Check our #SkiGreen Directory below, before you book your next wintersports trip or buy your next piece of kit. Our directory lists places to recycle / rent ski and snowboard clothing and other equipment, as well as greener travel / destinations / booking providers.
We are making it easier to support the resorts and businesses that are doing the right thing for the mountains, with our directory of wintersports businesses that operate with an eye to the environment. If you have any suggestions for #SkiGreen Directory additions please contact us.
Clothing
Buy your ski and snowboard clothing secondhand, rent or borrow it for your trip: the greenest (and most affordable) option is always to not buy new. The carbon footprint of the fashion industry is second highest only to the oil industry. Horrifying, huh? Find out more about sustainable fashion here.
Experts calculate that extending the active life of clothing by just three months per item leads to a 5-10% reduction in its carbon, water and waste footprint.
Secondhand, rental and reuse:
WhoSki.com : That’s us. The UK’s dedicated peer-to-peer secondhand marketplace where you can buy and sell pre-loved wintersports clothing.
One Tree at a Time : Eco French organisation that offers rental, repair and re-sale of ski and snowboard clothing. They aim to “Change behaviours, build community and protect mountain environments.”
Cotswold Outdoor : Clothes been worn to bits? Cotswold offers a textiles recycling service so you can drop off clothing no longer fit for purpose to be sustainably disposed of.
alpkit : We seriously fangirl this impressive UK-based company which not only sells outdoor wear (midlayers, baselayers etc) with immaculate green credentials, but also offers an in-store repair service. AND there’s a scheme whereby you can send or take in old clothing (must be in good condition) for recycling.
EcoSki : Not sure whether skiing is for you? If you want to rent rather than buy, this UK-based start-up is the place to go for performance wintersports clothing with rental from four to 16 days.
Kit Lender: US-based ski clothing and equipment rental provider that delivers to your destination. Perfect if you are skiing North America and want to keep down baggage weight. Note: they rent kit for all kinds of outdoors activities beyond skiing.
Green Fashion :
Picture : A company that has been 100% committed to sustainability from day one. Recycled materials, sustainable sourcing, lifetime repair guarantee; “Before you choose to buy new, we encourage you to purchase a second-hand product. Whether a garment or something else, this is one of the most eco-responsible acts you can perform!”
66°North : An Icelandic outdoor clothing company that puts circularity and sustainability at the top of its agenda. A carbon neutral business, they create durable pieces that will be used for years or decades to come. As they say: “It doesn’t matter if you buy a biodegradable jacket if – due to function, quality or aesthetics – you buy a new one every year.”
Patagonia : One of the pioneers of sustainable fashion. Buying Patagonia clothing, you can be sure of making a purchase that has minimal negative impact on the planet.
Finisterre : Policies of ‘innovative upcycling’ and sustainability in all aspects of the product lifecycle put Finisterre up there as a brand that cares. They offer a repairs service from £20 up to £125 for a full jacket, as well as trade-in to ensure no-longer wanted items from their range are recycled rather than dumped.
Halti : Bringing Finnish attitudes to nature to their range of “circularly designed” outdoor apparel, which Halti designs to be 100% recyclable, recommends you use as long as possible and offers advice on how to fix if damaged. Mono-material build keeps carbon footprint low and improves recyclability.
Houdini : Swedish brand that boasts 100% sustainability credentials on materials used.
alpkit : See above. Not specialist ski wear, but loads of mid-layers, baselayers etc that would be perfect for the piste. Immaculate full-lifecycle #SkiGreen credentials.
Maloja : Just reading the social responsibility section of this Swiss brand’s website is enough to make you want to buy from their gorgeous, eco-responsible range of active wear. Baselayers, jackets and ski and boarding pants are all immaculately designed and conceived with a deep connection to the mountains.
Planks Clothing : Offers a repair service to prolong the lifetime of its clothing. Uses recycled materials in 50% of products, recyled and recyclable packaging, “constantly evolving our products and processes to lessen our environmental impact”.
SQI : Stylish ski jackets that are designed to work as outerwear all year round – not just on the slopes. Says founder Freddy Hoare: “We believe that the most sustainable product is the one that can be worn 100+ times, and set out to engineer our own collection of multi-functional outerwear from recycled materials.”
OOSC : If you love colour, you’ll love these in-your-face all-in-one ski suits which are made from plastic bottles.
GROUNDTRUTH : An innovative start-up whose sustainable travel bags are made from 100% recycled plastic materials.
Helly Hansen : If buying from this outdoor wear giant, you might like to choose from the minimalistic Mono Material line, made entirely from polyester, including insulation composed of 100% recycled down-feel polyester. The idea is that single-fabric construction makes it easier to recycle once the garment has reached the end of its lifespan. HH also has an eye on re-use and resale of its clothing, with the goal of leading on eliminating waste through circular recycling. We like the sound of that.
