On a Mission

We’re on a mission to help change the way people think about their clothing. Especially the clothing that is essential to enjoy winter sports. Skiwear. 

We know that skiing is by no means a ‘green’ sport!  

But short of giving it up altogether, there are changes we can make that lessen our impact without reducing the fun.

If like us, skiing is your passion, one that you want to share with friends and family and pass on to your children and beyond, then collectively we have a responsibility to just do it better

And it’s our mission to help you find a way to ski cleaner, greener and kinder.

Here's what you can expect from EcoSki

  1. Raising awareness of the impact that our daily choices have on the environment
  2. Seeking out the ski and outdoor brands that are operating more responsibly 
  3. Highlighting the skiwear and outdoor gear that is hardwearing, durable and/or uses more innovative, planet friendly materials
  4. Championing the people and companies that are pioneering a more sustainable way of production 
  5. Helping make skiwear more accessible and affordable for all
  6. Ensuring this kit is kept in circulation for longer via our repairs, pre-owned and rental departments
  7. Providing end of life solutions for outdoor gear to reduce the amount sent to landfill
  8. Communicating clearly and honestly with full transparency 
  9. Helping to raise funds, awareness and support for both local and environmental charities
  10. Inspiring change in people through their love of the mountains 


Below you'll find information relating to different areas of consideration, including some of our goals and policies. We'll be refining and adding to this over time as our journey towards a more sustainable future continues

To achieve our goals we have brought together experts from the world of sport, environmental activism and fashion.

Martin Hartley, who is our constant voice of reason. Martin has experienced the full extent of global warming in the Polar Regions and is determined to help others understand that simple changes really can make a difference.

Chemmy Alcott, who has witnessed the retracting glaciers first hand and who is passionate about reducing her own footprint as well as helping raise awareness within the ski community.

Rachel Fortune, who has a background in fashion and now runs the Sustainable Lifestyle Awards. Rewarding new and innovative brands going above and beyond their mission to be more responsible.

Lucie Harrild, who has advised large and small companies on meaningful sustainability strategies and transparent communications. She now champions change in the fashion industry by advising brands and encouraging customer action through an online platform called Comhla.

  • We communicate detailed information on size and fit to reduce the need to buy numerous sizes – reducing the carbon footprint of shipping returns. 
  • We don’t hold high levels of stock and risk waste or ‘buy now’ pressure-sales tactics.  
  • EcoSki’d is a business running alongside EcoSki to help extend the lifetime of pre-loved quality clothing. 
  • We have arrangements with Lancashire Sports Repair, ACS Clothing Ltd and Darn Knit to run our own repairs service. 
  • We have asked brands to send off cuts for repairs; to keep more clothes in circulation, and out of landfill, for as long as possible.
  • We have partnered with My Wardrobe HQ to offer a full rental service.  
  • We are asking customers to send any items that have reached “end of life” to ensure items are recycled properly via our recycling partners The Avena Group

We will always ask the brands penetrating questions about what they are doing to improve their production techniques and lower their overall impact. We will only work with the brands that view their environmental and ethical footprint with equal importance.

Fair working practices:
We expect our brands to safeguard the working conditions of their work force. We look for brands that are Fair Trade certified, part of The Fairwear Foundation and/or the Fair Labour Association and who regularly check factories for fair labour practices and working conditions. We have not been able to inspected the factories ourselves so have had to rely on the brands own transparency.

Materials:
Is it traceable, recycled, recyclable, organic, biodegradable, plant based, bio plastic, plastic free.

Waste:
Reduction and responsible disposal.

Environmental innovation:
Non-toxic and environmentally friendly manufacturing, waterproofing and dyeing processes and disposal.

Transparency and traceability:
Responsible sourcing, traceability and transparency reports.

Land Management and Animal Welfare:
Responsible Land Management, Responsible Wool Standards, Responsible Down Standards, Leather Working Group, Oeko-Tex Standards.

Longevity:
Is it built to last, can it be repaired, can it be re-used, can it be kept out of landfill.

Human Rights:
We expect our brands to uphold Human Rights in their supply chain and we oppose Modern Slavery and Corruption in all forms.

Regrettably we have no British Wool items in our range. This is something we feel very passionate about changing.

We have therefore commissioned Holly and Molly, 2 fashion students from Northumbria University, to design a range made with Northumbrian Wool.

Our goal and dream is to launch our own 100% British wool product by 2022.

