Most people won’t climb K2. What are the environmental and inclusivity implications of over-engineering gear as if they will?

Each season, products are upgraded in an effort to satisfy each and every enthusiast’s needs and deliver new technologies.  Be it improved moisture management, a lighter packable product or a better innovative material – these incremental revisions find themselves on the shop floor for us to purchase.  Enticed by the marketing of stunning mountain sceneries in combination with the aspiration to achieve greatness and conquer nature, consumers are persuaded to purchase the latest gear.

One question begs an answer: Does the average consumer really need all this gear?  Will they be climbing that mountain from the marketing material – or just going out to walk the dog?

Overengineering refers to the practice of designing and developing a product, system, or solution that is more complex, sophisticated, or expensive than necessary to fulfill its intended purpose.  Add in the required dimension of sustainability and we are faced with a percentage increase in price due to the ingredients, required certifications and considered sourcing, not to mention the raw materials, energy and resources needed for production. This leads to extra – not replacement – collections that promise to Save our planet. But at what cost?

Striking a balance between planet and profit

The question should be asked not only for the fiscal implication, but also for the environmental impact.  The task is to measure both of these and evaluate the balance between profit and doing good – which sometimes can actually mean doing less. So, let’s be clear, the most sustainable product is the one you already own or can borrow, mend or buy second or third hand.

Can you remember the last time that you stood in the rain and you felt the droplets fall on your face?  Perhaps we have forgotten that we ourselves have our own ready-made natural protection from the elements? After all, our skin is a high-performance membrane and our body hair an instant insulation layer. When did we become so anxious of being briefly exposed to nature?

You may have heard of an emerging trend known as “Earthing.” This is essentially stripping back your boots and your gear and connecting bare feet directly to the planet – literally.  Could this be an indicator to brands that consumers are seeking a low-tech outdoor experience? This is also a nod to becoming more inclusive – being outside is free and allows everyone the freedom to enjoy it, without the fear of not having the “right gear.” Being outdoors is what creates the community – not what you do in that space or what you are wearing.  Maybe instead of presuming end-users that have their sights set on climbing K2, brands could instead provide space for the user to simply enjoy the journey with the product – wherever it may take them.

Who will be the first to grasp the low-tech opportunity?

Consumer mindsets are changing for the better and are looking for quality, durability and repairability.   This offers an opportunity for brands to reconsider their offer and create products for their realistic, rather than aspired end use. Low tech, repairable, and eventually recyclable ingredients are key. Here, an ideal situation would be that we care for the products that we have in hand already, and are supported by the industry as a whole to reuse, care and repair items and when the time eventually comes after many uses, that we recycle.  The real “innovations” must shift from newness and producing more products to caring and repairing the inventory already produced.

Who will be the first to purposefully reduce their continuous production and stop offering the “circularity get-out-of-jail-free” card?  This is the mother of all elephants in the room today. It is time that we create financially viable alternatives to make more – sell more.  It will take a brave player to disrupt the linear, ever-increasing mountain of single or unused gear.

Stop the input and make the change.