What You Need to Know About Bluesign®
Are you committed to protecting the earth? Here’s how buying Eagle Creek products with bluesign® certified material will help you do so.
Bluesign® defines the standard for environmentally friendly and sustainable materials. Eagle Creek is proud to incorporate bluesign® certified fabrics and materials into the backpacks and gear its customers use to explore the world. About 61 percent of Eagle Creek’s fabrics were bluesign® certified in 2016, and that number will be even greater in 2017. In fact, nearly all Eagle Creek products are made with some percentage of bluesign® fabric. Let’s look a bit closer at what that means for Eagle Creek’s commitment to sustainability.
What is bluesign®?
According to the organization’s website, bluesign® is, “the solution for a sustainable textile production.” Bluesign® operates on the basis of five principles: resource productivity, consumer safety, water emission, air emission, and occupational health & safety. The organization sets out to eliminate harmful chemicals right from the start of the manufacturing process, ensuring the finished product will meet high environmental standards, and sets standards and controls that ensure textile production is good for the earth and safe for the people who work on it. Its certification is extensive, constantly evolving, and requires annual re-certification of materials. Bluesign® certified materials meet exacting consumer safety standards around the world, and when consumers buy products made with those materials, they’re contributing to important sustainability practices.
What does bluesign® mean for Eagle Creek?
Eagle Creek has two primary goals: creating high-quality products for consumers and protecting the environment. Eagle Creek is a member of many conservation-based organizations, including the Conservation Alliance, the European Outdoor Conservation Association, and the European Outdoor Group. These groups, like Eagle Creek, are committed to preserving the environment and protecting endangered habitats. Eagle Creek’s involvement in partnering with Earth-friendly organizations and abiding by Earth-friendly practices allows it to lead the charge in producing innovative, responsible products.
Bluesign® aligns well with Eagle Creek’s own commitment to sustainability. Eagle Creek’s use of bluesign® certified fabrics means your bag was built with sustainable materials, so you can feel good not only about the fact that you bought a product that will hold up through your adventures, but also that you’ve contributed to global conservation efforts by doing so.
How else is Eagle Creek making a difference?
Eagle Creek constantly reevaluates its manufacturing process to find new ways to reduce its carbon footprint. Through each step of making a bag or travel accessory, we find ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle materials. For example, every foam scrap is recycled into a new sheet of foam. Last year, Eagle Creek swapped all durable water repellent coatings from C8 to C6, a process that creates fewer byproducts—which would otherwise be released into and harm the environment.
Making durable products that last, and to fixing them if issues do arise contributes to our sustainability efforts. Our No Matter What™ Warranty means Eagle Creek will repair or replace your damaged bag—which is great for you, the consumer, as well as the environment. The longer products remain in use, the less have to be produced and the less end up in landfills.
Our innovative packing cubes also speak to Eagle Creek’s commitment to sustainability. When Eagle Creek first introduced these cubes in 1996, no other companies were offering travelers an alternative to using plastic bags to organize clothes or dirty shoes. By using Eagle Creek’s reusable and washable packing cubes, travelers began to cut down on unnecessary use of disposable and harmful plastic.
VF Corporation—Eagle Creek’s parent company—established a 16-principle Global Compliance program. Operating under those principles, Eagle Creek meets consistently high labor standards in line with the Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production, the Fair Labor Association, and the International Labour Organization.
Eagle Creek’s commitment to the environment is extensive and wide reaching, and bluesign® is a big part of that. When you buy an Eagle Creek bag made with bluesign® certified materials, you’re taking a step toward making the world a better place.
Related links (from Eagle Creek blog):
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