Dope Snow’s Renewed program reduces waste by repairing clothing
Our Dope Snow Renewed collection restores snow gear to all its glory. It’s part of our commitment to reduce waste and increase circularity, keeping more styles mountain-ready and out of the landfill.
It’s no secret we make awesome snow gear. But how can we bridge that gap between creating and selling new styles without encouraging riders to throw out the old ones? It’s something we regularly ask ourselves while striving to minimize our environmental impact.
In short, we’re asking ourselves: how can we be more sustainable? But what does that word really mean, and is it ever truly possible in the snow clothing industry? By looking deeper into these questions, we created Renewed: a reparation initiative that helps us reduce waste and our environmental footprint by keeping more clothing out of landfills. It’s just one part of our commitment to do better for our planet. Read the whole journey in the original Renewed article below.
What is Dope Renewed?
Launched in 2021, our Renewed program prioritizes repairing snow gear rather than trashing it. This might include fixing a broken zipper, mending a button, or patching any fabric tears. As a result, Dope snowwear that would have gone straight to landfill now has a fresh lease of life, and more new jackets and pants aren’t made unnecessarily.
Durability is the key. The longer an item lasts, the fewer products consumers need to buy, and less excess waste is created. By providing durable, repairable designs that withstand multiple seasons and thousands of slams, après sessions, cliff drops, and general abrasions, riders are less likely to throw them out and buy new ones.
How does it work?
Renewed is all about reusing garments. Our Renewed collection features mended products that might have had slight pattern misprints or seam/sewing issues, alongside those missing buttons or other accessories like toggles or zipper tags. Our Renewed collection includes three categories:
Great
Fully wearable and almost like new, with no significant, visible flaws.
Good
Wearable with minor flaws. These might include small stains or visible repairs. The item might have been washed once or twice.
Pre-loved and visible repairs
Used with evident wear and tear or visible repairs. The item is still functional and ready to ride.
Renewed items might be repaired to factory-perfect condition or have one or two quirks. But you can guarantee each product meets the same durability and quality standards as our brand new styles, just at a lower price. This means Renewed products support sustainability and your wallet.
Behind the seams
Every team along our supply chain collaborates on our Renewed initiative, from product development to quality control. We also partner with two sustainability heroes of the textile world Tersus Solutions in North America and RecoMended in Europe and the rest of the world.
For Renewed, both companies handle washing, waterproofing, repairs, and quality checks, ensuring every item is ready for use. We photograph, catalog, and analyze product damage, sharing our findings with designers and manufacturers to help us identify and resolve recurring issues, improving the overall quality of our products and reducing waste with every production run.
Why Renewed matters
We understand that the clothing industry can never be fully climate-neutral. And we realize that the most sustainable garment is the one that’s never made. However, the Renewed program is one way we can help the planet and keep outerwear on the mountain for as long as possible. The results?
Circularity
Every Renewed item results in the production of fewer new garments, establishing a clothing lifecycle rather than a straight-to-landfill, linear model. And we also incorporate recycled materials into our designs. This combo ultimately helps us reduce the product waste we generate internally and lessen our reliance on raw materials and resources.
Continuous improvement
Each repair improves our ability to prevent production flaws from the start and ensure Dope Snow products last even longer. That way, riders don’t have to buy outerwear as often.
Wrapping up
Renewed is all about chasing memory-making moments without breaking the bank or destroying our beloved mountain peaks. By choosing Renewed instead of new, you’re taking action for our planet, helping us work towards sustainability, and giving gear a second chance at a snow-filled, greener future.
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