ARC'TERYX Traceable Down Statement

ARC'TERYX cares strongly about animal welfare. Down is valued as insulation for its high thermal efficiency (exceptional warmth-to-weight ratio). However, the welfare of the geese and ducks used to provide down to the outdoor industry has been called into question in some markets.

At issue specifically with the use of down in insulated products is live harvesting (or live plucking) and the force feeding of geese for the production of foie gras. We have taken steps to ensure that our down sources are certified non-force fed and non-live pluck.

Arc'teryx down comes from small farms in Eastern Europe. Our supplier, Allied Feather and Down, uses a third party supply chain auditor, the International Down and Feather Laboratory to validate their sourcing practice claims.

In addition, Arc'teryx is working with the outdoor industry as a whole to look specifically at the issue of down sourcing. We are a non-voting member of the OIA Sustainability Working Group and the European Outdoor Group two groups that are working together on the goal of identifying potential systems of traceability for the down supplied to the outdoor industry.

Our goal is to create products responsibly, both locally and globally. We build high quality products that retain performance properties and aesthetic appeal for many years. Doing our part means knowing that our goods are manufactured with the highest regard for consumer, environmental, animal and worker welfare.

Allied Feather and Down has worked in the outdoor market since the 1980s and supplies many of the biggest brands in the industry. They are a Bluesign® system partner. Our down is cleaned and processed at their North American facility in California.

Credit: https://arcteryx.com/article.aspx?country=ca&language=en&article=Down-Statement