FOR THE PLANET
PEOPLE & PLANET-FRIENDLY MATERIALS
We're here to make products that get you outside. The last thing we want is for our gear to harm the playground we love.
As a product-focused company obsessed with sustainability, our process and progression starts with sourcing low-impact and responsible materials for our products and packaging. We’re setting ambitious goals, looking at the entire product life cycle, considering the bigger picture like chemicals, energy, and resources used in the manufacturing process, and partnering with trusted third-party certifiers like bluesign® to hold us to a high standard.
We keep pushing the boundaries of innovative, sustainable design without sacrificing quality or technical performance.
When we learned that epoxy resin was a significant contributor to the environmental footprint of our boards, we found and tested a bio-based alternative. What started as a small project evolved into standard practice, and bio-based resin is now used on all Burton boards.
Our hardgoods engineers take the same approach with other product innovations, piloting low-impact materials, like water-based glues in our boots and measure our progress using in-house lifecycle analysis.
And for our softgoods (aka jackets, apparel, and all those extras to keep you outside enjoying nature), we’ve led the way in developing bluesign® products and sourcing preferred materials like organic cotton and recycled polyester to limit our environmental impact.
These are just some of the ways that sustainability has guided our tracks.
But it’s a continual journey, which is why we approach every aspect of R&D and product design by balancing sustainability and performance. We’ve set aggressive goals to ensure we continue to lead the industry.
FOR THE PLANET
OUR RESPONSIBLE NATURAL FIBER STANDARD
Cotton, down, wool, leather, and forest-based fibers have traditionally been some of the dirtiest and least ethically-sourced materials due to toxic chemicals from synthetic pesticides and harmful animal welfare and forestry practices.
We’re holding ourselves accountable through our responsible Natural Fiber Standard.
We try to source 100% third-party certified natural materials that significantly reduce or eliminate the harms of traditional processes to help protect our people and the planet.
AND WE USE:
ORGANIC COTTON
In 2023, we achieved our goal to source 100% organic cotton because it’s safer for people and the planet and requires less water to produce and process. We also intentionally source from countries where organic cotton is ethically grown and processed into materials that are soft on your skin and gentler on the planet.
RESPONSIBLY SOURCED DOWN
In 2021, we achieved our goal to source 100% responsible down because we are committed to ethical and traceable supply chains. Responsibly Sourced Down is a third-party process that requires suppliers to certify parent farms where birds are raised, ensuring that animals are not subjected to unnecessary harm and gives Burton visibility into the origins of our materials.
RESPONSIBLY SOURCED WOOL
By 2025, all wool used in Burton products will come from farms that follow third-party verified standards to protect the Five Freedoms of animal welfare like Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), the New Merino® Standard, the ZQ® Natural Fibre standard, and Nativa™, and that never use mulesing practices.
LEATHER WORKING GROUP LEATHER
By 2024, we'll achieve our goal to source 100% of our leather from tanneries that follow strict environmental and manufacturing standards to reduce air and water pollution. We are committed to supporting responsible leather manufacturing across the globe and are proud members of Leather Working Group.
Check out our 2025 goals page for more details on how we’re tracking progress towards these goals.
LOW IMPACT MATERIALS THROUGH SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION
SAFER CHEMISTRY FOR THE PLANET AND PEOPLE
What’s chemistry got to do with it? Everything. Yes, toxic chemicals can make their way into finished products (and then onto our skin, waterways, and snowpacks). But the real dirty secret is the impact toxic chemicals have on workers and communities where products are made. Getting to eco-friendly materials means taking it back to the fundamentals—like chemistry.
The basics: we require our suppliers to meet the requirements of our restricted substances list or RSL and invest in materials with safe chemistry, like bluesign®, OKEO TEX Standard 100, and Leather Working Group. We also monitor chemical usage and assess environmental performance—like air emissions and water usage at production facilities annually. Tools like this keep us consistent in our measurement and identify opportunities for improvement.
PARTNERING WITH BLUESIGN® SINCE 2011
Since 2011, we’ve worked with industry-leading bluesign®—a system that sets strict safety standards throughout the entire textile production supply chain— to ensure efficient manufacturing and relentlessly minimize pollution and maximize chemical safety. When you see a bluesign® certified material or product, you can be confident that you’re purchasing something made with the safety of people and the planet in mind.
We’re proud to be leading the industry on bluesign® products, but when we can’t source bluesign® certified materials, we opt for other highly vetted clean chemistry certifications like Oeko Tex-standard 100 and Leather Working Group. Sustainable production and clean chemistry are constant journeys for us. Over 65% of our products are bluesign®, and our goal is to get to 100% by 2025.
PLANET & PEOPLE FRIENDLY MATERIALS
RECYCLED & RENEWABLE MATERIALS
We’re constantly thinking about ways to reduce our reliance on virgin plastics, carbon-intensive materials, and non-renewable resources. You’ll see us using recycled polyester fibers in our apparel, bio-based resins on our boards, and recycled (and recyclable!) paper in our packaging. Every season we’re progressing and focusing on our materials. We dropped acrylic from our beanies when we calculated the environmental cost and swapped it for more sustainable materials like recycled polyester. We use Life Cycle Analysis and the Higg Materials Sustainability Index to measure our materials’ environmental impact and evaluate other planet-friendly options that don’t compromise performance. We also source certified quality materials, like the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), and the Global Recycled Standard (GRS), to improve traceability and ensure responsibility. Check out our 2025 Goals to see where we’re headed.
RESPONSIBLE & ECO-FRIENDLY PACKAGING
When it comes to packaging, we focus on two objectives: sourcing low-impact materials and eliminating as much waste as possible. We aim to be landfill-free—which means all of our packaging will be made from at least 80% post-consumer recycled materials and be widely recyclable around the globe or compostable at home. And since we’re talking packaging, let’s address the single-use plastic problem head-on. Microplastics have found their way onto our highest mountains and into our deepest oceans, and Burton packaging should not be part of the problem. We joined the Responsible Packaging Movement to source only FSC-certified fibers and eliminate plastic in our packaging as soon as possible.
ON OUR WAY TO PFC-FREE DWR
What’s the deal with DWR? DWR, or Durable Water Repellent, is a special polymer-based coating that makes technical fabrics water-resistant and keeps us dry and riding all day long. High-performing DWR can be made of perfluorocarbons or PFCs. In 2016, we ultimately transitioned out of “long-chain” C8 DWR, which was found to have long-term hazardous effects, and is now regulated around the globe. Most of our water-resistant products (over 75%) use a PFC-free composition called C0. For the products that need an extra level of durability and performance, we limit our use of “short-chain" C6 DWR. But this isn’t a solution, and we’re not satisfied yet. We’re still searching for a high-performing alternative with a lower environmental impact. Our goal is to remove fluorocarbon-based DWR from all products by 2025.