Mountainsmith Celebrates Anniversary with Mother Earth

In August of 2006, Mountainsmith took a leadership position in the outdoor industry as first outdoor company to introduce recycled fabric technology to modern pack design. Fast forward to January 14th, 2013 and a staggering five million 16-ounce bottles that otherwise would have gone to land fill have instead been reborn into Mountainsmith’s pack and bag line-up. By replacing 40% of their product line with ReForgeâ„¢, Mountainsmith’s proprietary technology in recycled fabric, the company has reached a milestone in its commitment to the environment.

How do you gauge five million bottles? Think a continual line of 16-ounce bottles end-to-end from Mountainsmith’s offices in Golden, Colorado all the way to the Colorado Trail in Durango and back.

The innovation in sustainable fabrics dates back to 2007 when Mountainsmith partnered with their long time textile supplier and launched ReForgeâ„¢ 100% recycled PET(polyethylene terephthalate) fabric, making one of the most significant innovations in the company’s 33-year old history and in the outdoor industry as a whole. Mountainsmith subsequently won the 2008 Backpacker Editors’ Choice Green Award for their Phoenix backpack designed using the recycled fabric.

For 2013, 40% of Mountainsmith’s product line is designed with the ReForgeâ„¢ brand of recycled materials. By the end of the year, the company anticipates that upwards of 3,500,000 additional bottles will be saved from landfill.

A few interesting facts on plastic bottles… (from earth911.com)
1. Americans buy an estimated 29.8 billion plastic water bottles every year. An estimated eight out of every 10 of these bottles will end up in a landfill. Source: Container Recycling Institute
2. Plastics are a rapidly growing segment of the MSW stream. The largest category of plastics are found in containers and packaging (e.g., soft drink bottles, lids, shampoo bottles), but they also are found in durable (e.g., appliances, furniture) and nondurable goods (e.g., diapers, trash bags, cups and utensils, medical devices). Source: U.S. EPA
3. The total pounds of plastic bottles recycled reached a record high 2,410 million pounds in 2008.Source: American Chemistry Council
4. The 11 states that require small, refundable deposits on water bottles and other beverage containers recycle 490 beverage containers per capita annually, compared to 191 per capita in the other 39 states. Source: Container Recycling Institute

Forged in the Rockies, Mountainsmith’s commitment to innovation began in 1979 and continues to the present with a full line of active lifestyle products. The quality and comfort of all Mountainsmith products—technical backpacks, travel storage systems, luggage, camera bags, trekking poles, pet products as well as the lumbar pack icons—set the standard for the worldwide outdoor marketplace. Mountainsmith manufactures, markets, and distributes an expanding group of products designed to meet the demands of travel on and off the trail, through airports, and anywhere that carrying-comfort is essential. Mountainsmith products are sold worldwide.