Skip to main content

This Outdoor Footwear Company Is Actually Climate-Positive

To operate a business in the outdoors industry, a love for nature is pretty much required. You, your staff, and your clients spend every spare minute you can outside — hiking, running, walking, you name it. 

However, it’s impossible to be an outdoorsy person in this day and age and not be constantly faced with the knowledge that our current consumption and buying habits are endangering the very wildernesses we cherish, in large part due to climate change. Something’s gotta give. That’s why one outdoor company is leading the way by becoming the world’s first climate-positive outdoor footwear company. 

Recommended Videos

Icebug, based in Sweden and founded in 2001 by a mother-son pair, has up until now mainly been known for its outdoor and running footwear, which is designed with some of the best grip and traction in the business. The trademark steel studs and specially-patterned rubber outsoles, which offer outstanding grip on slippery surfaces like ice and mud, have earned them a cult following among ultrarunners, trail runners, and other outdoor sports enthusiasts and athletes. 

But last year, the brand’s monumental achievement has also made them known for making the environment’s health as important as the company’s bottom line. 

Icebug

“When we made the decision, we plunged into the unknown. We didn’t know if it would cost 20 cents or 20 euros per shoe, but just felt that we had to do it,” CEO David Ekelund writes on the company website, where Icebug has made of point of putting its dedication to sustainability front and center with a whole informational section. “The climate crisis can’t wait for us to become perfect. We need to act now.”

Developing a product that encourages people to get outdoors, the environmental impact of Icebug’s shoes has long been at the forefront of its founders’ minds. In 2018, the team made its mission official by announcing a plan to be fully climate-positive by 2020. It was able to beat its original timeline and accomplish the goal by the spring of 2019. 

Icebug

“The fact that we have put a lot of effort into sustainability work during the past years of course helped, but in the end, the climate positive part was easier than we thought,” Ekelund explains. 

Climate-neutral has become a buzz word in recent years as individuals and companies look for ways to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions and environmental footprints. By being climate-neutral or carbon-neutral, a company is able to balance or cancel out the emissions it produces through methods like carbon offsetting.

But being climate-positive takes things to a whole new level. It’s not enough to balance the scales; they need to be actively and constantly tipped in the planet’s favor. 

Icebug

In order for a product to be verified climate positive, it needs to conform to the guidelines of Climate Neutral Now, a United Nations-launched program aimed at measuring, reducing, and compensating carbon dioxide emissions in “production, transportation, and operations.” 

Icebug has been able to achieve its climate-positive ranking primarily through carbon offsetting (financially supporting environmental projects around the world that remove or balance out CO2 emissions through methods like reforestation). The first step was figuring out the annual emission numbers (which included accounting for product manufacturing, transportation to and from factory and to customers, business travel, commuting, etc.) to know how much needed offsetting. Although it didn’t have the exact figures, it was able to make a rough estimate, and then for safety’s sake, overcompensated that number by 30% to ensure it was in the black for CO2 removal. For the 2018-2019 fiscal year, Icebug offset 4,755 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, having estimated its total emissions to be under 4,000 tons and then adding the 30% overestimation. It also try to use recycled materials whenever possible. 

Icebug

It was the UN who reached out to inform the company that it was the first in its industry to take the leap to be climate-positive.  For 2020, now that it has a better sense ofs carbon footprint, the plan is to more accurately measure emissions across all parts of its operations and then overcompensate by 10%. 

But it’s not enough for just Icebug to make the leap to climate-positive; others need to follow. So Icebug has issued a challenge to other companies in the outdoor industry, as well as businesses in general, to take the pledge to follow the Climate Neutral Now initiative. 

“We want maximum effect and that can only be achieved if others follow,” says Ekelund. “If we can succeed in getting climate positive, most brands around us can – if they want to. Now it’s time for companies to step up and take responsibility.” 

Icebug

And Ekelund also admits Icebug still has a long way to go, that offsetting isn’t a “free pass” and the brand is dedicated to the continued pursuit of sustainability by reducing emissions even more and being on the lookout for better, more sustainable materials and production methods, as it’s estimated that “90% of our CO2 footprint comes from our products.”

To learn more about Icebug’s sustainability mission, to purchase a pair for yourself, or to get further involved, visit its website

Topics
Zoe Baillargeon
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Zoe Baillargeon is an award-winning travel writer and freelance journalist based in the Pacific Northwest. She covers travel…
BioLite’s new solar lights earned a spot in my pack after just one trip
Solar light fixtures for outdoor adventures
BioLite solar lanterns and string lights

Last month, BioLite launched a new family of solar lanterns and string lights for campers and outdoor enthusiasts. With backcountry adventure season about to really heat up, we could not resist giving them a trial. Next time you're out in nature, whether for cold-weather camping or a mild stargazing hike in the desert, you might want to pack some along.

We tested three lanterns from the new Luci lineup — the Charge 360, the Charge 150, and the Emergency — as well as the Solar String Lights. Here are our takeaways.
The lanterns

Read more
The ultimate packing list for summer camping (so you’ll never forget a thing!)
From TP and trekking poles to playing cards and pancake mix, here's everything you'll ever need in the wild
Tent pitched in front of a mountain in Belluno, Italy

With summer approaching, it's time to air your camping gear out of winter storage! If you've got some bucket-list adventures coming up, you really can't start planning too soon. Some of your current items might be broken, outdated, or just not useful anymore for the types of adventures you want to go on. So, to help make the transition easier, we've compiled a list of summer camping essentials, from a tent to sunscreen, to the more luxury nice-haves.
The fundamentals for summer camping

No camping list is complete without the fundamentals, so let's cover these first. The National Park Service actually lists 10 essential categories of items that will keep you and your crew safe. Some of these items might vary depending on the activity, but here's the gist:

Read more
Don’t let wet socks ruin your hike this spring — these tips will keep you dry
High-performance hiking socks that stand up to Seattle rain
Man in a red coat hiking in the rain

The Seattle area is famous for its rainy weather, particularly during the spring. Personally, I love the spring here, and I don't mind the gloomy weather. It's therapeutic to hit the trail on a rainy day, when the droplets patter from leaf to leaf. That said, when there is rain, there are also puddles. I've had to deal with my fair share of wet hiking socks.

Unfortunately, wet socks often come with blisters and even trench foot if your feet are constantly in a soggy condition over a several-day hike. Cleveland Clinic says that trench foot can happen in cold and damp conditions, causing symptoms such as numbness, pain, redness, and swelling, which restricts blood flow to your foot. Here's how to prevent it and avoid wet hiking socks.
Tips for preventing wet socks while hiking

Read more