Additionally, its poly bags are made from 100% recycled materials certified to the Global Recycled Standard, which Patagonia collects at its warehouse to be recycled into recycled plastic decking material. Patagonia states that all its packaging is recyclable, though poly bags can only be recycled at select drop-off locations.
Even environmentally conscious companies like Patagonia have been criticized for their plastic packaging. Poly bags—the thin, polyethylene film bags used to protect garments in transit—are the number one target. In response, Patagonia conducted a study in 2014 to see if it could eliminate plastic poly bags from its supply chain. Patagonia concluded that if poly bags were eliminated, products would suffer—30% of the garments that went through its system without poly bags were “damaged beyond the point of being sellable.” In recent years, Patagonia has swapped virgin bags for Global Recycled Standard 100% recycled plastic poly bags. Many of the poly bags used in transit from global manufacturers to Patagonia’s warehouse are now collected and sent to be recycled into plastic decking material.
Rab has made impressive strides to improve the sustainability of its packaging. Between mid-2021 and 2024, Rab prevented 4.45 tons—the equivalent of 300,000 poly bags—from going to the landfill through reduction and recycling programs. First, the brand reduced its poly bag size by 70% through rolling and folding garments, ensuring that the minimum amount of plastic is used to protect each product. Rab’s poly bags are now made with 70% recycled plastic, and the brand began testing 100% recycled bags in 2024. It also collects poly bags from online orders at distribution centers in the U.S. and U.K. to recycle them into plastic pellets, which can be made into new bags. Additionally, Rab deliveries come in paper packaging whenever poly bags are not required for protection.
In 2021, Nemo partnered with its pole manufacturer, DAC, to eliminate 100,000 poly bags from its supply chain by swapping them for recycled, reusable bags. Additionally (as of the most recent data from 2023), the brand is working toward 100% recycled packaging and has thus far eliminated 87% of its virgin plastic use. Nemo is also working toward ensuring that there are end-of-life solutions (such as recycling) for all packaging materials. In 2023, Nemo established end-of-life solutions for 61% of its packaging materials.
Just like the well-known brands above, several small outdoor gear companies have taken notable steps toward overhauling their packaging sustainability. Tarptent, an ultralight tent brand, packages most of its products in just a box with a single paper instruction sheet. Durston, which also manufactures tents, has significantly minimized its packaging and uses recycled hang tags, boxes, and mailer envelopes. California-based Ridge Merino packages its products in recycled poly bags and mails all shipments in recycled paper mailers. Zpacks, another ultralight brand, often ships its products loose in the box and is working toward transitioning its shipping supplies toward recycled, recyclable, or compostable materials. We’re excited to see these small brands stepping up in a realm usually reserved for companies with larger footprints.
Making packaging more sustainable requires a combination of creative approaches and the overall environmental impact hinges on both the energy and resources used to produce packaging and the end-of-life solutions available to consumers. The Sustainable Packaging Coalition, which guides brands on reduced packaging design, use of recycled and renewable materials, and design for recyclability, acknowledges that there is no truly sustainable packaging. However, it states that “tradeoffs in the materials, format, and design of a package” can significantly affect its environmental impact.
Put simply, the most sustainable packaging is the most minimal packaging that sufficiently protects a product in transit. When packaging materials are essential, we think it’s best to make them from recycled materials rather than virgin ones to decrease reliance on petroleum and forest products. While many outdoor brands are making commendable progress toward packaging sustainability, further circularity initiatives and better recycling systems are essential to steering the industry toward more sustainable practices.
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