Responsible Materials in Outdoor Gear, Explained

Table of contents

Responsible Materials & Certifications

Textile Exchange

Brands Leading the Way

Finding Gear Made with Responsible Materials

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While many technical fabrics used in outdoor gear are synthetic, a significant portion are made from natural materials. High-performing examples include insulating down, moisture-wicking wool, and durable leather, but, while these natural materials aren’t derived from fossil fuels, they have environmental and ethical implications of their own. The textile industry is responsible for 6-10% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions, as well as massive amounts of water consumption and significant waste ranging from chemicals to microplastics. Some production methods for natural materials like leather, down, cotton, and wool are more sustainable than others. For that reason, an increasing number of brands are using what we call “responsible materials” in their gear. These materials are certified to strict environmental and ethical standards to decrease their impact. Here's how outdoor gear brands can ethically and sustainably source natural materials, what their certifications are, and where you’ll find them.

Types of Responsible Materials and Certifications

Down is typically used in outdoor gear such as jackets and sleeping bags because of its impressive warmth-to-weight ratio and compressibility. It’s sourced from the soft chest and belly plumage of waterfowl—primarily ducks and geese. There are three ways down is gathered from an animal: post-mortem (when the feathers are collected after the bird has been killed for meat), live-plucking (in which the bird is restrained and its feathers are pulled out), and gathering (brushing or combing a bird to remove feathers that are naturally ready to fall out). According to the International Down and Feather Bureau (IDFB), more than 70% of the global down supply comes from China and is harvested from birds killed for meat.

While synthetic insulation offers an alternative to down, natural down has a significantly lower environmental impact than polyester fill. A life cycle assessment commissioned by the IDFB found that most of the environmental impact of down production comes from the energy used at feather-processing facilities. Detergents used in the process can also have a significant impact on ecosystems. Other concerns with down production relate to animal welfare standards, the primary issue that third-party certifications address.

Several third-party certifications can help you discern whether the down used in a piece of gear has been ethically and sustainably sourced. The two you’re most likely to encounter are the Responsible Down Standard (RDS) and the Global Traceable Down Standard. The RDS is a voluntary standard administered by the Textile Exchange to incentivize more humane treatment of ducks and geese. This certification indicates that down and feathers come from animals that have not been subjected to excessive harm. The RDS also ensures traceability along the supply chain, from farm to slaughterhouse to seller. Given that environmental sustainability is not a major concern within the down industry, RDS requirements primarily address animal welfare concerns like force-feeding and live-plucking. While the RDS is the most-used certification, the Global Traceable Down Standard is also relatively common. Developed by the National Sanitation Foundation International, it primarily focuses on animal welfare, cracking down on practices such as force-feeding, live-plucking, and molt harvesting.

Leather comes from the skin of animals. Processing consists of five main steps: cleaning, tanning, re-tanning, milling, and finishing. Almost all of the skins used to create leather are a byproduct of the food industry and come from animals raised for meat. Leather is prized in the textile industry because it is a strong, durable material. You can find it in ski gloves, mittens, hiking shoes, and boots.

Leather production can be environmentally detrimental in a number of ways. Cattle raised for consumption are a major source of methane emissions, and the industry is notorious for land degradation. Aside from how the animal is raised, the chemical and mechanical processes to turn hide into leather can also damage the environment. There are many responsible leather certifications to address these impacts, including the Leather Working Group, Sustainable Leather Foundation, Oeko-Tex Leather Standard, and Institute of Quality Certification for the Leather Sector.

The Leather Working Group (LWG) sets four standards that apply to different levels of the leather supply chain: the leather manufacturer standard, the leather trader standard, the commissioning manufacturer standard, and the subcontractor standard. The leather manufacturer standard, launched in 2005, assesses the environmental performance and compliance of leather manufacturing facilities regarding water and energy use, waste and chemical management, air and noise emissions, and more. The LWG certifies leather suppliers to ratings called Bronze, Silver, and Gold, depending on their performance toward these metrics. In the outdoor industry, LWG is the most common certification for responsible leather products (unsurprising, as the group certifies around 30% of leather produced worldwide).

The Sustainable Leather Foundation aims to enable global improvement and education around sustainable practices in the leather industry. It offers an audit certification program that assesses leather and product manufacturers, traders and processors, and chemical companies against environmental, social, and governance standards. The organization also offers a Transparency Dashboard tool displaying real-time progress.

