ACAI’s vision is to create a community of women owning their space in the outdoors.

We’re proud to be a female-led business with around 85% of our workforce identifying as women at all levels and departments. 

It’s important to us that everyone at ACAI is empowered to work in a safe, supported environment where they feel valued. 

We’re committed to the ethical welfare of all who are in our supply chain. We continue to support our factories across the globe to ensure their apparel workers comply with fair working practices. In our world, there is no place for illegal practices such as child labour, human trafficking, forced labour, or unsafe working conditions.

We carry out regular audits and checks on all of our supply chain partners to ensure workers’ rights are protected. 

All suppliers are audited against high level BSCI or SMETA standards; and we only accept those with grades A and B (anything lower than these grades is investigated). These industry audits and certifications are renewed annually.

Occasionally we identify areas for improvement. In these instances an action plan is agreed and we work to make improvements.

ACAI has an evergreen approach. We create a timeless adventure wardrobe for women, designed to see wearers through the seasons and years rather than being trend-orientated.

We’re not wasteful, and we know you’re not either. 

We believe in enduring over trendy and hard-wearing over faddish. And we know you seek clothing that is a thoughtful investment, not a fast-fashion whim. 

Our philosophy is to create outdoor clothing that’s built to last so you feel empowered to create your own hiking wardrobe that’s versatile and long-lasting. 

We continuously seek to incorporate more planet-friendly fibres in our collections, striving to improve the material composition in every garment and adding innovative and sustainable materials to our range. As the textile industry progresses towards a more sustainable future, ACAI endeavours to be at the forefront, making changes with each new season.

From abandoning the use of virgin materials in favour of recycled polyester and nylon, to the use of organic cotton in our t-shirts, we know there are benefits to the planet, and the product, of choosing sustainable materials. 

As of Autumn 2024 all of our padded jackets contain REPREVE®, which is a synthetic alternative filling to down.

This nifty material is made from ocean-bound plastics. So when you wear one of our puffer-style jackets, you’re wrapping yourself up in 100% recycled plastic bottles which were collected from areas within 50km of the coastline!

We thoroughly test product revisions for durability and longevity before they launch, ensuring there are no compromises on the quality and product lifespan.

We’re not perfect – but we’re doing our best to responsibly source new materials that are fit for purpose and meet our rigorous testing processes.

ACAI releases new clothing in small quantities initially to test their success and gather feedback. This minimises waste and improves styles.

All of our samples find a home, with anything that isn’t claimed by our team going to NewLife. This superb charity sells surplus stock on behalf of clothing brands, with every purchase made helping disabled children to access much-needed specialist equipment across the UK.

In a bid to reduce our waste and send as little to recycling or landfill as possible, we also offer our material off-cuts, old samples and faulty pieces to innovative companies like Dirt Bags, where the Kendal-based team creates climbing gear from the materials we send them.

All of our waterproof and water resistant products have a coating that is PFC free (perfluorocarbon-free) – meaning no nasty chemicals are used to keep you dry. 

Instead we use a durable water repellent (DWR), which in layman’s terms is a stay-dry coating on the fabric that is chemical free (the technical term is “polymer-based”).

And we’ve now moved to a “C0 water resistant RUDOLPH” coating on our technical clothing too. Sadly, this has nothing to do with sleigh-guiding reindeer, but everything to do with upping the spec of your outdoor clothing in a planet-friendly way.

We’re keen for you to keep your kit in good nick, ensuring it lasts for many adventures. 

Did you know that roughly a quarter of a garment’s environmental impact happens after it arrives into your home? 

While the water repellents we use are very durable and can withstand several washes and wears, the fact that they’re added to the fabric at the manufacturing stage means these coatings will break down over time. 

The good news is that the coating can be re-applied easily at home. 

From our research, Grangers is the best way to sustain the life of your outdoorwear. As well as achieving a superior finish to other waterproofing products, it also boasts an impressive list of its own sustainability credentials, which include being: PFC free, Bluesign approved, never tested on animals and coming in a 100% recycled bottle made from ocean-bound plastics. 

You can find out all you need to know about how and when to apply Grangers, as well as purchasing it, here. 

And there are two other ongoing and easy ways to make all your clothes, not just ours, last longer:

• Wash less. Most ACAI legwear is wipe-clean and many of our tops and accessories have antibacterial properties that mean you can wash them less. 
• Wash right. Our labels always recommend you wash your ACAI clothing at 30C. And don’t forget to reproof your water resistant and waterproof clothing with Grangers.  

We hate waste, and we know you do too. 

So there are numerous ways we reduce our waste here at ACAI HQ. One with the biggest impact is how we package our items. 

For starters, more than 80% of the total volume of products we transport are shipped rather than sent via air freight. 

And when they’re on the move, we keep our outdoorwear packaging to a minimum, ensuring it is delivered in perfect condition with the relevant information you need about the product and nothing more. 

All ACAI packaging is made with recycled sources and is recyclable, from the swing tag on your new fleece to the bag it arrives in. So you can rest assured that nothing that’s delivered with your new purchase needs to go in the bin. Even the cord that attaches the tag to the garment is fully recyclable!

In fact, our delivery bags are made with a minimum of 30% recycled polythene material; they are compact and lightweight; and they require less space to store and transport. What’s more, we source them from a local supplier who is just 46 miles from our HQ.

Any ACAI packaging waste is sent away to a recycling facility in the north-west that specialises in polythene waste and reconditions it into pellet form to be used again to make new packaging products.

And the dream team in our warehouse adheres to a “closed loop recycling process”; meaning any waste/used and unusable bags are collected and recycled here in the UK by our packaging partner.

We’re not your ordinary outdoor brand. But we are human. We know that there is always more we can be doing to support the planet we love. 

Below we’ve listed a few of our green goals. This isn’t a comprehensive list, just highlights of what you can expect from ACAI in the not-too-distant future. 

• Continue to increase the volume of recycled materials used across the ACAI range;
• Introduce more low-impact materials to our collections;
• Increase the transparency of the carbon impact of ACAI clothing;
• Support fair wages through our supply chain by signing up to the Ethical Trading Initiative charter. 

As a brand, we take ownership for our actions and know we’re on a journey. So if you have any ideas of ways we can make our business more sustainable, or there’s a product you’d like to see that would support your adventures, do get in touch. We love to hear from our ACAI community.