At Arcade, we’re in business to do good, not to do business as usual. In fact, the phrase “give a damn” is one we live by – which means a heck of a lot more than just making great products. To us, the phrase is about being a force of good to protect the places we love and celebrate the people that make adventures worthwhile.
Over the years, we’ve formed partnerships with non-profit organizations including Protect Our Winters, HighFives, Save the Waves, and Big City Mountaineers to bring awareness to causes we care about, including climate change, preserving natural resources, and making the outdoors more accessible.
But there’s a lot of reasons to support outdoor brands that give back. Here are 7 of our favorites:
1. Community Support
As a community of athletes and adventurers ourselves, we understand that for many, there are barriers to getting outside. Brands that prioritize their values often invest in their local communities, funding projects that help make the outdoors more accessible.
2. Sustainable Practices
For folks that spend the majority of their free time outdoors, it's natural to want to protect the habitats you love from the impact of climate change.
Brands committed to giving back often focus on sustainable and eco-friendly production practices, reducing their carbon footprint and promoting a healthier planet.
We’re proud to call ourselves a brand that prioritizes sustainability in the production of our outdoor belts. In fact, in 2022, we reformulated our comfortable belt webbing to use REPREVE® yarn, the leading brand of recycled performance fibers. 95% of our line now uses REPREVE®, which means choosing one of our adjustable belts is choosing to stem the tide of plastic that clogs up our oceans, beaches, and landfills. Pretty cool, huh?
3. Quality Products
Along the same vein of shopping for products that prioritize sustainability is creating high-quality gear that lasts adventure after adventure. Unlike products crafted from cheap materials that will break down over time, gear built to last is the more sustainable solution for the planet – and your wallet.
Brands that prioritize sustainability often also prioritize the quality of their products, making sure that you get durable and reliable gear – no matter how big the adventure.
4. Corporate Responsibility
When you support brands that give back, you encourage corporate responsibility, promoting a business culture that values social and environmental contributions over simply making a profit.
5. Consumer Empowerment
Believe it or not, the theory of supply and demand teaches us that consumers really do have power (Econ 101, anyone?). By choosing brands that prioritize values that align with yours, you can make a positive impact with your purchasing power, supporting causes you care about without compromising on the quality or performance of your gear.
6. Innovation
We understand firsthand that in order to align with your values, you have to get creative sometimes. It's important to us that with each new product that we develop, we assess new technologies and manufacturing practices that reduce our carbon footprint – aligning with our overall sustainability goals.
Many brands that lead with their values also lead the way in innovation, developing technologies and utilizing materials that are better for the environment while maintaining their high quality performance.
7. Inspiring Others
We’re firm believers in leading by example. Your choice to support brands that align with your values will inspire friends, family, and adventure buddies alike to be more conscious about their purchasing decisions, amplifying the positive impact of giving back to your local community and the planet we love.
Curious about our approach to giving back? By the end of this year, we expect to repurpose over 3 million plastic bottles, reduce 300 KG of CO2 emissions, and save over 3.1 million liters of water – all by reassessing how the materials that we use to build our athletic belts impact the planet.
