Snow of tomorrow | Fair down - is that possible?

The ultimate in style when I was, say, eleven or twelve years old? A big, fat Helly Hansen down jacket. It had to be oversized, really plush, so that you could definitely imitate the Michelin Man look in it. The most important thing was that I felt really cool and had finally joined the grown-ups. What was inside my jacket back then? I didn't care at all. All I cared about was what was on the outside and, above all, on the label. And Helly Hansen was just the thing.

The 90s Coolkid jacket lost its charm at some point, but down as a warm insulating layer did not. Down is the lower plumage of waterfowl such as ducks and geese. It is very soft and protects the animals from cold and heat. Unlike other feathers, they have no quill and are therefore very light and insulating. Not only for the animals, but also for us, for example in jackets. And I've always loved these warming properties and have always had an item in my wardrobe that promised protection against the cold with this fine natural product. Even if it was just a sleeping bag.

What the pluck? - conventional down

Until 2014, when Patagonia presented the "What the pluck?" campaign at ISPO and its 100% traceable down products. Until then, and somehow I now wonder how naive I could be, I didn't give any thought to where the down in my jacket, sleeping bag etc. actually came from. "They'll do a good job", I thought to myself. However, it's clear that you can't always trust every manufacturer everywhere. Me too by now. And when I looked at this little comic from Patagonia for researching one of my first articles for the outdoor industry, it made me feel completely different. The Grim Reaper, who cheerfully shows the little goose where the down from her ski jacket comes from to the tune of (Don't fear) The Reaper by Blue Öyster Cult, also made it clear to me what I was supporting with my purchase.

Conventional down products often use down that comes from live plucking. This means that the geese have their feathers and down ripped out while they are still alive so that they can "produce" more down. Anyone who has ever had a few hairs torn out can imagine the pain involved. They are also fattened up so that they have more body surface area and therefore more down. As they often fight back when plucked, their wings can be broken and they can suffer bloody wounds, which the workers then often simply sew up with a needle and thread without anaesthetic.

The Resonsible Down Standard

This fundamentally changed my purchasing behavior and attitude towards down products. When I buy new things, I make sure that I either buy products with synthetic insulation, more on this in a later article, or only down products if the manufacturer can guarantee that they can trace the down. A common seal for this is the Responsible Down Standard, or RDS for short. The RDS is part of the international non-profit organization Textile Exchange and works with all parts of the textile production supply chain to reduce the social and environmental impact of textile production. The RDS itself sets binding minimum standards for the production of down. It guarantees the ethical origin of the down and feathers used in accordance with an independent, voluntary standard that manufacturers can sign up to. In detail, the RDS guarantees:

Live plucking is prohibited.
Forced feeding is prohibited.
The welfare of the animals must be ensured at all times - from hatching to slaughter.
RDS down and feathers must be labeled. This prevents down with and without RDS certification from mixing. The use of RDS down must be documented.
The entire supply chain is audited by a professional and independent certification body.
Only products in which 100% certified down and feathers have been used may bear the RDS seal.

However, despite seemingly strict criteria, the RDS is repeatedly criticized by animal welfare organisations such as Peta and Vier Pfoten. This is mainly because, according to the organizations, it cannot always be guaranteed that only this down ends up in the finished product and that it cannot be guaranteed that all animals are only plucked once and not alive. According to Vier Pfoten, it was only at the beginning of 2019 that the RDS discussed whether beak trimming should be introduced in ducks and geese to prevent cannibalism in confined spaces.

The Global Traceable Down Standard

In addition to the RDS, there is also the Global Traceable Down Standard, or Global TDS for short. It was launched in 2015 by Patagonia and NSF International as well as other industry associations, animal welfare organizations and NGOs and is currently considered the strictest animal welfare standard in the down industry. NSF International is an independent public health organization. It works with manufacturers, regulators and consumers to develop standards and certifications that help protect food, water and the environment. The certification of the Global TDS does not take place at product level, but considers the entire supply chain. This means that not only the phase between hatching and slaughter is included, but also the life of the parent animals. This is particularly important as parent animals live longer, making live plucking more likely. This is because down certified according to Global TDS may neither be live-plucked nor come from stuffing. In addition to large farms, small farms are also included and inspected. The certification is valid for one year and is regularly validated through unannounced inspections. Traceable Down is also fully transparently documented and anyone can see online, for example, where the down in their product comes from.

Or recycled down after all?

What is of course still a fact when you buy certified down products - the down comes from animals and these were mostly slaughtered for meat production. However, if you still don't want to do without down products, you can look for jackets or similar items with recycled down. Patagonia, Vaude and Mountain Equipment already use it, for example. Mountain Equipment even launched a project in 2019 for the 100th birthday of the German Alpine Club's youth, where old down products were collected and then a new Mountain Equipment JDAV vest was produced from the recycled down.

The company Re:Down, for example, also specializes in recycled down. Headquartered in Las Vegas and Lyon, the company has developed a process that allows used down to be collected, cleaned and reintegrated into the textile cycle. For many years, this was not possible because the quality of the down collected from used clothing containers, for example, was too low for new goods. Re:Down's down and feathers mainly come from Europe, as the collection of used textiles works well here and, compared to the USA, there is a comprehensive system of recycling companies. However, Re:Down's down does not come from used textiles, but mainly from comforters and pillows. Everything is processed in Hungary. And the entire process has been certified in accordance with the Global Recycled Standard.

Or rather synthetic?

To ensure that you can recognize recycled down, the respective product is always marked accordingly and you will find a note on the label. If you are still unsure whether you want to keep warm with animal insulation, stay tuned. The article on synthetic insulation materials that are produced with a focus on sustainability is coming soon.