MAKE GEAR LAST!

Reduce! Repair! Reuse! Recycle! Rethink!

This is an open directory so everybody can benefit from collective knowledge to implement a more environmentally friendly practice. If you have some knowledge, tipos or informations that can complete this list, please share it with all.

All the products we purcharge have a carbon footprint (PCA) from the extraction of the raw materials, the production process and its transport to shops and finally to us. To reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of our equipment we should think in all the steps of its lifecycle. Companies can and should make greener products but it is also the responsibility of the consumer to reduce the footprint of the product. The longer is the lifecycle of a product, the less its footprint. Repairing and reusing (sharing or giving away) is key for that. And when a product is no longer usable how to dispose it will make a difference to, if we can recycle all its elements we ensure that its materials can be reused for the production of new products, lowering the impact of extraction of raw materials, and avoiding pollutants to get to nature. 

First steps are to rethink what we really need, to reduce to the necessary and to refuse what it isn’t. And of the equipment we have to make its life cycle the longest possible by repairing it, repurposing it and finally recycling it.

WHAT’S YOUR GEAR LIFE CYCLE?

1) REPAIR!

Repairing and taking care of our gear is the first thing we can do to make it last longer.

AT HOME:

You can repair most of your gear and apparel home, here some sites with tips to make your gear look like new again:

SEND TO REPAIR:

For shoes, repairing sometimes can be complicated, timewise, because we don’t have the competences or the reparation pieces to do it. No problem! It is many companies and stores that will do it for you:

For climbing shoes, if the sole is done you can retread /resole. It is economic and grip as a new shoe. Look online or ask in your sports shop where you can do-it, sure it is a place near you!

For mountaineering and ski boots you can go to a shoemaker, they will have different choices of soles to replace and make it look new.

For apparel and gear it is many reparing specialists around the globe that will make your gear look like new:

EUROPE:

France: 

Spain:

GERMANY: 

Netherlands and Germany:

UK:

AMERICA:

USA:

OCEANIA:

AUSTRALIA:

2) RECYCLE or DONATE!

Skis: 

Shoes & Apparel:

Other gear and waste:

You can look if in your village or city you have some apparel specific disposal containers or in the nearest recycling center. You can find where to disposal specific products for its recycling at: 

  • http://giftyourgear.com
  • https://www.gearforward.org
  • http://www.wrap.org.uk (UK)
  • https://refashion.fr/citoyen/fr/je-dépose (FRANCE)
  • https://refashion.fr/citoyen/fr (FRANCE)
  • www.fachverband-textil-recycling (GERMANY)
  • www.abfallshop.de (GERMANY)
  • www.fairwertung.de/ (GERMANY)
  • Donate to your favourite charity shop/clothing recycling bin.
  • Use the recycling services your local council provides.
  • all clothing and gear, regardless of condition, can be donated to a charity shop/ textile recycler. In the UK 45% of the donations are good enough to be immediately re-sold. Some charities will also ship to nations in need (for instance after a natural disaster), or give to the needy right on your doorstep (like the homeless).
  • Gear which is too worn out for sale is salvaged by the charity and sold to private enterprise recyclers: either by being broken back into raw materials (hence the recycled fleeces); or being reused (like leather patches in buckle fittings). Recycling wool, cotton and other fibres saves raw materials, energy and water resources. Using recycled cotton saves 75% of the energy and 80% of the water usage vs. new fibre.
  • Even clothes that are not suitable for the above are used. They can be stripped down and used for things like insulation for the manufacturing industry, or rags for cleaning.

3) REPURPOSE / UPCYCLE!!

Repurposing or upcycling is  to reuse your gear for a different purpose  from what it was designed for. You can make furniture with skis, hammok with old ropes, wallets with uphill skins. Get inspired and do it yourself:

You can also send to this places who repurpose it:

DO YOU KNOW MORE? LET EVERYONE KNOW!

Thanks!