Sustainability and the outdoor industry's footprint

If you’re here, you’ve probably noticed – the outdoor industry is booming. There’s a substantial contradiction though: gear makes it possible to connect to the natural environment in an intimate way, but buying new equipment instead of reusing what is already out there can negatively impact that same nature we enjoy. For many recreational gear owners taking just a handful of trips a season, gear sitting unused in the garage is common.

So GeerGarage introduced a sustainable model for putting lonely gear back in circulation by creating a platform connecting those in the community who already have gear with the folks who need it.

A costly chain of supply

"95% of our carbon emissions come from our supply chain” admits Patagonia, who are already pioneers in sustainable business practices. What is the supply chain? They explain, “the term that textile manufacturers use to describe everything from the crops grown to make yarn, to shipping finished clothes to warehouses, stores and customers' front steps."

Non-profit PlanetAid, which collects and recycles used textiles to protect the environment, observes "… the production of fabric consumes a surprising quantity of fresh water. One T-shirt, for example, consumes about 700 gallons of water."

And coverage of a 2018 report by the Outdoor Industry Association notes that “80 suppliers are used to make just one tent.”

Many of us aren’t fully aware of how much environmental damage is caused by the production of our outdoor gear. Even when purchasing from the most sustainable and green brands, buying new is rarely ever a neutral environmental practice.

A way forward through equipment reuse

Here at GeerGarage, we are working to find ways to lessen the impact of our environmental footprint while still enjoying the outdoors. By supporting a community of individuals dedicated to reusing outdoor gear, we can slow the accelerating rate of new gear production.

For gear owners, renting out your unused gear on GeerGarage means you will maximize the fuels used to manufacture your gear, whether from carbon-based or renewable sources.

And for those in need of gear for an upcoming trip, renting it from your neighbor through GeerGarage means you won’t become yet another end user in a wasteful supply chain.

Renters and Lenders can both be part of a community that’s working to diminish the negative impact of the outdoor industry on the environment.

Let’s use the outdoors as a force for good – Join us!