A letter from David


First and foremost we’re an outdoor brand. It is our love of the outdoors and belief in nature that drives us. Everything we do comes from a desire to make great product and build a great business.

Products that are purposeful and long-lasting; and a business that is responsible and we’re proud to work for: to be gentle and look after the things that matter.


This year I’m particularly proud that we:

  • Estimated our end-to-end carbon footprint and proved what we always knew: that the most sustainable kit is the kit you already own.
  • We estimate that 85% of the embedded carbon in your gear is spent in making it and getting it to you – so simply use it for longer and you’ll reduce your own footprint.
  • Relaunched our volunteer days, adventure training and School of Adventure program. These were paused in the height of lockdown.
  • Reduced our full value carbon intensity to 23kg per order from 28kg per order despite a spike in the need to airfreight when we were hit by the container shipping crisis in the summer.
  • Have now donated £450,000 to 1500 projects with Alpkit Foundation and found a new home for 5 tonnes of outdoor kit with Continuum.

    • We committed to Science Based Targets Initiative in July and will halve our Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2025. This will happen by switching all fossil fuel use to renewables that use gas and petrol/diesel today. This means going electric for our heating and company cars and vans.

    These targets are independently assessed and we’re proud to say we are officially doing our bit to limit global warming to the 1.5 ̊C scenario.

    We will reduce our full value carbon emissions by at least 15% each year. We will set a more robust target each year and be Net Zero by 2050 at the absolute latest.


    We define Net Zero as the total decarbonisation of our entire value chain. It’s only achievable by reduction in emissions not offset – it is far more than burn now and offset later and means a minimum 95% reduction in carbon emissions.

    We will continue to offset our Scope 1, 2 and Scope 3 upstream freight and commuting emissions knowing that being climate neutral is just a passing point on our journey to Net Zero.

    Your feedback has guided us and we greatly appreciate the hundreds of customers that completed our sustainability consultation. You ranked our priorities for 2022 as:

  • Always remember who we are: first and foremost we make high quality, affordable, long-lasting performance kit for the outdoor enthusiast.
  • Run a good business that treats its staff well and pays its taxes; stay a Living Wage Foundation employer.
  • Select suppliers on the basis of their ethics and environmental responsibility.
  • Continue to eliminate any risk of modern slavery, deforestation or minerals from conflict zones in our products.
  • Reduce our carbon footprint, choose environmentally preferable materials and look to alleviate poverty in our supply chain.
  • Choose humane farming methods and support regenerative agriculture.

    • We’re continuing to learn and share ideas about building better businesses and making better products. The buzz from seeing Alpkit customers out on the hill is so rewarding and I thank each and every customer for buying from us. I also have immense pride in our team – the spirit and soul over this past year has been inspirational – and it is great to see this validated in us winning TGO Online Retailer of The Year in 2021.

    David Hanney

    Chief Exec