Oeko-Tex offers many certification standards for the textile industry, including the Leather Standard. The Oeko-Tex Leather Standard certifies a product as harmless to human health and ensures compliance with international material regulations. Unlike other certifications, such as LWG standards, Oeko-Tex tests the finished product for harmful chemicals but does not certify the entire supply chain. For this reason, an Oeko-Tex Leather Standard certification does not guarantee that leather was produced sustainably.

Lastly, the Institute of Quality Certification for the Leather Sector (ICEC) is based in Milan, Italy, and offers certifications ranging from quality management systems to environmental sustainability. It certifies the environmental management systems of tanneries, leather manufacturers, and sub-contractors. It also offers an eco-leather certification that assesses leather throughout its production process.

The most common animal material used in the textile industry is sheep wool. Wool is produced by shearing sheep and then cleaning, spinning, and dying the material into yarn or fabric. Some sheep breeds, such as Merino, are raised for wool production, while others are raised for meat but also get sheared. Wool is a breathable, insulating, and thermo-regulating material. In outdoor clothing, it is most common in base layers and socks but is increasingly used in sun hoodies, tee-shirts, leggings, and more.

Like cows, sheep release methane, which contributes to climate change. (That said, methane released by sheep is a less significant greenhouse gas contributor than that from cattle.) While emissions are part of the picture, the primary concerns regarding wool’s sustainability are related to animal welfare and land management. Responsible wool certifications used to address these issues include the Responsible Wool Standard, Nativa Protocol, ZQ Certification, and the Australian Wool Sustainability Scheme.

Shoulder of Icebreaker Merino 200 Oasis LS Crewe Thermal Base Layer Top

The Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), created by the Textile Exchange, focuses on improving the welfare of sheep and the land they graze on. It is among the most common certifications for responsible wool products in the outdoor industry. The RWS applies to all levels of the wool supply chain and evaluates producers against animal welfare, land management, and social requirements. Land management standards address protecting soil health, biodiversity, and native species in the wool production process.

The ZQ Grower Standard is another common wool certification program used by outdoor brands. To get certified, ZQ farms and partners are audited every three years by a third-party body to ensure producers are growing wool ethically and sustainably. Standards address animal welfare concerns like chemical use and sheep handling and environmental health issues like water quality and biodiversity. ZQ wool comes from farms primarily in New Zealand but also from Australia, Argentina, and South Africa and is only available through the New Zealand Merino Company.

Less common responsible wool certification programs include the Nativa Protocol and the Australian Wool Sustainability Scheme. Similar to the RWS, the Nativa Protocol certifies each step of the supply chain from farmers to brands to standards for animal welfare, land management, the environment, and corporate social responsibility. It also sets standards governing soil quality and animal welfare, among others. The Australian Wool Sustainability Scheme (AWSS) operates exclusively within the Australian wool industry and offers SustainaWool or ResponsiWool certifications. Both of these certifications require compliance with sustainability standards.

Cotton is perhaps the most widely used material in the textile industry, though it is less common in the outdoor industry. This strong, breathable natural fiber makes up about half of all textiles worldwide, so the material is worth discussing. Processing cotton from the raw material into fabric takes several steps, including ginning, cleaning, spinning, weaving, dying, and printing. In outdoor apparel, cotton can be found in products such as T-shirts, hoodies, and workwear.

Conventional methods of cotton production can be resource and chemical-intensive. Pesticides and synthetic fertilizers used to grow the crop are also harmful to the environment. To decrease these impacts, many outdoor brands have shifted toward sourcing organic, regenerative, and recycled cotton. Many of these brands source cotton certified by programs like the Organic Content Standard, Global Organic Textile Standard, and Regenerative Certified Organic Cotton.

The Organic Content Standard (OCS) is a Textile Exchange certification that ensures that a material has been organically grown. Cotton with this certification comes from certified organic farms. The Global Organic Textile Standard is a quality assurance system for the entire supply chain, covering both processing and trade. Like the OCS, it applies to all organic fibers, including cotton. The Regenerative Organic Alliance certifies both producers and companies as Regenerative Organic Certified. It’s the certification used for Patagonia’s “Cotton for Change” collection.

The Textile Exchange

The Textile Exchange plays an important role in certifying responsible materials. A global non-profit, the Textile Exchange works to mitigate the textile and apparel industry's harmful impacts on climate and nature. Founded in 2002, the Textile Exchange focuses on how resources used in the apparel industry are farmed, sourced, and extracted to ensure sustainable practices. This production level, known as Tier 4 within the supply chain, is responsible for more than 24% of the industry’s carbon footprint. The organization set the ambitious goal to reduce the emissions produced by these processes by 45% by 2030.

