We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment - in both small and large scale circumstances - not only with the products we design and manufacture, but also with the way in which we operate as a business. In all that we do, we endeavour to be More Sustainable. We regularly reflect on our past, perhaps ‘Less Sustainable’, products and efforts as a motivator for new ideas and products, and our aim is to be More Sustainable than we have been previously.

Even though we strive to be More Sustainable, we do acknowledge the undeniable fact that the manufacturing of all products within our industry is an activity that is derived from crude oil at its inception. There are limitations currently to what meaningful, sustainable efforts can be employed also. Whilst all parties in the outdoor industry that are involved in the manufacturing of goods strive to improve all aspects of their industries - such as; raw material sourcing, working practices and manufacturing methods - the inherent consumerism model we all live with can never truly align with being sustainable.

At our most brutally honest, we could say that the best way for a manufacturer like us to become More Sustainable would be to not produce items at all, as ultimately these items, once having been used, will at some point either no longer be required, will break, be replaced, updated or thrown away. The philosophy of ‘buy less, use for longer’ - is something we strongly believe in. This directly influences our decisions when bringing a product to market. We’ve broken down key areas of where we can become More Sustainable below:

Fabric & Components

When specifying the details of our technical garments, we endeavour, where possible to source fabrics that are made using recycled yarns. Dependent on the need of the fabric, there is a mix in our catalogue of recycled nylon and recycled polyester yarn constructed fabrics.

Nylon based recycled yarns are a by-product of industrial waste. These are materials that have not been used ( for example, waste yarn from carpet manufacture ), this particular raw material source has a reduced carbon footprint compared to the manufacturing of virgin ( made-specifically ) nylon materials. Recycled post industrial nylon performs identically to virgin yarn.

Polyester ( made from PET - polyethylene ) based recycled yarns, are a post- consumer based material. These materials have already been in existence for a purpose ( for example a plastic drinks bottle) and also have a lower carbon footprint compared to the manufacturing virgin polyester. It also has the benefit of repurposing a material that would otherwise be considered waste.

The durability of the fabric once it is woven, laminated and coated, is a consideration when employing sustainably focused materials. Recycled polyester yarns tend to fade and wear quicker than nylon materials. Now, the dilemma?... What is More Sustainable - to have a garment last twice as long but have a larger environmental impact in its creation, or to have a product that repurposes materials that would otherwise be waste, which could result in it being replaced twice as soon?

The outer face on all our technical garment fabrics has a coating called DWR - durable water repellent. Traditionally, these DWR coatings often contained perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), that would repel dirt, oil and other contaminants, however they also had long lasting, harmful effects on the environment in their manufacture. Now, these DWR coatings are 100% PFC free, a great sustainability improvement.

Where appropriate we have specified our garments to be fitted with YKK recycled coil zips. The tape and teeth of the YKK zips are manufactured using post consumer based materials such as PET bottles. Neoprene components used on our touring and whitewater jackets, suits and legwear are constructed using Bioprene, a neoprene manufactured from natural and renewable resources such as bio oil, derived from sugar cane and oyster shell powder that is a waste product of the shell fish industry. The top and bottom face nylon fabrics of our Bioprene seals contain recycled yarns. Our EZ and WW spraydecks are constructed from neoprene that contains a recycled element from used car tyres within the foam. The lining fabrics of both models contain recycled yarns. Our Surplus Mitts are made from neoprene spraydeck waste destined for landfill.

Over 80% of our jackets, 100% of our One Piece Suits, 100% of our legwear and 100% of our base layers in our range are constructed using fabric that contain recycled yarns, feature PFC-free DWR coatings, recycled zips and Bioprene seals.

Durability

Durability is key to becoming More Sustainable. The longer an item lasts , the more sustainable it is. We employ this ethos throughout our range of paddlesports equipment although we are still carefully selective in the types of the fabrics used for the specific environment a garment is intended for. For example, we’ll select a less hard wearing polyester made from recycled yarns for our lightweight Tourlite range, instead of using it for a heavy weight WW jacket like the Deluxe X4, which features a harder wearing nylon version instead.

We are conscious in the design stage on all our garments, not just the highly technical items, that the construction is appropriate to lead to long lasting durability. The placement of seams, the use of more durable fabrics in high wear areas, the angle and position of zip pockets, where buckles might sit once a PFD is in use, are all examples of considerations we have at the concept and design stage.

Testing the durability of a fabric is a traditionally difficult thing to undertake. Seasonal business demands and production lead-times don’t always allow for long term in-the-field product / component based testing, so we’ve invested in our own longevity testing equipment. We carry out multiple wash tests, hydrostatic ( waterproof ) head tests, and literally thousands of flex and abrasion tests. Our fully programmable flex and abrasion tester now allows us to subject materials to unparalleled levels of wear and tear in a few hours, that would have once taken years to achieve. From this we can perform like-for-like tests, and thoroughly evaluate material performances in a controlled manner.

