#Sustainability

2025-03-06

NEMO Equipment launches the first bluesign® product backpacking tent

Dagger OSMO™, a top-selling tent in specialty outdoor stores, and a favorite among backpackers and campers, is now a bluesign® PRODUCT. This milestone highlights NEMO’s commitment to clean chemistry and responsible manufacturing, adhering to the industry’s most rigorous environmental and worker safety standards. Made with solution-dyed, 100% recycled, PFAS- and FRC-free fabrics, the 2025 Dagger OSMO has more livable space without adding ounces thanks to new custom hardware and painstaking attention to every detail of the tent’s construction.

The best-selling Dagger OSMO™ tent is now more spacious and more sustainable than ever © 2025 NEMO

The bluesign® PRODUCT designation represents one of the highest standards of sustainability in consumer goods. It eliminates harmful chemical substances at the start of the textile supply chain, minimizing impacts on both people and the planet. This achievement for Dagger OSMO marks a significant milestone, as tents have traditionally been a challenging category for sustainability with their diverse components and high expectations for performance. Elite backpacking tents require materials that are lightweight, durable, water-resistant, and UV-resistant, often relying on chemical treatments like PFAS and flame retardants—substances that pose significant environmental and health risks. NEMO’s breakthrough OSMO tent fabric has forged a path to that high level of performance while bypassing these harmful substances.

Built for backpacking and camping enthusiasts, Dagger OSMO is a versatile, lightweight tent that features an updated pole structure equipped with NEMO’s custom Elements™ hardware to expand its already roomy interior and increase the door opening and peak height. A standout of the Elements collection is the Axial™ corner anchor, which allows for a quick and easy setup and tensioning without re-staking. Each vestibule also gets 22% more usable storage space thanks to the new, near-weightless Stash™ volumizing strut. And the improved Divvy Cube™ is now easier to pack, fits efficiently in a backpack, and can be compressed when splitting the weight with a partner. Dagger OSMO is available in a 2- and 3-person capacity with a minimum weight of 3 lbs., 5 oz for the 2P and an MSRP of $499.95.

“In the fall of 2023, our Product team set out to take Dagger further by not only using 100% recycled fabrics that are free of PFAS and added fire retardant chemicals, but by creating the industry’s first bluesign® tent,” said Gabi Rosenbrien, Product Development Director at NEMO. “Partnering with bluesign® was a natural evolution of our collaboration in other product categories and highlights NEMO’s dedication to responsible chemicals management. The development process involved close cooperation with both new and existing suppliers to ensure that all 65+ materials used in the tent met rigorous performance and chemical compliance standards.”

“Achieving bluesign® PRODUCT for the Dagger OSMO tent demonstrates the progress we can make when brands are willing to challenge the status quo in product design,” said Daniel Rufenacht, CEO of bluesign®. “By prioritizing clean chemistry and sustainability, NEMO is setting an inspiring example for the outdoor industry, proving that exceptional performance and responsible manufacturing can go hand in hand.”

For more information on NEMO’s sustainability efforts, please see their line of fully recyclable sleeping bags and backpacks.

https://www.nemoequipment.com/

Storm Creek achieves bluesign® PRODUCT status

Storm Creek (ASI#/PPAI#) is proud to announce a meaningful sustainability milestone: the company has achieved bluesign® PRODUCT status: becoming the first US-based supplier in the promotional products industry to earn this globally respected certification. While this marks an industry first, for Storm Creek, it represents something far more important: a continuation of doing what they believe is right.

Execs help steer Cascale’s consumer goods agenda in Athens

The 2026 Cascale Annual Meeting, taking place September 15–17 in Athens, Greece, will convene leaders from across the global consumer goods value chain to tackle one of the industry’s defining questions: how to accelerate meaningful, system-wide transformation. Guiding those conversations as this year’s co-chairs are Sean Cady, vice president, global sustainability, responsibility, trade, and government affairs at VF Corporation, and Dr. Delman Lee, vice chair at TAL Apparel Limited.

SAITEX reports efficiency gains and greater transparency in 2025 Impact Report

Vietnam-based denim manufacturer SAITEX has published its 2025 Impact Report, documenting progress in resource efficiency, chemical management, digital traceability and knowledge sharing across its manufacturing operations in Vietnam and the United States. Rather than focusing on sustainability ambitions, the report presents operational data, manufacturing developments and lessons learned from the past year.

Aid by Trade Foundation presents annual report for 2025: Market position and impact of sustainably verified natural fibres strengthened

Despite global supply chain challenges, the Aid by Trade Foundation (AbTF) was able to further expand its international role in promoting sustainably verified natural fibres in 2025. In doing so, the foundation remains true to its fundamental approach of leveraging market forces. Last year, it generated total revenues of EUR 7.8 million; this included EUR 6.7 million collected through the successful marketing of four standards: Cotton made in Africa (CmiA), CmiA Organic, The Good Cashmere Standard (GCS), and the Regenerative Cotton Standard (RCS). AbTF invested the resulting income in projects aiming to protect biodiversity, support women, increase transparency in the textile supply chain, and implement its verification system.

Textile Exchange reports growth in certifications and industry engagement

Textile Exchange has published its 2025 Annual Report, highlighting continued growth in certified sites, industry participation and the development of its standards and membership structure. According to the report, more than 100,000 sites worldwide are now certified to Textile Exchange standards, more than three times the number recorded in 2020. Preliminary figures also indicate 12% year-on-year growth across the organization's current standards, including the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), Recycled Claim Standard (RCS) and the Responsible Animal Fiber standards.

European textile industry calls for €10 handling fee on ultra-fast-fashion imports

The introduction of the €3 customs duty on low-value imports marks an important milestone in Europe’s efforts to address the challenges created by the rapid growth of ultra-fast-fashion imports. Together with the abolition of the €150 customs duty exemption, it demonstrates that policymakers are willing to act when market distortions become impossible to ignore. However, the European textile and clothing industry considers this a first step rather than the final destination.

From smart jackets to laser technology: Mona Neubaur explores Textile Factory 7.0

As part of her summer tour, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Mona Neubaur, visited Textilfabrik 7.0 in Mönchengladbach to experience the project’s innovations first-hand. Under the motto “smart and clean”, the visit focused on innovative technologies and sustainable alternatives for textile production - from smart jackets to the decolourisation of textiles using fungal cultures.

Cinte Techtextil China 2026 has opened today, bringing global innovations and resources to Shanghai

As Asia’s premier platform catering to the evolving needs in technical textiles and nonwovens, Cinte Techtextil China has opened today at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, gathering over 300 exhibitors from 15 countries and regions. Across Halls W3 to W5, this edition will create chances for fast-growing sectors and emerging trends – such as Mobiltech, Medtech & Protech, Indutech and more. The curated zones, pavilions, and fringe programme are designed to better connect exhibitors with targeted buyers from across China, Asia-Pacific, and further afield. Meanwhile, the Association Village will gather international industry associations to foster even more global collaboration.

Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris opens with focus on AI, circularity and new sourcing regions

More than 1,000 exhibitors from around the world are gathering at Paris-Le Bourget as Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris opens its doors from August 31 to September 2. With around 500 textile manufacturers and a similar number of apparel and accessories suppliers, the trade fair reflects the ongoing transformation of global sourcing and the growing diversification of supply regions.