The winners of the fourth annual Outdoor Retailer Innovation Awards were announced in a live ceremony during Outdoor Retailer Snow Show on Thursday, January 27, 2022, in Denver, Colorado. Outdoor Retailer is the largest U.S. trade show and premier business event for the outdoor industry.

Kathmandu is honoured to have won for it’s NXT Level Bio Down jacket; chosen from a pool of 152 total entries. This year’s winners of the annual awards were selected by the judging panel from the 35 finalist outdoor products, materials, and services. They represent gear and programs from across all seasons and were scored based on original design, function, impact, and inspiring attributes.

“As a brand, Kathmandu has the goal to have 100% of our products designed, developed, and manufactured using elements of circularity principles by 2025. This jacket shows how deeply committed we are to this 2025 goal as we continue to change the way we look at our product and its impact on our planet; it’s the ultimate expression of passion, dedication, and skill used with the sole intention to make the world a better place”

• Robert Fry, Kathmandu General Manager of Product

NXT-Level Men’s/Women's Jacket

The NXT-Level jacket represents the latest in Kathmandu’s longstanding commitment to sustainable innovation and manufacturing. It is designed to last and is made from Nylon 66, one of the most durable materials available in textile manufacturing. It’s warm, durable, lightweight, and soft, with down that’s traceable with TrackMyDown. The jacket is also biodegradable*. Our hope is that you’ll never have to get rid of it (or throw it in the bin), but if that were to happen, we've tried to minimise the environmental impact of the jacket.

* The NXT-Level jacket only biodegrades in a biologically active landfill without oxygen. The NXT-Level jacket does not biodegrade in an environment with oxygen. Each element of the jacket will biodegrade in a biologically active landfill without oxygen at a different speed. Testing under ASTM D5511 indicates that, in a biologically active landfill without oxygen:

• For the outer and lining material: there is 86.6% biodegradation in 1,050+ days (greater than 2.9 years)
• For the zip and thread: there is 94.4% biodegradation in 1,677+days (greater than 4.6 years)
• For the synthetic fill: there is 93.8% biodegradation in 646+ days (greater than 1.8 years)

Once disposed of, the jacket may not end up in a biologically active landfill without oxygen. Do not litter in nature.

Background on Kathmandu

Kathmandu was founded in New Zealand in 1987 and started with a simple belief – outside is where we live our best lives. Our thoughtfully designed outdoor apparel and gear makes getting out into nature possible.

Kathmandu’s purpose is to improve the wellbeing of the world through the outdoors. Nature makes us happier and more open, free, and fun and Kathmandu celebrates this by motivating people to live their best lives by getting out there more.

Because the outdoors is so important to us, Kathmandu puts planet and people first. We have always been courageous when it comes to sustainability and doing the right thing. We have bold ESG targets and we’re also a certified B Corporation (B Corp). This accreditation enables customers to trust that Kathmandu meets stringent standards for positive social and environmental impact.

Sustainability has been something we’ve prioritised since our early days. We introduced our first product innovation – EcoFleece, a fleece fabric produced from recycled plastic PET bottles - in 1991 and we haven’t stopped innovating since, especially when it comes to materials.

Kathmandu is dedicated to increasing the responsible material content in our products through use of environmentally preferred, low climate impact materials. We prioritise materials that are regenerative, recycled or recyclable, bio-based, biodegradable, or responsibly farmed or grown as we work towards our ESG targets including: all polyester recycled or recyclable by 2030, and 100% Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) by 2025.

Kathmandu is also on a path to embed circular thinking into the design of all products and to invest in innovative business models* to keep resources in use. This is a vital step away from the linear take-make-waste system and movement towards a zero-waste, closed-loop system.

This year Kathmandu launched the biodegradable** NXT-Level jacket. The jacket is designed to last and is made from Nylon 66, one of the most durable materials available in textile manufacturing.

The NXT-Level jacket represents the latest in Kathmandu’s longstanding commitment to sustainable innovation and manufacturing – and tackling the problem of textile waste. It is only one of the many solutions we are using to combat the growing challenge of apparel waste. As we approach each situation, the key will be in finding the best-possible solution for the particular kind of product or part of a range. It could be biodegradation, a form of reuse, or recycling. Although the jacket is biodegradable**, our hope is that you’ll never have to get rid of it (or throw it in the bin), but if that were to happen, we've tried to minimise the environmental impact of the jacket. Without this kind of technology, a similar jacket might take a hundred or more years to biodegrade.

The NXT-Level jacket has been recognised by the global outdoors industry and has won several product innovation awards, including Outdoor Retailer and ISPO, two of the most reputable accolades for outdoor and sporting apparel globally.

Kathmandu is distributed in Europe online and via wholesale partners across the UK, Ireland, France, and Germany. Kathmandu is also available in Canada (wholesale and online) and the US (online). In Australia and New Zealand, Kathmandu has 155 retail outlets, is available online and via wholesalers.