The Eco-Conscious Brands We’re Excited About After Outdoor Retailer 2026
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- September, 2026
- Sustainability
Outdoor Retailer 2026 brought together hundreds of outdoor brands, products, and ideas under one roof, and I was lucky enough to experience it as one of 150 Popfly creators invited to attend the show. During the show, I was looking for brands that were trying to minimize their environmental impact. From the materials they use and how they manufacture products, as well as the ways they reduce waste and help people enjoy the outdoors more responsibly. We certainly weren’t able to talk to every founder and booth, so this isn’t a definitive ranking of the most sustainable brands at the show. Instead, but the companies and ideas that genuinely caught our attention and left us excited about where the outdoor industry is headed.
Sustainability in the Outdoor Industry
Climate Change Is Changing How Their Customers Experience the Outdoors
Outdoor brands have a unique relationship with the environment because the places their customers love are the foundation of their industry. From hikers and climbers to skiers, paddlers, and campers, their customers spend their free time outside and they are seeing firsthand how those places are changing. Shorter snow seasons, smoky summers, unpredictable weather, and changing landscapes make climate change feel less like a distant environmental issue and more like something that affects how people experience the outdoors.
That connection is changing what customers expect from the brands they support. People increasingly want to see companies acknowledge their environmental impact and take meaningful steps to reduce it. For outdoor brands, that means sustainability isn’t just a corporate initiative or a marketing message. It’s an opportunity to align how they make and sell products with the values of the people who support their brand.
Sustainability Has to Work for Businesses and Customers
At the same time, making more sustainable choices can’t come at any cost. Outdoor products already require customers to make significant investments, and they still expect their gear to perform, last, and provide value. A more sustainable product that is priced out of reach isn’t necessarily a solution that can scale.
That’s why we’re interested in the brands finding practical ways to reduce their environmental impact while still making products people want to buy. Some are rethinking the materials they use while others are finding ways to reduce manufacturing waste, repurpose existing resources, or design products that have a lower impact throughout their lifespan. The most interesting approaches don’t treat sustainability as something separate from the business. They find ways to make it part of the product itself.
Sustainability Doesn't Have One Definition
One of the things that stood out to us at Outdoor Retailer was just how many different ways brands are approaching sustainability. There isn’t a single material, manufacturing process, or initiative that makes a company eco-conscious. Sustainability can show up at nearly every stage of a product’s life and sometimes in the ways a brand helps its customers interact with the outdoors, too.
It can mean choosing recycled, renewable, biodegradable, or otherwise lower-impact materials. Or taking a closer look at where raw materials come from and how they’re sourced and transported. It can mean rethinking manufacturing processes to use less energy, water, chemicals, or other resources, or designing products and production methods to minimize waste from the start. Or finding new uses for materials that would otherwise be thrown away, whether that’s repurposing, reclaiming, or recycling them. It can extend beyond the manufacturing process altogether by designing products to be repaired, reused, recycled, composted, or responsibly disposed of at the end of their lives. Some brands are even finding ways to help their customers reduce their own impact while enjoying the outdoors.
And that’s what made these brands so interesting to us. They aren’t all approaching sustainability in the same way, and they don’t have to. Instead, they’re finding different opportunities to make better choices and, in their own ways, make the outdoor industry a little better.
Eco-Conscious Brands That Caught Our Eye at Outdoor Retailer
Holistic Sustainability Approach: Abode Outside
Abode Outside approaches sustainability by looking beyond the finished garment to the resources required to make and sell it. Their main focus is reducing microplastics, PFAS “forever chemicals”, and wastematerials by using knitwear construction. Their EcoPromise includes a solar-powered headquarters, recycled and natural yarns, recyclable or compostable packaging, Responsible Wool Standard-certified wool, and a focus on yarns that require less water to grow and process. The result is a more holistic approach that considers materials, manufacturing, packaging, and operations together.
Circularity Story: Oceanfoam
Oceanfoam is rethinking traditional foam by incorporating algae-based materials into products designed for everyday use. Through its partnership with BLOOM, the brand helps support cleaner waterways and reduce waste in the production process. Oceanfoam’s impact also extends beyond its products through partnerships with 4ocean and EcoDrive, supporting ocean-plastic removal, cleaner water initiatives, and carbon reduction efforts.
