Equip demonstrates that industry collaboration drives a positive impact in their 2025 Sustainability Report

Equip Outdoor Technologies UK Ltd. (“Equip”), home of technical outdoor apparel and equipment brands Rab and Lowe Alpine, has released its 2025 Sustainability Report. In its fifth year of reporting, Equip has made significant progress in each of its focus areas. Through building open and collaborative relationships with supply partners, peers, and industry groups, the company has continued to drive improvements along its supply chain.

The Material Facts Collective, led by Rab, demonstrated how brands pulling together can continue to improve great initiatives. By adapting Rab’s original Material Facts tables and developing a methodology toolkit, administered by the European Outdoor Group, this can now be utilised by any brand in the outdoor industry. Additionally, the company has worked with manufacturing partners to encourage a move towards renewable energy, engaged its whole supply chain to phase out intentionally added PFAS by AW25, achieved Fair Wear Leader status for the third year, and still found time to deliver record employee volunteering hours.

Equip’s activity is aligned with a new 5-year strategy launched in 2024 by incoming CEO Richard Leedham. The strategy, summarised in the company’s 2025 Sustainability Report, is underpinned by a commitment to achieve market-leading ESG and CSR.

Richard states, “Like many organisations, 2024 was challenging – global politics, supply chain challenges, economic instability, military activity, new ESG legislation, and more evidence of accelerated climate change.

Picking up an ambitious CSR agenda was always going to be a challenge. However, we have a strong and driven business aligned around a clear 5-year strategic business plan which puts CSR as a core function. This has allowed us to build on our CSR principles and continue to grow the business the right way.”

Equip continues to drive improvements in all areas of its sustainability agenda. Their 2025 Sustainability Report provides a comprehensive overview of progress:

Product | High performance long-lasting products with lower impact 

• Led the Material Facts Collective, resulting in 10 global brands and retailers, plus the European Outdoor Group publishing an industry standard for accurate product sustainability claims,

• Extended the life of 22,005 products through care and repairs at Rab Service Centres located in UK, EU, and North America, and,

• Phased-out all intentionally added PFAS on non-expedition products, with 100% of products PFAS-compliant from AW25.

Planet | Combat climate change and protect the natural environment 

• Continued to reduce fossil fuel dependency in the supply chain, with 65% of production manufactured in sites that use renewable energy,

• Achieved a 1% reduction in absolute emissions in 2024 compared to 2023, with a footprint of 13,059 tonnes CO2e across scopes 1, 2 and 3, and,

• Diverted 7.75 tonnes of polybags from landfill since 2021.

Partner | Raise standards and action through collaboration

• Recognised as a Fair Wear Leader Brand for the third consecutive year,

• 65% of Equip’s production came from partners they've worked with for more than ten years, and,

• 50% of their manufacturing partners improved their supplier scorecard impact scores from the previous year.

People | Commit to fairness, diversity, and opportunity 

• Experienced a record-breaking year of employee engagement with 1,100 volunteer hours in 2024,

• Created the Rab Stewardship Fund delivering £300k support to over 40 organisations, and,

• Celebrated five years of partnership with the Outward Bound Trust, supporting over 200 young people with over £100k funding.

The company acknowledges there is more to do. The launch of a new UK customer-facing Rab Service Centre late in 2024 suggests that there are opportunities to deliver care and repair options to even more consumers. Product circularity and recycling options like Rab Down Recycling scheme are now tested with consumers and retailers and could be extended elsewhere. Increased consumer and customer expectations, incoming ESG legislation, and the partnerships in place across the industry will ensure that there will be plenty more to see from the company in the coming years.

You can download the full Equip 2025 Sustainability Report HERE.