The Textile Exchange currently has eight material standards, ranging from the Global Recycled Standard to the Responsible Alpaca Standard. It offers supply chain, farm, and brand and retailer certification. The organization is piloting a system called the “Materials Matter Standard,” which will encompass all eight of the Textile Exchange’s current standards in one unified approach. It expects to publish a final version of this standard in mid-2025.

Brands Leading the Way in Responsible Materials

Many major outdoor brands, including Patagonia, Arc’teryx, REI, Stio, Rab, Outdoor Research, Norrona, Mountain Hardwear, Mammut, and Cotopaxi, source 100% Responsible Down Standard-certified down. Patagonia began sourcing responsible down in 2010 when an animal rights organization accused Patagonia of using down from live-plucked and force-fed birds, causing the brand to reckon with the ethical implications of its supply chain. Patagonia developed an internal standard for down sourcing, working with third-party auditors, farms, and slaughterhouses to ensure animal welfare. During this time, Patagonia pushed the Textile Exchange to impose stricter requirements on the RDS. The standard became more robust, and in 2022, Patagonia began sourcing 100% RDS down.

Looking for a jacket made with responsible down? The Fitz Roy Down Hoody from Patagonia uses 100% RDS down. The Arc’teryx Cerium Hoody and the REI Co-op Magma 850 are other examples of jackets made with certified down.

Mountain Equipment Earthrise down jacket interior lining

Responsible leather is most commonly found in boots, shoes, gloves, and mittens. Most of these leather products are certified to Leather Working Group Standards. For example, 100% of the leather Rab uses is certified by the LWG and is a byproduct from animals bred for meat production. Hestra uses around 70% LWG Gold-certified leather in its gloves and mittens. On the shoe front, Merrell, Hoka, and Keen incorporate responsible leather in some products.

The Merrell Moab 3 Mid, Hoka Anacapa 2 Mid GTX, and Keen Targhee IV hiking shoes and boots are made with responsible leather. In the ski gloves and mittens category, the Stio Hardscabble Mitt and Hestra Heli Glove meet our criteria for responsible leather.

Standing on a rock in the Hoka Anacapa 2 Mid hiking boot

Responsible wool is most common in baselayers, socks, and undergarments. Smartwool primarily certifies wool using the ZQ Grower Standard or Responsible Wool Standard, but it does not specify which certification applies to individual products. The brand works with these programs to ensure that sheep are provided adequate shelter and are free from thirst, hunger, disease, and unnecessary pain. Icebreaker sources approximately half of its wool from growers using the ZQrx program, ensuring that wool is produced according to regenerative agriculture standards. These standards focus on soil health, biodiversity, water quality, and carbon sequestration.

Better Trail has reviewed several Smartwool base layers made with sustainably sourced wool, including the Classic Thermal and Classic All-Season. The Icebreaker Merino 200 Oasis and Ortovox 185 Merino Rock’n’wool also feature materials certified to the RWS.

As mentioned above, cotton is less prevalent in the outdoor industry than in the broader textile industry but still constitutes a fair share of fabric used in outdoor apparel. Patagonia is a leader in responsible cotton, making products such as the Cotton Tee and Ahnya Pullover with organic and Regenerative Organic Certified cotton.

Finding Gear Made with Responsible Materials

The best way to know if the gear you’re buying uses responsible materials is to check the product tags and labels. A product’s website usually mentions relevant certifications in the product description. Look for the third-party certifications for responsible materials mentioned above whenever materials like down, leather, wool, or cotton are incorporated into your gear.

Some brands have their own in-house standards for animal welfare, which, of course, is a good first step, but we prefer to see third-party certification of materials to ensure that high standards for sustainability and welfare are being met. For example, Black Diamond does not source wool from sheep that have been mulesed—a painful surgical procedure that involves removing skin from around the tail of a sheep to prevent infection. While ensuring that all wool is non-mulesed is important, sourcing materials certified to the Responsible Wool Standard both improves animal welfare and the sustainability of the land the sheep live on. Third-party certification systems also enforce standards, providing buyers with better assurance that the claims surrounding the products they buy are vetted.

To find gear made with responsible materials, use Better Trail’s sustainability hub to filter products by “Responsible Leather,” “Responsible Wool,” or “Responsible Down.”