Element is a brand dedicated to people and community, bringing together a diverse group of skateboarding and outdoor enthusiasts from around the world. Their workforce represents 55% men and 45% women, and their network of ambassadors has grown globally over the years. They partner with organizations such as ‘Skate like a Girl, ‘Substance Stakepark NYC’, and ‘Eco Skatepart Seattle’, among others, to increase their influence and contribute to the community.
They entered into a multi-year partnership with the Harold Hunter Foundation to empower young people in the inner-city of New York.
That being said, the brand does not state the locations or names of their suppliers or production facilities, and does not state their methods of ensuring ethical working practices and living wages.
This brand has a responsibly sourced collection, the criteria for which is that at least 51% of the garment must contain preferred fibres, and technical outerwear containing 30% preferred fibres. Products containing recycled cotton must have 20% recycled cotton, and the fibres are said to be “preferred” if they are labelled by an internationally recognized 3rd party organization. In 2022, 48% of their product range met these criteria, and they aim to increase this figure to 60% by 2024. They have an action plan with clear checkpoints to reach this goal, however this is not shown on the website. Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that this number does not reflect the true sustainability of the company’s materiality, as only part of each garment needs to be sustainably sourced.
Element uses many natural materials such as cotton, linen, and leather. A lot of their cotton products are organic, or recycled, which are more sustainable than conventional cotton. They also use many synthetic and semi-synthetic materials such as polyester, elastane, and polyamide.
They work with Polyana yarn – which is Peta approved vegan, Oeko Tex Standard 100 certified which ensures non-toxicity of the yarn, as well as GRS (Global Recycling Standard) certified. This yarn is 100% traceable and fully recyclable. They also use Filature du Parc yarn which is Ecocert Certified and 100% recycled, and Recover Uno Cotton, which is recycled cotton, however these collaborations are unable to be found or verified anywhere. They also claim to use recycled polyester and recycled down, and recycled cardboard labels. However, the materiality descriptions do not mention how much of these sustainable yarns are used in which products, which makes it hard to measure the sustainability of the garments and the brand.
For their skateboards, Element uses materials such as maple wood, steel, urethane, and sandpaper, none of which being FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified.
They also use recycled/recyclable polybags for their packaging, however haven’t stated the material used or any further details regarding this.
Element has partnered with 1% for the Planet for sales of their skateboard equipment, which they use to fight deforestation and preserve biodiversity. As part of their “Conscious by Nature” program, Element has been donating since January 2022, 1% of its skateboard range sales to environmental organizations.
The brand has set various environmental and social goals for themselves, which can be found on their website.
A majority of the products on the Element website are monomaterial, which is great for recycling. They also claim to use a lot of recycled material, contributing to the circularity of that material. However, other than this, they do not mention anything regarding circularity and their steps towards circularity anywhere on the website, such as a repair or take-back system.
The brand was founded in the USA, and ships worldwide, however they do not state the locations of their suppliers or production facilities, or the method of transport.
Element uses Leather in their products, and claims to have products certified by RDS (Responsible Down Standard), however does not provide proof of certification, or any other information regarding ethical treatment of animals, such as a code of conduct or animal welfare statement.
Element was created revolving around the elements of the earth, dedicated to nature and society, and sustainability. Their designs are timeless and seasonless, designed for outerwear with a tough appearance of street style. Aside from this, the brand does not provide any care tips, or information regarding durability.
This brand has a long way to go regarding transparency. They mention their dedication to sustainability many times, and claim to internalize their love for nature and society. Their ‘responsible’ line of clothing is easy to access on the website, however besides this there is no transparency regarding the supply chain, traceability, certifications, materiality, their action plan to improve materiality, packaging, transportation, water/chemical usage/pollution, CO2 emissions, and much more.
Conclusion
In conclusion, in order to stay true to their taglines of “future is nature”, Element urgently needs to be a lot more transparent about their sustainability. Check our map for the local stores that sell element, and shop their responsible line of urban streetwear!
