Endura has now planted over 1.3 million trees, a 30 per cent increase on the original target of its One Million Trees initiative. With this important milestone met, the brand has now set a bold new target, to become CO2 negative by 2024. Founded in Scotland, the cycling apparel brand is worn by leading road, mountain bike, and triathlon teams and riders.
Since Endura unveiled its pledge to plant one million trees annually for the next ten years, the brand has committed to reducing and ultimately eliminating its carbon footprint. In a project led by Endura’s founder and managing director, Jim McFarlane, the company examined its activities from fabric production to product end-of-life to calculate its total carbon emissions. With the main driver being the energy required to manufacture materials to create its products, the brand is looking for new ways to collaborate across industry and within the Pentland Brands portfolio to introduce meaningful change, according to a press release by Pentland Brands.
As well as focusing on its manufacturing processes, Endura is continuing to take action to create a positive environmental impact. With the help of reforestation partners in Mozambique, more than 1.3 million mangroves have now been planted in the Maputo Bay area. Endura also plans to plant trees closer to home from this year, starting at its charitable trust centre in central Scotland. This project will create a woodland of 85,000 broadleaf trees, absorbing carbon and improving biodiversity, Pentland Brands said.
The brand believes that these commitments will balance out CO2 emissions from their own activities and ultimately absorb more carbon from the atmosphere than they emit. By 2030, Endura forecasts that its net footprint will remove more than 100,000 tonnes of atmospheric CO2 each and every year, according to Pentland Brands.
“With COVID-19 tragedy and disruption affecting communities around the world, it has meant so much more to have hit our One Million Trees target this year and is a phenomenal start, but it’s just year one. Our ten year commitment to match this level of planting will deliver real benefits and enable Endura to achieve CO2 negative status very quickly,” Pamela Barclay, Endura’s co-founder and brand director said.
“Reducing our environmental impact is core to everything we’re doing at Endura; carbon offsetting, removing PFCs, designing for longevity, use of recycled fabrics and materials, and in-house repair services are part of a companywide approach that takes us further on our journey. We still have a long way to go, but we’re heading in the right direction,” Barclay said.
