Green Brand Profile: NEMO's Endless Promise

BY SARAH LAMAGNA

When the words “gone green” or “sustainably-sourced” are plastered all over an outdoor brand’s website, it’s hard to always know exactly what that means. Unfortunately, there are many brands who use these vague (and often immeasurable) terms to work under the guise of being a sustainable, eco-friendly company. But there are plenty of others making real efforts in the sustainability space. 

One of the most notable, in my opinion, has proven that small companies can make big impacts when it stops focusing on the bottom line and, instead, on the life cycle of the product.

NEMO Equipment is a small brand born in New England. Not only are they bluesign and Climate Neutral Certified, and they committed to cutting their emissions footprint in half by 2030. But maybe most interestingly, they just launched their Endless Promise line.

The line—which includes products like backpacks and sleeping bags—comes as a result of recognizing that, as an outdoor brand producing gear that inevitably ends up in landfills, they are part of the problem. Most brands might just do some carbon offsets or throw a pile of money at a non-profit and call it a day. But not NEMO.

The line is designed for total circularity. It starts with a single, durable material to ensure a long-lasting life (there is such a thing as fast fashion in the outdoor gear world). Then NEMO designs these products using simple cuts, so they can easily be repaired without having to completely dismantle the product. Lastly, by using a single material, the product can be easily recycled. Because, let’s face it, most people won’t recycle a glass jar if they have to remove the label surrounding it. If brands don’t make recycling their product easy, it simply won’t happen.

It’s nice to see that NEMO keeps pushing boundaries and putting the health of the environment at the forefront of their designs. They, quite literally, put their money where their mouth is and created loyal customers in the process. It turns out that going green has kept them out of the red.