Haglöfs : Not only is Swedish brand Haglöfs outdoor wear durable and functional, the company (founded 1914) is also committed to sustainability. If you are the original owner of their clothing item, Haglöfs will repair it for free. They also provide tips on how to do simple repairs yourself, including how to patch a shell or down jacket and mend a zip.
Kit and Accessories
Skis, Boots, Wax :
WhiteStorm : Sustainability-focused ski rental business with outlets in the French Alps including Courchevel, Meribel, La Tania, Val d’Isère and Tignes. Mobile fitting and delivery service will deliver rental equipment to the door of your chalet. They even offer clothing rental of re-conditioned, re-purposed ski jackets and pants to keep them out of landfill and maximise their active life.
Earlybird Skis : Award-winning, “the world’s most sustainable eco freeride skis”, built with bio-based and recycled materials, sustainably-sourced wood and bio-based resin.
Face Freeze : Plant-based snow wax that is biodegradable, contains 0% petroleum or fluoro, with all-recyclable packaging.
Tecnica : ‘Recycle your ski boots’ scheme is now available in eight European countries (sadly, not yet UK). Ski boots (any brand) can be handed in at selected stores to be broken down into components and all parts will be sustainably recycled and reused.
Butta wax : Greener, low-fluro carbon snow wax, handmade and packaged from 90% solar-powered premises.
Life Reskiboot : One to keep an eye on. They’ve got funding and are aiming to deliver a take-back and re-use system for ski boot rentals to recycle their multiplastics and components.
KitUp Adventures: UK start-up KitUp aims to be “the AirBnB for outdoor equipment”. List your ski and snowboard kit to share it with others, maximise its usage, make a bit of money and enable others to access the piste in a more affordable, sustainable way.
Ski Butlers: US-based ski equipment rental company that also operates in France and Italy. Book your skis and other kit in advance for convenient delivery and fitting at your chalet / hotel. Officially ‘Climate Neutral Certified‘, Ski Butlers pledges to actively work to reduce emissions across its business operations.
Travel
Getting there :
SkiFlightFree.org : A campaign to encourage skiers to travel to the Alps without flying. Lots of info and news about how to take the low-impact route.
Snowcarbon.co.uk : Rail travel to a ski resort creates only a fraction of the carbon emissions of the equivalent journey by plane or car, and can help make your journey a fun part of the trip. Snowcarbon makes it easy to choose and get to a rail-accessible ski destination.
Skiline : Trips to the French Alps by train.
RailEurope : Travel to Swiss ski resorts by train.
Green travel agents :
Bookdifferent : Rates destinations by their eco rating so you can make your own decision about where to go / stay.
Positive Travel : A source of information for mindful travellers to access reliable and knowledge about the environmental and social impact of specific trips and destinations.
Byway Travel : Bespoke travel arrangements from this indie agent that specialises in slow travel journeys across the UK and Europe. Flight-free. Their annual impact report details progress on sustainability ambitions.
Sno : This agent’s low-down on eco-friendly resorts is a good place to start for the facts about your destination’s climate credentials.
Much Better Adventures : A travel organiser that works with experts, businesses and organisations in local communities to craft what is describes as “the world’s greatest adventures”. The company works with 100% indie service providers to ensure money goes into the neighbourhoods where you travel. Much Better Adventures has pledged to halve its carbon emissions by 2030. Check out its Arctic Adventures page for some seriously tempting snow-based trips.
Ski Resorts Going Green
Wintersports resorts and regions are now making big efforts to increase sustainability and protect the environment.
Swisstainable : Switzerland has drawn up a sustainability strategy programme for Swiss tourism operators: information here about accredited organizations.
Morzine, France : Montagne Verte is a non-profit association funded by the community to develop solutions for the region of Morzine to reduce its environmental impact.
Chamonix, France : advice on how to enjoy a more environmentally-friendly trip.
Geilo, Norway : This popular ski town has been a certified Sustainable Travel Destination since 2016 and is easily reached by train from Oslo. Geilo is hydro-electric powered and all large hotels in the resort have been environmentally certified.
Communities Doing The Right Thing
Re-Action Collective : A social enterprise that acts as a hub for businesses, organisations and others in the outdoors sector with the common objective of reducing wastage and increasing sustainability through the adoption and promotion of circular models. WhoSki.com is among the founder members of this group.
SATI : The Sustainable Alpine Tourism Initiative. A “conference series aimed at progressing knowledge sharing and collaboration on sustainability in alpine tourism.” We are proud to be part of this game-changing group of businesses and thought leaders.
POW : Protect our Winters. “Help passionate outdoor people become effective climate advocates to achieve systemic solutions to climate change, protecting our world today and for future generations.”
Know a business that operates in the wintersports sustainability sector? We are continually updating our #SkiGreen Directory: get in touch to let us know.