Sustainable Outdoor Apparel: Allover
Allover Apparel caught our attention for proving that sustainable outdoor apparel doesn’t have to sacrifice versatility or style. Its signature overalls are made with recycled fabrics, while the company also considers the environmental impact of its manufacturing, packaging, and operations. Allover works with a bluesign-approved, OEKO-TEX-certified production partner, uses plastic-free packaging, and gives 1% of annual sales to environmental nonprofits through 1% for the Planet. We also love how the brand’s philosophy extends to its clothing to be worn everywhere, from hiking and biking to rafting and everyday life, with the goal of creating pieces customers will reach for again and again.
Low-Waste Adventure Essential: WildBatch
WildBatch took something every outdoor adventurer wants and redesigned it for life outside. Its concentrated cleansing powder replaces multiple products, from body wash and shampoo to dish soap and laundry detergent, while coming in a small refillable bamboo capsule. The formula is biodegradable and made with plant- and mineral-derived ingredients, which makes it a lower-impact alternative for life on the trail.
Please remember, biodegradable doesn’t mean it belongs in a lake or stream. Even biodegradable soap can affect aquatic ecosystems, so it should still be used and disposed of responsibly, well away from waterways.
For us, that’s part of what makes WildBatch interesting: it’s an example of how thoughtful product design can reduce the amount of stuff we carry and the waste we create, while still requiring us to be responsible while exploring the outdoors.
Sustainable Product Design: Escape Climbing
Escape Climbing stood out because sustainability is being considered alongside the actual design and manufacturing of its climbing products. The company operates a fully solar-powered manufacturing facility and has developed circular initiatives that reuse cardboard boxes and turn wood scraps into new products. Escape Climbing’s sustainability initiatives also emphasize making durable, long-lasting products: a sustainability strategy that starts with creating gear designed to stay in use.
Solution to an Everyday Outdoor Problem: CleanTrek
CleanTrek is a great example of sustainability that isn’t about making a product out of a different material, but about changing behavior. The brand created attachments that turn any trekking pole into litter-collection tools, allowing hikers to pick up trash while they’re already on the trail. Instead of asking people to carry another piece of gear specifically for cleanup, CleanTrek integrates the solution into something hikers are already using.
Use of Recycled Materials: SkyGOAT
SkyGOAT caught our attention for making recycled materials a foundational part of its signature product rather than simply an add-on sustainability story. Its proprietary GOATgrid is made from recycled polyester and was developed specifically to balance lightweight warmth, breathability, comfort, and performance. The brand has also committed to 1% for the Planet, making its material choices part of a broader sustainability effort.
End-to-End Sustainability Approach: WoolCano
WoolCano caught our attention for looking at sustainability through the lens of the entire apparel process rather than focusing on a single material or initiative. The brand works primarily with merino wool and sources materials from around the world, with its story emphasizing the sourcing and quality of its fibers as well as the broader manufacturing process. Its use of Australian merino also gives the brand an opportunity to build durability and natural performance into the product itself.
Most Unexpected Sustainability Solution: Archway Pet Products
Archway Pet Food might have had one of the most unexpected sustainability stories we encountered: invasive fish as a source of pet-food protein. The brand uses wild-caught invasive fish, turning a species that threatens local ecosystems into a source of protein for pets. That makes the sustainability story particularly compelling because the environmental benefit isn’t simply about using less of something; it’s about addressing an existing ecological problem while creating a useful product.
Material Recovery Story: Storm Creek
Storm Creek has built a substantial material-recovery story around turning post-consumer plastic bottles into apparel. Through its Bottle to Better program, bottles are collected, processed into flakes and then yarn, and ultimately turned into finished garments. What makes the approach particularly interesting is that Storm Creek has taken the story beyond the material itself, pairing recycled fabrics with responsible sourcing, third-party verification, carbon tracking, and B Corp certification.
What We Took Away From Outdoor Retailer 2026
One thing that surprised us at Outdoor Retailer was that fewer brands were leaning into sustainability initiatives than we expected. That doesn’t necessarily mean the work isn’t happening. In fact, there may be a good reason for some of the caution around making environmental claims. The FTC’s Green Guides provide guidance for environmental marketing and emphasize that brands need appropriate evidence to substantiate the environmental claims they make. Broad claims like “eco-friendly” or “green” can be particularly difficult to support without clear, specific evidence. Working with a sustainability partner like Shift Advantage can help brands identify where they can make a meaningful difference, measure their impact, and uncover opportunities to reduce it instead of simply guessing at what sounds more sustainable.
Did we miss your brand? We’re always looking for outdoor companies doing interesting things to reduce their environmental impact. If that’s you or you know a brand we should know about, leave a comment below or reach out. And if you’re doing meaningful sustainability work but aren’t sure how to communicate it, we’d love to help you tell that story.
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