The DWR Conundrum
Leave No Trace. These three words are gospel in the bush. We carry our rubbish out, cook on gas stoves, stick to formed trails. We do this to reduce our impact on the areas we love. Of course, some don’t place much faith in the principle of Leave No Trace, and we have all seen the rubbish-strewn aftermath of those who don’t. But even those of us (myself included) who try and pocket every wrapper scrap still leave a trace.
An often-overlooked source of our impact lies in the gear we use. The effects are more diffuse than ditching a bottle at a campsite, but they are much more widespread. Thankfully, outdoor companies are heeding the call to reduce their impacts. There is a massive push from some leading brands to move to higher recycled content in their clothing, encouraging repairing over replacing, and increasing the transparency of their supply chains. All this is both important and welcome. However, there remains one big sticking point for outdoor companies wishing to go green: waterproofing.
