Material Facts | Frequently Asked Questions

A woman is inspecting fabric in a clothing laboratory.

Material Facts

Frequently Asked Questions.

Fabric and material data.

How do all these changes to fabrics and materials affect the durability and longevity of your products?

At Lowe Alpine, product performance is at the core of everything we do. We are a highly technical brand, providing products for some of the most extreme environments in the world. We will never compromise on that. 

We replace fabrics and materials with recycled and fluorocarbon-free alternatives wherever available, and if it’s possible to do so without sacrificing performance.

What’s a trim?

A trim is any item added to your clothing or equipment which enhances it or adds technical features. Trims include (but are not limited to) zips, toggles, pulls, pocket linings, logos, hood stiffeners, cords, and eyelets.

Which weight of equipment are you basing your calculations on?

Backpacks, equipment, and accessories: based on actual product weight.

Why does the Material Facts table show 1% recycled trims and yet the overall product content is showing 0% recycled?

Our data is accurate. For simplicity and to avoid showing the percentage to a number of decimal places, we have rounded up, hence sometimes a small percentage of recycled content in a trim will not show against the overall product’s percentage of recycled materials.

What aren’t you measuring?

We’ve tried to be as accurate and broad as possible, capturing as much data as we can, all the way down to the zip puller and care label.  

That said, there are some elements that we don’t have weights for, so can’t yet include in the tables. These include glue and adhesives (excluding seam tapes), thread, embroidery, heat transfers, and screen prints.

Packaging is also not included at this stage.

How can you be sure your data is accurate?

We work with our manufacturing and ingredient partners to increase transparency and improve the sustainability credentials of our products. We rely on them to share information in a timely and accurate manner to ensure that our data claims can be validated.

Material Facts general.

Will you keep Material Facts exclusively to yourselves?

Material Facts is NOT a branded programme. We are sharing our knowledge with industry groups and partners. It will also help retailers to give their customers accurate information on sustainability credentials.

How is Material Facts different from other approaches?

Material Facts is about integrity and passion for data and detail.  

We cannot underplay the complexity behind sustainability data. It means different things to everyone. We want to provide you with enough information to make your own educated decision.

Does Material Facts also include packaging credentials? 

Material Facts is only focusing on the product at this stage. We have included some storage elements where relevant, for example stuff sacks on apparel items.

How accurate is the Material Facts data table?

The Material Facts data has been calculated by component, by item and by weight. Each table has been manually checked by product and material experts and cross-checked with fabric and factory certificates. We have taken all reasonable steps to ensure accuracy. However, it is possible that inadvertent errors and tolerances in data may occur.

Fluorocarbons (PFAS).

Why do Lowe Alpine still use fluorocarbons (PFAS/PFCs)?

All Lowe Alpine packs are PFAS free.

You can read more about our progress to phase out PFAS here.

Can fluorocarbons (PFAS/PFCs) be introduced ‘accidentally’?

Fluorocarbons are found in a variety of household and commercial products. They are (or have been) commonly used in ski/surf wax, chain lubricants, sewing machine lubricants, spray-on stain repellents, firefighting foam and fast-food grease repellent wrappers. It may be possible for cross-contamination to occur within a complex supply chain, in retail outlets or in the general day-to-day use of an item. As a result, unintentional trace fluorocarbons could be found on products.

Renewable energy.

How do you calculate renewable energy for Material Facts?

‘Renewable energy’ is calculated as a percentage of all energy used at the manufacturing site (including minor use of gas, fuel generators), not only electricity. The reporting period is a calendar year.

We calculate the renewable energy percentage when we start sourcing from a factory and recalculate when:

The production moves factory.

The supplier reports a significant change (i.e. installing solar panels) – in these circumstances, the reporting period is the 12 months preceding the next season launch.

The annual carbon accounting data collection shows a +/ - 10% change.

It’s been three years since the last calculation.

What do you class as renewable energy?

Renewable energy is energy generated from a source that is not depleted when used, such as solar, wind, or hydro. Due to the complexity of different feedstocks, we do not currently include biomass in our renewable energy definition.

We allow for both on-site generated and purchased renewable energy. For generated energy, we require evidence of installation and a signed testimony from the supplier. For purchased energy, we require Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) annually and set restrictions on REC origins and issue dates.

Why aren’t you reporting renewable energy in the fabric supply chain?

Currently, we only report renewable energy used by tier one suppliers (the final product manufacturing stage). This is where we have the highest leverage to influence change in an especially complex supply chain. This is just the start. Our work with the EOG’s carbon reduction project should enable us to dive deeper, but we’re moving in the right direction.

Other.

How is the total recycled content calculated?

The Material Facts totals are calculated by taking the weight and recycled content of each individual component, and calculating that as a percentage of the overall weight.

A heavier component will have a greater impact on the total recycled content.

The percentage of recycled content of each component is verified using GRS certification or equivalent.

Why does the country of manufacture on the table differ from the care label?

The country of manufacture is accurate for products manufactured after the table’s version date. Products from previous seasons, which might have been manufactured in different countries, may still be in the supply chain. The care label is always accurate.

What components are included in zips?

Although they might seem simple, zips are made of multiple components:

Teeth – the interlinking elements that form a chain. 

Tape – the fabric used to stitch the teeth into the product. 

Slider – the part that moves up and down to open/close the chain. 

Stopper – the components that stop the slider at the top and bottom. 

Pin box – the box at the bottom of separating zips that aligns the two zipper halves to close. 

Puller – the extra loop of cord that is added to make pulling the slider easier.  