Outdoor Voices was established in 2013 by Ty Haney. Headquartered in Austin, TX, the brand designs and sells activewear, loungewear, and other apparel. Their products are manufactured in US, Vietnam, Taiwan, Turkey, and Sri Lanka.
In our pursuit of knowing how sustainable Outdoor Voices is, we researched their current practices and how much they are impacting the environment. Areas we explored include raw material use, brand communications, long-term use, energy efficiency, and waste generation.
The larger part of their collection is made of polyester, which is known to have high energy requirements and post-consumer waste impact. Additionally, the brand also uses nylon, organic cotton, recycled polyester, and spandex in manufacturing their clothes. This heavy use of polluting fabrics show that they have lower-than-the-average standards when it comes to sourcing of raw materials.
Outdoor Voices values sustainability by actively communicating their green efforts and goals while informing their customers about the most pressing environmental issues. They have marketing campaigns that inspire the public to take steps in improving their global impact. However, results of the environmental life-cycle assessment of their products are not available to the public. Thus, withholding details that could help their customers make responsible purchasing decisions.
To promote long-term use of their products, they establish initiatives that help consumers reuse their old clothes or repair any damaged articles. That said, they are currently not organizing any garment collecting program that might prompt customers to raise their efforts in reducing their personal waste footprint.
One of the most remarkable changes that they’re implementing is their use of energy-saving technologies and renewable energy within their operations. Despite this, they don’t provide their customers with eco-conscious care instructions that could’ve stretched their energy conservation vision as far as the consumer stage.
Our environment pays a hefty bill for every package that we transport quickly. When distributing their products, the brand provides their customers with the choice to go for a standard shipping option—a slower and less harmful way to move goods. In addition, they also offer their customers with incentives for opting out of express shipping methods like same-day or overnight delivery.
Outdoor Voices packages their products without the use of any plastic. Rather, they are using mostly paper. This material is biodegradable, reusable, and recyclable. Despite this effort, it seems that they are using excessive amounts of packaging, which increases their waste impact.
After researching how sustainable Outdoor Voices is, we determined that, based on their computed score of 4.1 or a rating of Garden Variety, they are reasonably sustainable. This is an average rating and indicates that they are unremarkable with respect to their environmental efforts.
