Nemo's sustainability efforts recognised with major awards

American camping equipment brand Nemo has won no less than four prestigious awards recognising both its sustainability efforts and its product innovation. 

The New Hampshire-based company has been awarded the GOOD Green Design Award from the Chicago Anthenaeum & The European Centre for its Chipper seat pad product and its 100K Polybag Elimination Project.

The GOOD Green Design Award is given to “designs for buildings and products that emphasize the most advanced ‘Green Approach’ and the most sophisticated methods and technology to make the most positive impact on the environment were cited and awarded,” – attributes both the Chipper seat pad and 100K Polybag Elimination Project were deemed to have achieved. The Chipper is the only closed-cell foam seat made entirely from reclaimed and remoulded PE foam scraps from sleeping bag production, while the 100K Polybag Elimination Project is a partnership project created by Nemo and DAC that has not only helped Nemo remove an unnecessary polybag from its packaging, but also reduce the resources needed to make a sewn pole bag. The Repreve recycled, undyed, uncoated fabric bag with recycled thread uses less energy and water to manufacture. There is no webbing, cord, or plastic hardware, minimizing materials and creating a straight-forward solution.

Nemo founder and CEO, Cam Brensinger, said: “For 19 years, we’ve been committed to building a lasting brand, to making decisions with a long-term view. The future we want to create isn’t possible without addressing our impact on the planet. We are taking many actions right now to address our sustainability. More than 80 per cent of the products we make have at least one significant sustainability attribute. Some, like our new Chipper seat, are pushing forward new ways of making our category of products. Using reclaimed foam chips instead of virgin material, Chipper will remove 8.8 tons of scrap foam from the waste stream, destined for incinerators and landfills, and 48 tons of CO2 in its first year. In switching to the 100 per cent recycled pole bag, we repurpose 0.8 plastic bottles per bag while using no water for dyeing. We have a goal of eliminating 100,000 polybags with this approach by 2023. These are just beginnings, but they have started an intensive learning process and we are committed to the journey.”

If this recognition of its sustainability wasn’t enough, Nemo also picked up iF Design Awards for its Moonlight recliner chair and Moonlander adjustable height table. Noah Pitchforth, NEMO’s VP of product, said: “We are a design driven company and take pride in everything we do from how we serve our customers to how we treat each other and the planet. We believe great ideas require a great team, working environment and process. We are applying material science and obsessive attention to detail to create exceptional experiences to not just make great product, but to master the process. We are honoured with these recognitions.”   

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