So now that you know who we are, you may know that we plant trees for every headband that’s sold. That’s great and everything, but what else does OutRun do that makes our product so sustainable.
The solution comes in the eco-polyester fabric of our headbands, the way they’re printed, and the way we source the material
What is Eco-Polyester and how is it different?
Our supplier is using the latest technology to streamline the fabric processing system and reduce the amount of water consumed during the manufacturing of polyester fabrics (both virgin or recycled), with Eco-Polyester. This material makes of 85% of the material blend used in our signature athletic headband
- Producing 1 meter polyester = 13 L of H2O and 29,000+ kJ of energy (heat, electricity)
- Producing 1 meter eco-polyester = 3.9 L of H2O and 8,700 kJ of energy
A significant 70% reduction in water and energy/heat usage!
Why this matters?
The textile industry is considered one of the most ecologically harmful in the world due to the high amounts of water, heat, chemicals involved in production of textile goods. The United States Environmental Protection Agency reported that processing typically can require up to 132 liters of hot water for every pound of finished product!
And of course, growing environmental concerns are forcing us to rethink the role and responsibility that brands must play to deal with this environmental burden.
There is hope…
Over the last couple of years, the world has taken strides to make organic fabrics more widely available as well as creating more environmentally friendly products containing materials such as bamboo.
We have also seen recycled polyesters and nylons become important parts of the textile industry as it tries to clean up the industry.
How we print?
The ink used to print our headbands is a water-based, non-toxic ink that is more easily disposed than standard solvent inks. Our printers use Epson water-based sublimation inks and have received the Zurich-based International Oeko-Tex Association Eco-Passport Certification for sustainable textile inks.
You can follow this link to see exactly what the certification is: https://global.epson.com/newsroom/2016/news_20161031.html
How we source?
Our material is milled in Montréal and then transported to our Montréal manufacturer to be both printed and sewn. Since we are able to locally source and manufacture, this significantly reduces the amount of freight, and therefore pollution, required to transport our raw materials as well as our finished products!
The majority of brands manufacture overseas, in Asia, which incurs significant shipping pollution, be it by air or ocean freight just to get the products to North America to be sold to its intended consumer market.
Coming soon…
We’re always looking into ways to reduce our carbon footprint and approach neutrality. We have started researching for more sustainable packaging as well as other natural materials, such as bamboo rayon, that could be used for future products. Stay tuned…