The North Face Women's Acongcagua Down Gilet - Black

Think Green

We know our customers like to know exactly what they're buying; we're not going to sugar coat it, but we are going to explain it. We've divided up all of the sustainable features we've identified across our product ranges and grouped them into three so you know how your purchase is making an impact: Think Nature, Think Welfare, Think People.

The The North Face Women's Acongcagua Down Gilet - Black has the following sustainability attributes...

• PFC-Free DWR

  Fluorinated DWR finishes make clothing waterproof by repelling water droplets. ‘PFCs’ is the broad term for all fluorocarbon chemicals, of which PFOS and PFOA are sub-groups. Different chemicals in this family have a varying number of carbon atoms, so C6 has six carbon atoms and C8 has eight. While the outdoor industry has moved away from C8 (or 'long chain') PFCs, C6 (short chain) PFCs are currently unbeatable in their waterproofing performance. They're considered less harmful to the environment than C8, but they have not been proven to be safe. PFCs are known as forever chemicals; once created they will never break down and are harmful to people and the planet. To read more about the chemistry related to PFCs, head here.

  PFC-Free DWR uses alternative, biodegradable technologies that repels water from the surface of a fabric - such as Fjallraven's Greenland Wax. PFC-Free DWR coatings are water resistant enough for most daily activities, so if you don’t need a highly technical waterproof, consider a PFC-Free garment instead.

• Recycled Fabrics

  By recycling fabrics, we are not only stopping extra waste heading to landfill but also reducing the need for virgin fabrics to be created. Recycled fabrics can be anything from recycled polyester to recycled cotton and where recycled cotton is used, it's often offcuts from factory floors that would otherwise end up in landfill.

• Responsible Down Standard

  Sometimes using animal products can be a more sustainable alternative than using non-biodegradable plastic, but it is imperative that an animal’s welfare is respected. The Responsible Down Standard (RDS) was started by The North Face, Textile Exchange, Allied Feather Down and Control Union. RDS down cannot come from farms that engage in force feeding or live plucking and they must respect the Five Freedoms of animal welfare: freedom from hunger and thirst; from discomfort; from pain, injury or disease; to express normal behaviour; and from fear and distress. Parent farm (the farm where the birds are kept for producing eggs) certification is optional unless the down is harvested there. RDS down is traceable back to source via Track My Down.

  Find out more about RDS here: https://textileexchange.org/standards/responsible-down/.

• SMETA/BSCI Audited Factories OR Other Third Party Auditing

  This brand ensures that the factories they use have been third party audited but are not specifically partnered with a Non-Profit Organisation. This will be either BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative) or SMETA (Sedex Members Ethical Trade Audit), which are social auditing methologies and reports but are not an accreditation. This means the brand has sourced factories who have passed an audit, so their worker rights, environmental impact and social compliance is up to scratch.

This item can be returned by post or to your nearest Tiso Group store – for more details see our Returns Policy.