Repair & Reuse

Equipment designed for our adventurous, outdoor world can be tough on the materials and components that make the garments so functional. Components such as latex seals and zips are fragile items and can be torn or broken easily. We’ve designed components such as these to be as easily replaceable as possible and to be undertaken at a fair price, so that the garment can continue to be useful for many more years to come.

We have a dedicated facility in our UK premises that services all Peak PS garments; testing and servicing One Piece Suits, replacing latex seals, replacing socks in our Suits and legwear, removing and installing waterproof zips - these are but a snap-shot of the tasks we can undertake.

All repairs and servicing are performed using the same machinery as used in our main manufacturing facilities. Where possible, we’ll replace components with the same specified parts as would be found in a brand new garment, which results in finished repairs looking almost identical to ‘A-quality’ garments, something the end user will be proud and happy to use for many seasons to follow.

Packaging & Shipping

The removal of all unnecessary packaging has been an aim of ours for well over a decade. This initiative started with the packaging of PFDs from our Far East manufacturing facility. Previously items were packaged in an individual single poly bag; we then switched to packaging ten units into one bag. In the last five years, we have taken this methodology one step further by removing all poly

bag packaging completely, saving the need for literally tons of single use poly bags. Now all items in our whole collection are packaged in clean cardboard boxes, with great care. Furthermore when the product in shipped onwards to the consumer no additional, unnecessary packaging is used.

After removing the packaging materials such as bags and boxes from products, it in turn creates an another issue of how a product gets to a consumer or store in a neat and useful manner. We solved this issue with tying a folded garment using 1mm, compostable hemp cord, and product hangtags produced from recycled / recyclable card and attached again using 1mm, compostable hemp cord. For high value items like One Piece Suits, we’ve designed the Surplus Bag - a storage bag that doubles as a change mat made entirely from surplus materials left over in our factories. Our helmets come wrapped only in recycled brown paper that doubles as the items safety instruction leaflet.

Day to Day

Our daily activities have not escaped the focus of improving our company’s sustainability credentials. Simple things such as driving less is a good starting point; previously we would have visited our best dealers within the UK annually, now we host virtual dealer meetings to far more many customers than we could have ever hope to visit in person. We’ve switched our office lighting to a low energy LED solution, and low traffic areas within our premises now have motion sensored low energy LED lighting. Annually we would visit our manufacturing partners in the Far East - this has been replaced for more frequent, but just as beneficial and productive, virtual online meetings and communication. Consideration on travel extends to the events we attend and the methods of transport we choose.

For our annual European trade show in France, some colleagues have travelled by train to lessen our carbon emission impact. At these trade shows we have been early of adopters of refusing the wasteful single use carpet, that is common place in booths in all exhibition halls. We reuse our stand for many years, and offer our customers any photos or graphics that we no longer use for display in their own showrooms. We now give our trade customers the option of attending such European shows virtually, rather than in person.

Production Partners & Suppliers

Our production partners in Asia share our same commitment to becoming More Sustainable, some renewable energy sources are utilised in the manufacturing of Peak PS garments. One factory in particular has recently had an impressive amount of solar panels fitted to their premises roof, whilst another major

production partner has plans to install 5800 square meters of solar panels that will generate around 30% of their facilities power.

We work closely with our production partners to utilise waste fabric areas, for example we have designed the Surplus Mitts, made from the waste sections in our spraydeck pattern lays. Together we identify opportunities in manufacturing that will salvage left over / surplus materials that can be put to good use, a successful example of this is the Surplus Bag that we use to package our One Piece Suits; these bags are produced completely from surplus materials and components.

Fabric suppliers now offer an extensive range of More Sustainable and ‘eco- friendly’ solutions and options. We are proud that one of our main fabric suppliers has lead the industry in developing an alternative to PTFE / PU / TPU membranes, the introduction of a PP (polypropylene) membrane aligns with the global environmental awareness and ban on PTFE membranes. PTFE membranes during their manufacture generate PFOA which is classified as a possible human carcinogen, further more PFOA will never decompose. PP membranes as an alternative, are manufactured in a non toxic manner.

Our main distribution partners, DPD and UPS, have made continued and realistic targets of improved sustainability. DPD plan to become the UK’s most sustainable delivery company. Tree planting, a switch to HVO and a fleet of electric vehicles is a small selection of their green initiatives. UPS have a goal of becoming carbon neutral in all their operations by 2050, with the implementation recycled electric powered facilities and a switch to alternative fuels for their ground operations. We will continue to hold our production partners and suppliers accountable for their choices in both the products / services they offer and the ways in which they operate.