Continuum was launched to address two primary issues: the huge quantity of clothing going to landfill and the growing number of people in need of warm clothing.
The Outdoor Industry thrives because of the environment we live in, however, to make our kit, the outdoor industry contributes to the environmental nasties that are the side effects of any sort of production.
Annual consumption of clothing in the UK alone produces 1.8 million tonnes of waste, and 38 million tonnes of CO2. To help you get your head round these numbers, that's the equivalent of every household in the UK clocking up 6000 miles per year on their car. The best way to reduce this is to prolong the life of our clothes by wearing them for longer.
Here at Alpkit, our Product Team are a conscientious bunch who strives to design durable products, extending their usable lifetime. We know that by extending the average life of clothes by just three months per garment, we can reduce carbon, water, and waste footprints by 5-10%.
But once the Product Team have done their bit, it’s over to you. A significant proportion of the environmental cost of clothing comes from how you use and dispose of it. Many of us love getting shiny new gear, and some of us will even happily retire our fleeces and jackets before their lives are over.
There are a huge amount of people living on the streets who are in desperate need of clothing to keep them warm and dry, and organisations in need of waterproofs.
That's where Continuum comes in: we take the unwanted gear that’s stashed up in your attic, destined for landfill, and pass it on people who will really benefit from it.