Skiwear consists of a lot of different materials in order to make it breathable and waterproof whilst also keeping you warm when its cold and cool when it’s hot. Materials we were particularly keen to in include:

  • PFC-free DWR (PFCs are pre and poly-fluorinated chemicals used in waterproofing). These ‘forever chemicals’ never biodegrade, traces have been found in fresh water lakes in the alps, in the Arctic as well as in the blood of polar bears. They are linked to many different health complications and we will avoid them wherever we can.
  • Recycled materials governed by the Global Recycled Standards  
  • Natural fibres whenever possible  
  • GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standards) certified cotton. 
  • Bluesign approved fabrics. Bluesign technologies work at each step in the textile supply chain (chemical use, processing, materials) to enforce strict Environmental Policies, ensuring the safety of workers and end consumers.  
  • Non-toxic dyeing techniques such as solution or dopedyeing instead of traditional bath dyes (a reduction of 90% less water and 96% Co2.) 
  • Down and feathers sourced from suppliers with high animal welfare standards and adhering to the Responsible Down Standards
  • Wool sourced from suppliers with high animal welfare standards and adhering to the Responsible Wool Standards
  • We will only stock leather products that are confirmed as a bi-product of the meat industry and adhering to the Oeko Tex Leather Standardsand the Leather Working Group
  • We support the use of responsible leather for product durability and to avoid the use of fossil fuel based alternatives. 
  • Products that are made to last will remain in circulation for longer, can often be repaired and can become pre-loved products for new owners. 
  • We do not sell products with real fur.
  • We do not sell wool products from mulesed sheep.
Although we have selected natural fibres where we can, sadly skiwear is still very reliant on the use of man-made and plastic based fibres such as nylon and polyester. Even though our brands are using ingenious methods to ensure they are using as much recycled polyester as they can, these man-made fibres (recycled or not) release microplastics whenever we wash our kit, and therefore continue to pollute our oceans. We will be stocking and selling Guppy Bags to help capture these microplastics before they enter our waterways.
  • Helmets, goggles and safety equipment are all part of the essentials list but sadly we struggled with our mission to find recycled quality kit.  
  • Without these we wouldn’t be providing a full service.
  • We have selected Sweet Protection as our helmet of choice. We are happy that they, as a brand, are working towards being more environmentally and socially accountable.
  • We commit to being open and honest in the way we operate and in how we respond to environmental and social challenges.  
  • We base our decisions on the information our brands and their auditors give us. We will however always appreciate and welcome the views of others. 
  • If we make mistakes we will openly admit to them and do all we can to rectify them. 
  • We will not use marketing techniques that are ‘greenwash’ or false. 
  • We offer an alternative, responsible way to provide the right ski kit for your holiday.
  • Our name captures our ethos, it is not a zero-impact guarantee. 
  • Shipping still has a significant carbon footprint but it is the best option at the moment. Loading an average-size cargo ship represents the equivalent of 1000 Airbus A380 planes. One metric ton of merchandise shipped by rivers and canals emits on average 4 times less CO2 than by road, and 40 times less than by air.  
  • We are exploring working with EcoClipper – an innovative sailing ship that can transport goods powered by the tide and winds.
  • We deliver to our customers via DPD local who are carbon neutral.
  • We have prioritised the environmental impact of the packaging over the purchasers unwrapping experience. 
  • We discovered that only 14% of plastic packaging is actually recycled. 
  • We are therefore using a combination of 100% recycled brown paper mailing sacks and 100% recycled and biodegradable mailing bags. 
  • We will continue to explore alternatives to find the least impactful, best quality method.
  • If brands deliver to us in plastic packaging we will recycle it rather than passing that responsibility onto our customers. Many of our brands are also working hard to make their packaging plastic free.
  • We are committed to investing in tree planting schemes and our local Lincolnshire salt marshes, guided by one of our non-profits, Wildlife Trust
  • Deep in the waterlogged peat of salt marshes, carbon is stored at much greater rates than in land ecosystems, serving as an offset to climate change due to carbon dioxide build-up in the atmosphere. 
  • We are offering our customers free shipping. We have chosen to use DPD couriers even though they are more expensive because they are carbon neutral. You can read more about why we chose to work with them on our Returns and Shipping page.
  • We will be signing the Protect Our Winters Pledge and work towards becoming carbon neutral in our own right. 
  • We will also have our own Sustainability Impact Assessment carried out in order to understand our own environmental footprint and implement our own Environmental Management System.
  • This is a key part of our journey to become net zero and a B Corp business. 
  • Please get in touch if you have any issues or questions
  • We want to help build a community and honesty and transparency is key to our success.
  • We therefore really value your feedback and opinion.
  • Part of our mission is to support charities that are aligned with our goals
  • We have chosen to support 5 charities who support environmental initiatives and you can find more about their work on our ‘Giving Back’ page.