Being outdoors is awesome, and so is transparency. We make footprints, and we want to tell you exactly where and how #SharingIsCaring.
Transparency throughout the production chain plays an important role in modern, sustainable manufacturing. Big words, we know, but truth to be told, it’s essential that we’re open about how and where everything is made. This makes sure we always do our best and recognize those partners that work so hard to make great outdoor products with the smallest possible footprint.
FACTORIES
Behind our products, there are people. We work closely with our factories and vendors to make sure all parts of the team have a healthy work environment and have considerable spare time to do whatever they please. Some want to spend time with their family, while others enjoy being able to earn extra money, hang out, and go shopping.
On our product pages, you’ll find information about the factory where that specific product has been produced.
RECYCLED MATERIALS
All of our fabrics are recycled. This means at least 50 % of synthetic materials are made of recycled fibers and we’re working our butts off to make sure we can increase this as much as possible without sacrificing the product’s durability. By using recycled materials, we conserve raw materials and natural resources and reduce greenhouse gasses, which decreases our impact on the environment.
All our styles have a fabric listing on the product page so you get to know exactly what you're buying.
3RD PARTY AUDIT
It’s easy to state that everything is glitter and gold. That’s why all of our factories and products are audited by a third independent part. All of our products are bluesign®, OEKO-TEX, RWS or RDS certified and we have factory audits done by auditors which speak the local language and know local legislation. If we discover any findings that break with our ethical standard or legislation, an improvement plan is established immediately and will be followed up closely.
Animals are our friends. We're committed to only use RDS certified down and RWS certified wool coming for sheep and geese that are treated according to the five freedoms of animal welfare; Freedom from hunger or thirst, freedom from discomfort, freedom from pain, injury or disease, freedom to express normal behavior and freedom from fear and distress.
OUR PEOPLE
Our in-house team consists of 109 people with 17 different nationalities. Together we represent a melting pot of voices, opinions, religion, interests, sexual orientation, age, and languages. To us, this is one of our strongest assets as our mission is to offer gear and inspiration for everyone.
A GREEN OFFICE
Our office is powered exclusively by renewable energy and is refurbished with eco-friendly materials. So not only do we have a comfy workspace, but it’s also a win for the environment.
In regard to waste, we’re aiming for the big zero benchmark. Luckily, we’ve come a long way down the road. As for today, we have recycling stations around the office, compost all organic waste from our cantina and ensure no fabric is unnecessarily thrown away. By 2018 60% of all waste generated at the headquarters is being recycled, and word on the street is that the same mindset is present at our employees’ homes as well.
GREEN COMMUTE
Unofficial studies show that Whiteout employees are healthier, happier, spend more time outside and on top of all that contribute to extending the life of planet Earth. How? We actively promote environmentally friendly commuting to and from the office. Today, 96% travel sustainably to and from work; biking, jogging, walking, driving electric cars or using public transportation.
REPAIR
Our products are designed to join your adventures for life but should anything happen we’ll fix it. Making sure your stuff last for many, many years is one of the best tools to make them sustainable. And while a new product is great, an old one maybe even better.
BUY LESS
Made for forest walks, mountain climbs, campfires and city strolls; our collection consists of functional, premium, versatile outdoor products ready for any outdoor occasion. We’re here to offer a complete set of essential go-to garments, so you don’t need to buy lots of outdoor gear. By creating products with classic silhouettes, earthy colors and premium quality, we offer outdoor gear to be passed on to new owners and create new stories.
LIFETIME PRODUCTS
We offer versatile outdoor essentials, built to last a lifetime. In many ways, the lifetime promise is our approach to quality. For us, designing quality garments means to create outdoor products that have a versatile area of use, are made in durable and solid materials and carried out in designs that are just as appealing today as twenty years from now. With the right maintenance and the intended outdoor use, these products will accompany you on all your adventures.
PFC-FREE
While we would like to remove fluorocarbons from our DWR as quickly as possible, we have also found that many of the fluorocarbon free solutions do not work as well, and some include other harmful chemistries which do not improve environmental risk. Whiteout is not about greenwashing and making choices that actually can create more harm. We believe it is better to use the best DWR, that last as long as possible, applied under controlled conditions which will do the least overall environmental harm. The other option is to offer a water repellency which breaks down quicker, forcing our consumer to reapply treatments at home which wash straight into their municipal water system without any prefiltering. This is a complex issue, and we work as hard as we can with our suppliers to provide the best solution possible for each of the textile products we offer for sale.
ONLINE BUSINESS
Keeping a business online is not only extremely convenient for couch shoppers but contributes to minimizing our footprint. As well as preventing unnecessary driving to the mall, it stamps out the resources needed to run physical stores. Luckily, we’ve heard that people are pretty into online shopping.
With that being said - as much as we would love to say that our packaging is 100 % recycled, we’re still working on nailing the last percentage. We’ll update you as soon as we’re there!