Rab Equipment Launches Material Facts – GWC Mag

It’s not every day that true innovation comes to the outdoor industry. Rab, the industry leader in merging the development of quality outdoor gear and apparel with sustainability and environmental awareness, is doing just that with it’s consumer launch of the Material Facts campaign.

A “nutrition label” hang tag that displays the exact type and amounts of fabrics, recycled material, and treatments will be included with each and every Fall/Winter 23 garment that Rab releases. By looking at the Material Facts tag, consumers can immediately identify exactly what their clothing is made of; no guesswork or leaning on claims of “recycled” gear when that is only a fraction of the truth. Material Facts truly represents the next step forward in the outdoor industry’s quest to become more sustainable.

Your chance to find out transparent sustainability information and make an informed purchasing choice. 

British outdoor brand Rab is clearing up the confusion many of us often feel when trying to understand sustainability jargon and logos on outdoor products. Material Facts will be available for all Rab apparel and sleeping bags, accessible online through scanning a QR code on the product hangtag. You will be able find out more detailed, easy-to-understand information on recycled content, fluorocarbon status and production information.

Rab doesn’t believe in hiding behind a ‘green logo’ or ‘eco-friendly’ label. A quick scan of the QR code on your smartphone will take you to a clear and accurate Material Facts sustainability data table. This information will enable you to make your own educated choice, before buying a Rab clothing or sleeping bag product. 

Rab and Lowe Alpine’s parent company Equip Outdoor Technologies Ltd., frustrated with a lack of clarity around sustainability criteria, created the pioneering Material Facts sustainability information tables to drive a focus on accuracy and transparency, as product director Tim Fish explains: “Communicating sustainability information is complex and means different things to different people, often leading to misleading claims and greenwashing. We’ve developed our non-branded Material Facts program to provide consumers with enough information to make their own educated purchasing decisions. The program leads the way by taking into account consumers’ and retailers’ demands for accurate and honest sustainability product claims.” 

By the end of 2024, all Rab and Lowe Alpine packs, equipment and accessories will also include Material Facts tables, and more criteria will be added in the future. 

Equip will continue to drive industry-wide engagement to constantly improve Material Facts and to jointly create an industry standard with other brands and industry stakeholders. This is a clear step forward in terms of aligned accurate, honest and transparent CSR communication. More information about the current Material Facts program can be found here.