NEMO, the award-winning, independent designer of outdoor gear and accessories built to improve the adventure experience, has announced a recycling partnership with Ambercycle, a Los Angeles-based leading innovator in circular textiles. Ambercycle utilizes novel molecular regeneration technology to transform end-of-life textiles into premium, like-new cycora® material. This collaboration, introduced as an extension of NEMO’s Endless Promise™ program, marks a significant milestone in the brand’s journey towards a 100% recyclable product line. By joining forces, NEMO and Ambercycle are spearheading a cultural shift that encourages the consideration of a product’s end-of-life from the initial design stages.
Courtesy of NEMO and Ambercycle
Endless Promise is a collection of NEMO products designed to be 100% recyclable when they’ve taken their last adventure. The collection debuted in 2023 with the launch of the Forte™ Endless Promise™ synthetic sleeping bag, a best-selling model from NEMO’s market-leading line of Spoon™ shaped sleeping bags. In 2024, NEMO will extend the Endless Promise Collection to include down sleeping bags and backpacks. NEMO’s commitment to circular design, partnered with Ambercycle’s innovative technology, has resulted in the ability to recycle products that historically have had limited end-of-life options.
Through Ambercycle’s revolutionary technology, Endless Promise products ready to be recycled will be transformed into premium-quality polyester yarns, ensuring that each item can live on endlessly as a new creation. To close the loop and deliver true circularity, NEMO is working to incorporate cycora® regenerated material in future product launches. The brand is also collaborating with its supply chain to divert textile production waste to Ambercycle. This textile-to-textile recycling process allows materials to flow through continuous cycles of life, minimizing waste and maximizing resource utilization.
“We are thrilled to partner with Ambercycle in expanding our Endless Promise circularity program to down bags and backpacks,” said Theresa McKenney, Director of Sustainability at NEMO. “Over 87% of NEMO’s environmental impacts happen before our products leave the factory; emissions are embedded in our gear. It’s on us as brands to keep these products out in the world and out of the landfill as long as possible. We’ve built repair and resale networks, but recyclability has been elusive. Through meticulous trials and collaborative analysis with Ambercycle, we now have a true circularity solution for key products in our line. We hope this becomes a case study of what can and should be done by the outdoor industry.”
“It’s exciting to help enable true circularity for NEMO, from consolidating end-of-life textiles to seamlessly integrating cycora® material into high-quality adventure gear. By collaborating with brands like NEMO, we are building first-of-a-kind circular solutions in the outdoor industry.” says Shay Sethi, CEO and co-founder, Ambercycle.
The partnership between NEMO and Ambercycle marks a pivotal moment in the outdoor gear industry, where sustainability and circularity take centerstage. By combining their expertise, they are redefining the norms and setting an example for collaboration and technical introspection. Together, they demonstrate the transformative power of turning circular theory into tangible action.
About NEMO
NEMO is a New Hampshire-based outdoor gear company known for creating award-winning products that are built to last, comfortable, and fun to use. Named one of Outside Magazine’s and Business New Hampshire’s Best Places to Work, NEMO has also been recognized as a small business leader for the environment by New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility. NEMO’s reputation for design innovation across its product lines—tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, camp accessories, and furniture—is an outgrowth of its design philosophy to never bring anything to market that doesn’t offer a meaningfully better experience. NEMO’s team of designers and engineers are motivated by a passion for outdoor adventure and sustainability.
Adventure Anywhere. Adventure for Anyone. Adventure Forever™.
About Ambercycle
Ambercycle is the ecosystem for circular textiles. Established in 2015, this Los Angeles based company is revolutionizing the fashion industry with its award-winning molecular regeneration technology. cycora® regenerated polyester is the company’s first premium material solution made from end-of-life textiles. Driven by the vision to improve humanity’s relationship with materials, Ambercycle is minimizing the impact of raw material extraction on our environment and paving the way to decarbonize fashion.
