April offers outdoor brands the opportunity to extend their reach in sustainable initiatives— whether it’s innovative product launches, recycling programs, or donation matching, our brand partners are doing awesome things, and we love sharing about them this time of year. Below are just a few we came across. Add more in the comments section below to help spread the word!
1. Allbirds x Amazon Watch
In honor of Earth Day and their sustainability commitments, Allbirds is matching all donations up to $50,000 through April 30 in support of the vital work of Indigenous peoples protecting the Amazon and our global climate. Covering nearly half of the South American continent, the Amazon rainforest absorbs and stores vast amounts of carbon, helps regulate the global climate, produces rain, and drives weather systems. Allbirds’ April call to action is a reflection of the brand’s investment in human rights, corporate accountability, and the preservation of the Amazon’s ecological systems, which is also evident in their footwear line made with renewable materials.
2. Smartwool’s Second Cut Project
Back again for April, old socks find new life through Smartwool’s partnership with Material Return, a leader in transforming textile waste into new products through custom circularity. EMS is proud to partner on this again this year as a participating retailer— Find an EMS location near you and drop off any clean, unwanted socks (of any brand) to help lessen material waste (or send back via their mail-in program).
3. Oboz Celebrates 5 Million Trees
To celebrate their milestone of planting 5 million trees, Oboz is offering a sale across footwear (new Katabatic styles excluded) in an aim to plant 5 million more (enjoy this promo through April 23rd). The Oboz ethos is simple and powerful: they plant a tree for every pair sold. Through their One More Tree program, they partner with Trees for the Future to help reduce pollution, reforest logged land, and improve the lives of farmers and families.
4. Erem’s Cactus Pear Program
Erem’s Cactus Pear Program is a continuous initiative committing product proceeds to plant these carbon-capturing, water-saving plants (Cactus Pear sequester 400 lbs of CO2 per cactus, per year— One million of these will remove the carbon equivalent of 40,000 cars from the road every year). Plus, their boot materials are biocircular, meaning Erem will take back end of life products to be re-streamed or returned to nature, giving you peace of mind— and credit towards your next purchase.
5. Hydro Flask’s Trade-In Rollout
Hydro Flask’s recently launched a first-of-its-kind stainless steel bottle Trade-In and recycling program, specifically designed to ensure your old products are recycled efficiently and properly. Get environmental cred and $5.00 toward your next purchase. Another cool initiative they started in the fall is their #RefillforGood program aimed at eliminating single-use plastic bottles from college campuses. You can join the challenge by heading to Tap.
6. EMS x Cotopaxi ADK Teca
We’re big fans of Cotopaxi and the Adirondack Mountain Club, so this partnership seemed fitting for a give-back opportunity— but it won’t be here for long. This limited edition run was re-released early this Spring and once it’s gone, it’s gone. With a topographic map of the Adirondack High Peaks and an EMS colorway featuring recycled taffeta, this windbreaker will help fund critical trail work and conservation efforts in the Adirondacks with 20% of proceeds going to ADK.
If you’re curious about more eco-friendly EMS products, check out this article on our Softspun collection using REPREVE, learn more about our projects with TerraCycle, and stay tuned for some big sustainability news coming to your inbox soon.
