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our journey toward circularity
SYSTEM ⦰ is Our platform linking our products, services, and guest experience together in a committed and synchronized journey toward a circular future.
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we’re changing the way we create and support our products to protect the mountains we love. Here’s how it all works:
We work with companies such as Aquafil to source yarn and materials made from used goods like fishing nets and rugs. Then we use these recycled materials to create new fabrics with our existing partners, including GORE-TEX.
As part of their ECONYL® Regeneration Process, our current partner, Aquafil, retrieves fishing nets and other pre- and post-consumer waste, then cleans them to recover as much nylon as possible.
A. Clean fishing nets recovered by Aquafil.
Aquafil chemically recycles the recovered waste back into its original form, which allows them to create new, usable nylon.
B. The regenerated chips retain the qualities of new nylon.
Aquafil spins the nylon chips into premium ECONYL® yarn, which can be used to create a variety of products. This yarn can be broken down and remade into new material.
C. Aquafil’s high-quality, repeatedly recyclable ECONYL® yarn.
We work with our third-party partners, such as Gore, to develop industry-leading fabrics made with this recycled, recyclable material.
Our first GORE-TEX fabric made from Aquafil’s ECONYL® yarn.
We believe that a circular approach can elevate gear, not compromise it. System 0™ products are designed and tested for maximum durability in the mountains, joining the ranks of our most pinnacle pieces.
Every hardshell we make goes through a series of rigorous tests to validate durability and waterproofness. System 0™ products receive the same intensive treatment...and then some. Beyond our typical strength and waterproof testing protocols, we subjected our first System 0™ jacket to a human sebum test, Velcro abrasion test, 24-hour wash cycle, and a cement mixer filled with rocks. All to show that gear made with recycled materials can meet the same rigorous standards as our pinnacle products.
A. Testing tensile strength, the maximum stretching stress a fabric can withstand before failing.
Having our athletes test our products in the mountains is the Arc’teryx standard. For our first System 0™ product, we did that, outfitting our ski and climb athletes with a prototype. After another round of in-lab tests, we asked our friends at North Shore Search and Rescue, one of the busiest rescue teams in North America, to wear the jacket regularly on their missions. The insights they provided helped us reinforce common failure points — prime example, the zipper — and create a design that could be easily and extensively repaired.
B. The field-testing process involved dozens of prototypes across a range of activities.
Validation from our athletes and professional alpine partners help us design gear that stands up to backcountry demands. Their insights influence everything from prototype refinement to ideas for brand new products.
C. Our partners at North Shore Search and Rescue wearing the Sperro SV throughout their sometimes daylong missions.
The longer a product can stay in use, the better. We rigorously test our gear to learn where it wears out fastest, so we can make future repairs through ReBIRD™ even easier.
The insights we gather from in-field tests, together with those from our ReBIRD™ team, help us pinpoint a product’s areas of concern. From there, we can intentionally design to not only reinforce common failure points, but also make them less problematic by improving their repairability. That’s largely why our first System 0™ product was designed hand-in-hand with our ReBIRD™ team from the start. The ReBIRD™ team is equipped to make more than 80 unique repairs on this particular jacket, from simple ones like patching over rips, to more complex ones, such as repanelling.
A. With their extensive REPAIR service, the ReBIRD™ team can help keep gear in use season after season.
B. This repair process removes the damage, then adds a new piece of GORE-TEX fabric for a one-of-a-kind fix without seams.
Maintaining your gear is equally important to extending its lifespan. And the most crucial maintenance? Washing. Our free ReBIRD™ WASH offering gives your gear a technical refresh, re-proofing any GORE-TEX® and re-puffing any down, so items perform at their peak from season to season.
C. Through ReBIRD™, we service, care for, and give our gear multiple lives, so performance stays at its peak beyond a single adventure, season, or individual.
When a product is no longer repairable, ReBIRD™ will take it back to begin the disassembly process, where recoverable materials are collected. Just get the gear to us; we’ll take care of the rest.
Our System 0™ products are thoughtfully designed with our ReBIRD™ team from the beginning, allowing us to plan into their end of life. Through this collaboration, we’ve been able to construct jackets that can be easily disassembled through ReBIRD™ once they’re deemed unrepairable. Currently, this means that non-nylon components — such as zippers and elastic cords — are separated from nylon parts, so that the latter can be repurposed.
