ISPO 2018: Meet The North Face

by Cira Riedel

Have you ever heard about a carbon beneficial product? Now, this is something you should pay attention to: a product, that actually sequesters more carbon emissions, then it creates!

The North Face feature a woolen beanie, made on a Californian Sheep farm, that does exactly that. And we are very excited to feature this break through product against climate change on our GRV showcase in Hall A4 at ISPO in a couple of days. Stop by!

Warm your dome, not the globe, with our Climate Beneficial wool beanie.

“At The North Face, we strive to take a mindful approach to the design and development of our products. In 2014, The North Face® helped fund a Carbon Farming pilot project, part of Fibershed’s Climate Beneficial Wool programme, at Bare Ranch, California. The programme raises sheep using carbon farming practices that sequester more carbon dioxide than the ranch emit. In late winter 2016, we began production on a beanie using super soft Rambouillet wool from the programme.

Increasing carbon capture on working lands helps to slow rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, currently contributing to climate destabilization and unpredictability through global warming. Located at the southern end of the Surprise Valley on the border of California and Nevada, Bare Ranch’s carbon farming practices are expected to sequester 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year. This amount of sequestered carbon dioxide is equivalent to offsetting the emissions from about 850 passenger vehicles a year.

In addition to carbon capture, the ranching practices also improve soil health. Enhancing working land carbon, whether in plants or soils, results in beneficial changes in a wide array of system attributes, including; soil water holding capacity and hydrological function, biodiversity, soil fertility, and resilience to drought and flood, along with increasing agricultural productivity. 

With one patch of land and a flock of sheep, Bare Ranch is proving that a hyperlocal, climate conscious approach to textiles manufacturing can reshape our relationship with the only planet we have.”