PrefaceLet’s face it, the world isn’t perfect. Try as we might, neither are we. However, there is one area where we strive for perfection. As individuals and as a company, we strive to lessen our impact on the natural world.
The "carbon neutral" lifestyle is a myth. While there’s no magic pill that can be taken to lessen our impact on the environment, we firmly believe that a million small acts can change the world. Drive less, walk and bike more. Recycle and insist your friends do the same. Invest in high quality products that last for 10 years not 10 months. Write your elected leaders and tell them how you feel about protecting open spaces and conserving water.
At Core Concepts, we aspire to strike a balance with functional, long lasting clothing that leaves the smallest possible "footprint" on our world. Period.
Below are some specifics…feel free to email us at info@corelayers.com with any questions or comments.
1% For the PlanetWe’ve been members of 1% For The Planet since day 1. Our membership in 1% For The Planet keeps Core Concepts focused on finding ways to build our business in an environmentally responsible way. Additionally, membership enforces an environmental discipline on the company that keeps us focused on “walking the talk”.
With the exception of Alaska, no other state has more land designated as wilderness than our home state of Idaho. We draw constant inspiration from Idaho’s vast and truly rugged collection of unspoiled public land. From these lands flow some of the most untamed and spectacular rivers in the entire country. We’d like to keep it that way. That’s why as part of our commitment to 1% For The Planet, we've chosen to support the
Idaho Conservation League and
Idaho Rivers United.
To learn more about 1% For The Planet, please visit
www.onepercentfortheplanet.comBambooThose crazy pandas got this one right. Bamboo is legit and makes great clothing. Aside from being insanely soft and naturally antimicrobial, bamboo fibers are hollow, which allow for excellent moisture transport (wicking) properties. Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world, thrives in a wide range of climates and doesn’t require pesticides to cultivate. Cotton on the other hand isn’t so friendly. It’s only grown on 2.4% of the worlds arable land yet commands 25% of the global pesticide market. Additionally, the irrigation of cotton accounts for between 1% to 6% of total global freshwater use as estimated by the World Wildlife Foundation. Need we say more?
(Figures courtesy of the World Wildlife Foundation Background Paper, “The Impact of Cotton on Fresh Water Resources and Ecosystems”, May 1999)
bluesign®Performance textiles such as soft shell and certain types of rainwear require sophisticated manufacturing techniques to keep you warm and dry in a wide range of climates. The reality is that the manufacturing techniques required to produce these fabrics require chemicals. Whenever possible, we use fabrics manufactured in accordance with bluesign standards for responsible textile manufacturing. Schoeller Textiles AG is a great example of a company that works hard to produce highly innovative technical fabrics while incorporating bluesign® textile manufacturing standards.
Learn more about bluesign® at
www.bluesign.comRecycled FabricsSynthetic (man-made) fabrics play a large role in our collection of technical apparel. Garments made with synthetic yarns are comfortable, adaptable, lightweight and dry quickly. Synthetic fleece keeps you warm and dry in the winter while synthetic base layer keeps you cool and dry in the summer. However, synthetic fabrics do require natural resources to produce. That’s why whenever possible we source synthetic fabrics that contain recycled content. Our Polartec® Power Dry® base layer product contains 75% recycled polyester content. Polartec® (formerly Malden Mills) is a U.S. based manufacturer of technical fabrics that works hard to offer a wide range of performance fabrics that contain recycled material.
