Impact Report

How Sustainable Is Cotopaxi?

Founded in 2014 in Utah, United States by Davis Smith, Cotopaxi is an outdoor brand known for its colorful, technical clothing collections.

Cotopaxi operates on an impact-driven business model and its environmental efforts are highlighted by its commitment to switching to 100% preferred materials by the end of 2025, though not all align with our list of preferred materials. Socially, it partners with Fair Trade USA and voluntarily discloses extensive supply chain information. However, its item-level transparency could be improved.

1. Environmental
Sustainability

Cotopaxi eliminates virgin fabrics and cuts emissions using repurposed, recycled, and certified materials. It also advances PFAS elimination and circularity through water management and extended producer responsibility initiatives. However, more item-level transparency would strengthen its environmental score.
IMPACT AREA 01

Materials
& Sourcing

  1. Cotopaxi provides a detailed breakdown of the various materials used in its fiber portfolio, categorized into three groups: deadstock, recycled, and third-party certified by at least one standard. It considers these groups of materials as "sustainably minded" and is committed to sourcing only these materials.
  2. In 2023, 36.6% of its items were made with deadstock materials (1,005,661 items), 28.5% with recycled materials (784,161 items), and 8.7% with materials certified by at least one third-party sustainability standard (238,329 items).
  3. Cotopaxi focuses heavily on deadstock fabrics and currently, there is a lack of certification standards for deadstock sourcing, unlike alternative materials like organic or recycled materials. This makes it difficult to verify deadstock claims.
  4. Some of Cotopaxi's third-party certified cotton is certified by the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), which we don't consider a preferred material due to the 2024 report "Fashion Crimes" and its handling of Xinjiang forced labor.
  5. Cotopaxi tracks and publicly lists all of its supplier's environmental management system targets. All but 2 of its suppliers have targets in place, mostly covering energy use.
IMPACT AREA 02

Climate
& Emissions

  1. Cotopaxi has set multiple science-based targets to reduce its emissions. It is committed to reducing Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 42% by 2030 from a 2023 base year (starting at 288.7 tCO₂) and to reduce its Scope 3 emissions by 90% by 2045 from a 2023 base year (starting at 30,415 tCO₂). 
  2. Cotopaxi publicly lists its full list of suppliers, disclosing commonly reported data such as addresses, employee numbers, and types of products made at the facility. However, they also disclose data on each supplier's yearly emissions, monthly electricity use, and source of electricity, giving Cotopaxi one of the most transparent supply chains we've seen.
  3. According to available data, 61% of Cotopaxi's suppliers use some renewable energy, and 10% use exclusively renewable energy.
IMPACT AREA 03

Water
& Chemicals

  1. Cotopaxi has a publicly available Restricted Substance List (RSL) for chemical management that is aligned with the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA).
  2. 100% of Cotopaxi's Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers measured and verified water usage through third-party audits in 2023. 15 out of 33 suppliers have set water reduction goals or implemented water-saving programs.  
  3. 38% of Cotopaxi's suppliers hold the Bluesign certification indicating responsible chemical management.
  4. Cotopaxi has eliminated added PFAS from 100% of its new apparel and packs (excluding Del Día) since Spring 2024 and is on track to remove PFAS from all new Del Día Collection products by Spring 2025. It states that it does not plan to use PFAS in any future products. 
IMPACT AREA 04

Circularity
& Waste

  1. Cotopaxi operates an extended producer responsibility program called “Guaranteed for Good,” covering warranties, repairs, resale, and product upcycling. It also launched Más Vida, a resale program, in 2023, enabling customers to resell used Cotopaxi products. It also offers incentives for trade-ins.
  2. Cotopaxi partners with Tersus and Portland Garment Factory to scale upcycling, repair, and textile recycling programs.
  3. Cotopaxi’s public list of suppliers includes data on each supplier's yearly waste generation, measured in metric tons. Most of its suppliers (76%) have waste recycling programs in place. 
  4. Cotopaxi uses a significant share of plastic-based materials that release microplastics into the environment through washing.
  5. Provides general product care information for the different types of fabrics it uses, but item-level care instructions cannot be found online. 

2. Social
Sustainability

Cotopaxi partners with Fair Trade USA to improve wages and working conditions in its supply chain, aligning with its broader commitment to ethical sourcing, living wages, and community investment through the Cotopaxi Foundation.
IMPACT AREA 05

Animal
Welfare

  1. Cotopaxi is not a vegan brand and uses RDC-certified down in a significant share of its products. It does not use leather, fur, or exotic skins and has committed to never using these materials.
  2. It has a public animal welfare policy aligned with the Five Freedoms of Animal Welfare.  This policy explicitly forbids materials that involve animal suffering.
  3. Except for leather, fur, or exotic skins, Cotopaxi states in its animal welfare policy that it may expand its use of animal-based fibers in the future but states it will only do so if verified by third-party standards.
  4. It does not conduct or commission animal testing and states a commitment to protecting animal welfare and habitats.
IMPACT AREA 06

Workplace
Practices

  1. Cotopaxi scored a significantly above-median 24 out of 40 in the "Workers" category of its 2023 B Corp Impact Assessment, which evaluates its support for employees’ financial security, career development, workplace conditions, and culture.
  2. It implements diversity-conscious recruiting and aims to create an inclusive workplace. It publicly discloses workforce demographic data under “Cotopaxi’s People By The Numbers,” providing insights into gender and other diversity metrics. 
  3. Aims to achieve 100% living wage compensation for all Cotopaxi employees by 2030 and reports that 88% of full-time employees earn above the MIT Living Wage standard, increasing to 96% when including company-sponsored benefits. 
IMPACT AREA 07

Supply Chain
Workers’ Rights

  1. Cotopaxi's supplier Code of Conduct aligns with ILO standards, covering forced labor, wages and benefits, discrimination, working hours, health and safety, and collective bargaining.
  2. It has published a full list of all their Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers. Regular third-party audits are conducted to assess the social and environmental performance of Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers.
  3. Partners with Fair Trade USA and its suppliers to improve wages but does not disclose the percentage of supply chain workers currently receiving a living wage.
•••

Sources

  1. Cotopaxi – Sustainable by Design
  2. Cotopaxi – Our Impact
  3. Cotopaxi – Guaranteed for Good
  4. Cotopaxi – About Us
  5. Cotopaxi – Impact Report 2023 (PDF)
  6. Cotopaxi – 2024 Supplier Code of Conduct (PDF)
  7. Cotopaxi – Animal Welfare Policy (PDF)
  8. Cotopaxi – Human Rights Policy (UN Guiding Principles) (PDF)
  9. Cotopaxi – 2024 Supplier Overview Environmental Data (PDF)
  10. Cotopaxi – Our Manufacturing Partners
  11. Cotopaxi – Do Good Ambassadors
  12. Cotopaxi – Common Thread
  13. Cotopaxi – How to Be a Grassroots Activist
  14. Cotopaxi – PFAS FAQs (Common Thread Story)
  15. B Corporation – Cotopaxi
  16. Open Supply Hub – Facilities for Cotopaxi