The North Face – Denali Jacket LCA

LTS recently worked with The North Face (TNF) and Unifi in their efforts to reduce the environmental impacts of the Denali jacket, a staple in the TNF product line.   The assessment of their material sourcing, ingenious dyeing process and waste reduction process against the older product design shows a remarkable decrease in water, chemical and energy use.

Using the lens of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the evolution of the Denali jacket, one of their most popular products, The North Face was able to understand the environmental benefits of changes in the jacket over time and to identify additional opportunities to reduce the environmental impacts of the Denali jacket and other TNF products. Additionally, TNF leveraged the findings from the LCA to develop unique points of communications, such as an engaging animated video, to inform their customers of their efforts.

“Our recent Life Cycle Assessment of the Denali jacket has helped our product development teams validate the environmental impact reductions achieved through the use of recycled polyester and a new dyeing process which uses up to 50% less water and chemicals and 25% less energy on average versus traditional dyeing methods. Our product development teams can now utilize the learnings from the LCA and quickly evaluate future design changes.”
-James Rogers, Sustainability Manager, The North Face

Learn more by watching their informative promotional video, “Behind the Seams” and reading our project report!  Fill out the short form below to access: