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Outdoor gear is 'environmentally toxic', finds report
Companies that produce outdoor gear such as waterproof jackets, hiking boots and tents have been accused of causing serious damage to the environment and of ignoring workers' rights in a scathing new report.
The study claims that despite conveying a wholesome ethical image, the industry is heavily dependent on the oil business, and everything from jackets to tents are made from non-sustainable, climate-changing oil-based chemicals, the production of which results in highly polluting toxic waste.
Popular brands such as Berghaus, Scots firm Highlander, Helly Hansen and Craghoppers were among the 60 firms investigated, most of which were heavily criticised. The report said many companies are increasingly acting like the fashion industry in being "hell-bent in flogging" the public ever-increasing amounts of outdoor products no matter what the enironmental cost.
The study, by Ethical Consumer magazine, also raised concerns about widespread use of nanotechnology, increasingly being used by manufacturers of high-performance walking jackets. Experts such as the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution are concerned that when nanomaterials escape into the environment they may be harmful to people and wildlife.