Apparel brand Pearl iZUMi, based in Louisville, Colorado, is starting the year off by moving in a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly direction.
Pearl iZUMi plans to eliminate hangtags and printed catalogs and introduce more sustainable fabrics like responsibly-sourced Merino wool and recycled polyester.
CEO Chris Sword said in a statement that “this is ‘important’ because our team cares deeply about it. We are leading the industry in sustainability and environmentally-friendly actions, and we’ve had 60+ years of positive influence on cycling.” The brand also desires to depend less on oil and fossil fuels for its apparel production process.
Pearl iZUMi says that by eliminating hangtags from apparel and only attaching a single, small, recyclable card they will save 19,400 lbs. of paper, 165 trees, 68,082 gallons of water and 4,503 gallons of oil annually.
In addition, by eliminating print catalogs, the brand also says that they will save 41 trees, 16,800 gallons of water, and 1,111 gallons of oil annually.
Pearl iZUMi also introduced a program to repair returned products with warranty issues, which will make them resale-able rather than ending up as waste.
Products featuring the new fabrics will be available in the spring of 2019. By 2020 the brand plans to have at least 30% of its line made from recycled products, and that ambition expands to 90% of the line coming from recycled, organic, or renewable materials by 2022.
To learn more about Pearl iZUMi’s new Social Purpose efforts, see the eight-part series on their blog.
