Nemo, the independent designer of outdoor gear and accessories, reported it partnered with Ambercycle, a Los Angeles-based company that “regenerates end-of-life textiles into new materials for brands and manufacturers.” The collaboration extends Nemo’s Endless Promise program toward a 100 percent recyclable product line.
Nemo’s Endless Promise collection debuted in 2023 with the launch of the Forte Endless Promise synthetic sleeping bag from the brand’s Spoon-shaped sleeping bag line. In 2024, Nemo will extend the collection to include down sleeping bags and backpacks.
Using Ambercycle’s technology, Nemo’s Endless Promise products will be “transformed” into polyester yarns to “live on” as a new product. To close the loop on circularity, Nemo reported it is working to “incorporate cycora regenerated material in future product launches and collaborating with its supply chain to divert textile production waste to Ambercycle.” The textile-to-textile recycling process “allows materials to flow through continuous life cycles, minimizing waste and maximizing resource utilization,” said Nemo.
“We are thrilled to partner with Ambercycle in expanding our Endless Promise circularity program to down bags and backpacks,” said Theresa McKenney, director of Sustainability at Nemo. “Over 87 percent of Nemo’s environmental impacts happen before our products leave the factory; emissions are embedded in our gear. It’s on us as brands to keep these products out in the world and out of the landfill as long as possible. We’ve built repair and resale networks, but recyclability has been elusive. Through meticulous trials and collaborative analysis with Ambercycle, we now have a true circularity solution for key products in our line. We hope this becomes a case study of what can and should be done by the outdoor industry.”