A. A glimpse at a ReBIRD™ table during disassembly. Arc’teryx is working toward solutions to recover even more materials in the future.
Joining our journey toward circularity is as simple as servicing your gear through ReBIRD™. Beyond providing extensive repairs to keep your favourites in play as long as possible, our ReBIRD™ team is ready to take System 0™ products back when they’ve finally reached their end. That’s when the disassembly process begins — and you’ve done your part to keep materials in use longer.
B. We are scaling our ReBIRD™ services globally to better support the future of System 0™. Current services include WASH, REPAIR, TRADE-IN, RESALE, and UPCYCLE.
We build System 0™ gear with the end in mind. We work with partners, including Aquafil, to chemically recycle as much of the materials as possible. This continuous loop means the products we make today can become the products of the future.
Keeping materials in use is key to reducing our impact. And that requires recycling. As of now, our third-party partner Aquafil — who makes the recycled ECONYL® nylon used in our first System 0™ product — receives everything that can be recovered from the jacket, straight from our ReBIRD™ team. Then Aquafil recycles the nylon materials into new ECONYL® yarn.
A. Removal of nonrecoverable parts in preparation for recycling.
This yarn can be used to create brand new products, giving the materials from your jacket a chance at another life.
B. Eventually the gear we make today could become the gear of the future.
To create an enduring system, sometimes you have to break it all down.
We’ve seen how the mountains are changing. The ice doesn’t come in when it used to; snowpacks are more dangerous. The things we make have an impact. And we owe it to the future to evolve our business toward a solution. Meet System 0™: Our platform linking our products, services, business model, and guest experience together in a committed and synchronized journey toward a circular economy. Using our foundation of innovation, we’re changing the way we think about gear: prioritizing recycled materials, designing for durability and repairability, and creating opportunities for our products once they’re finally worn out. We can’t just design for the mountains. We have to design in an attempt to protect them. It’s our contribution toward sustaining the resources of our shared earth.
I. Find preferred materialsII. Design for durabilityIII. Prioritize repairabilityIV. Simplify circular behaviourV. Close the loop
System 0™ is our platform linking our products, services, and guest experience together in a committed and synchronized journey toward a circular economy.
Established in 2021, ReBIRD™ is a collection of guest services from Arc’teryx, aiming to extend the life of gear to keep the good in play. Current services include WASH, REPAIR, TRADE-IN, RESALE, and UPCYCLE. We are scaling our ReBIRD™ services globally to better support the future of System 0™.
For our first System 0™ product, ReBIRD™ is equipped to make more than 80 unique repairs.
We intentionally built this shell for a variety of mountain activities — hiking, climbing, and snow sports — with an extensive alpine feature set inspired by our professional line.
We sourced premium recycled ECONYL® yarn from Aquafil, then partnered with GORE-TEX to create a proprietary, high-performance laminate for extreme weather protection.
A laser-etched QR code connects to a Digital Product Passport, featuring care advice and ReBIRD™ services to keep your Sperro SV in play as long as possible.
On top of our rigorous lab tests, we gave this jacket to our athletes (including Luka Lindič, pictured here), as well as search and rescue teams, for real-life feedback. They identified potential failure points; we reinforced those and designed them for easier repair.
Once the jacket is no longer repairable, ReBIRD™ will take it back, disassemble it, and send recoverable parts back to Aquafil. Aquafil will recycle all nylon materials — including the face fabric and backer — to be turned into premium ECONYL® yarn again.
Your Sperro SV purchase includes three years of unlimited, out-of-warranty repairs through ReBIRD™. You’ll also have a chance to win one of five Global Academy Experiences for you and a friend, and enjoy exclusive access to Arc’teryx community events.**Terms and conditions apply.
Arc’teryx ski athlete Sam Kuch, in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Photographer: Cole Richardson
See the multisport Sperro SV in the mountains, on our athletes. Their insights, along with the North Shore Rescue team, helped us design our first jacket certified under TESTEX® Circularity, a circular product standard piloted in collaboration with Arc'teryx.
Field testing was a key component of proving the performance foundations of the Sperro SV.
Established in 2021, ReBIRD™ is a collection of guest services from Arc’teryx, aiming to extend the life of gear to keep the good in play. Current services include Wash, Repair, Trade-In, Resale, and Rent. We are scaling our ReBIRD™ services globally to better support the future of System 0™.
Sperro SVOur first GORE-TEX PRO ePE jacket made with recycled, recyclable nylon.
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