Sustainability - Definition- the capacity to endure. 

For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of responsibility, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of stewardship, the responsible management of resource use.  Sustainability is also one of the most popular buzzwords in the industy these days, companies are constantly looking for ways to use more sustainable materials and practices in manufacturing to reduce their ecological footprint.

Burton was ahead of this trend and has been introducing recycled materials into the product line since 2007 when it launched it’s Green Mountain Project. The name was inspired  by Vermont’s state nickname, the Green Mountain State, where Burton Snowboards is based.  For 2012 they took this project one step further by partnering with Mountain Dew to focus on improving sustainability in apparel and outerwear.  The two brands are working together to innovate the way outerwear and apparel are made, by creating sustainable fabrics out of recycled plastic bottles and implementing this fabric anywhere from outerwear to t-shirts.

The fabrication of the GMP outerwear collection starts as Mountain Dew pop bottles that are broken into pellets that are than spun into yarns and woven into fabric. Burton has also put an effort into using more natural fabrications such as Hemp as well as bluesign approved fabrications. What makes this even better is that the entire GMP collection  stands up to winter weather conditions with  anywhere from a 10,000 -15,000 MM waterproof rating and a 10,000 G breathable lamination rating achieved by utilizing eco friendly laminations and finishes that have less of an impact on the environment than traditional waterproofing. In addition, the trims, linings and insulations of all GMP products utilize as many recycled and low-impact materials as possible – even the shock cords, elastic, fleece pocket liners and labels contain recycled materials.

Now we all know we're not perfect...We travel, we drive, we consume but all the small changes we make daily definitely add up! Jake Burton puts it best:

 “Even though the environmental issues facing the planet today are overwhelming, doing nothing is not an option– especially when snowboarding, surfing and just being outside is your life, your passion and your business like it is for us. We’re not kidding ourselves – we know that Burton manufactures a ton of different products, we ship stuff, we travel on airplanes all over the world, we drive to work. We also know that there are big and little ways we can reduce our impact on the environment both at work and outside of work. We’re just getting started with initiatives like The Green Mountain Project, and we have a long way to go. But you have to start somewhere.”

Check out the a video on the GMP collection here:

http://ca.burton.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Burton_CA-Site/default/Pr...

Keep recycling and upcycling ;)

Bridget

xx