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withered_preacher
A bit of background: one of the things I first used LFGSS for was to buy more expensive (better made, longer-lasting) kit than I could afford, second-hand. Over the years I’ve read many useful / interesting conversations on here related to buying / selling / fixing / adapting / reusing / restoring / making and the relative attributes of various bits of kit. It's clear that there is an amazing community on here of designers, makers and, also, attentive and demanding consumers. I know that LFGSS means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. This thread may be of niche interest or concern only a few of us. But I’ve thought for a while that what was missing was a place for some discussion of the ethical ramifications of all of this production / consumption, and a collected set of resources for those who are interested in the related complexities (after all, my buying of second-hand gear replied upon someone else selling something before it finished its useful life…).
I don’t claim to be an expert but I’d like to be better informed than I am – and better able to make decisions (in the first instance as a consumer, but also as someone who makes things) about what I put on my back / cycle off into the hills / therefore invest in and contribute to the continuation of (be it material production, employment practices, etc.).
Some of the issues that might be discussed here (but no means limited to) are, for e.g.:
Sustainability / 'sustainability'
Supply chains (sourcing and workers rights)
Materials / production processes / recycling / Extended Producer Responsibility / corporate ownership (a.k.a. the Cordura problem)
Repairs (factored into production cost) / reuse / recycling / biodegradability
… and more things I’m sure that I haven’t thought about / don’t know about yet.
The resources below relate mostly to clothing / equipment, but would ideally cover bike parts themselves (there is some related discussion of this on the 3D printing / AM thread for e.g., link below).
I’ll try and update the resources list as often as I can on this first post. Flag things directly if it doesn’t look like I’ve spotted it. These lists are certainly not definitive, and there is lots to discuss / scrutinise with each of these initiatives / corporate positions etc. so please add your comments and suggest other resources / events / info etc. Thanks everyone.
Accreditation / existing programs:
B-Corp: https://bcorporation.uk/
Bluesign: https://www.bluesign.com/en
Fair-Tax Mark: https://fairtaxmark.net/
Living Wage/London Living Wage: https://www.livingwage.org.uk/
OEKO-Tex: https://www.oeko-tex.com/en/
Sustainable Apparel Coalition / Higg index:
https://apparelcoalition.org/
https://apparelcoalition.org/the-higg-index/
Extended Producer Responsibility schemes / policy changes / proposals:
t.b.c…
Individual companies:
Albion:
https://www.albioncycling.com/about/
Alpkit:
https://alpkit.com/pages/sustainability-principles
https://alpkit.com/pages/sustainability?utm_campaign=388740_Welcome%20Sustainability&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Alpkit%20Ltd&dm_i=57MB,8BYC,4P9SI7,WVTG,1
Endura:
https://www.endurasport.com/sustainability.list?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI06b1r8Wd8gIVV-vtCh20bwPtEAAYAiAAEgK3lfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
MAAP:
https://maap.cc/stories/our-road-to-a-more-sustainable-future
Milltag:
https://milltag.cc/blogs/news/our-responsibility
Morvélo:
https://www.morvelo.com/pages/sustainability
Pas Normal:
https://uk.pasnormalstudios.com/pages/impact-responsibility
https://pasnormalstudios.dk/pages/fabrics
Proviz:
https://www.provizsports.com/en-gb/sustainability
Rapha:
https://www.rapha.cc/gb/en/stories/Rapha-Impact
https://www.rapha.cc/gb/en/sustainability
This is an initial search, and some companies are certainly more detailed in terms of commitments than others (Rapha, for e.g.). If you can find more info from other producers, please post it below and I’ll add it…a number of the big names I couldn’t find anything. This could / should also cover bikepacking / touring / luggage (Apidura, Restrap, Ortlieb, etc.)…
Other related discussion boards on LFGSS:
Sewing / materials / fabrication: https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/160474/
3d printing: https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/185042/