Arc'teryx Becomes First Outdoor Brand to Pilot TESTEX Circularity Label

Arc'teryx has partnered with TESTEX to pilot the new TESTEX CIRCULARITY label, becoming the first outdoor brand to undergo the certification — a distinction that carries real weight in a category where "sustainable" has long functioned more as marketing shorthand than a measurable claim.

Established in Switzerland in 1846, TESTEX has been analysing, testing and certifying textiles and leather products for 175 years. TESTEX is a globally active, independent Swiss testing and certification organization for textile and leather products and a member institute of OEKO-TEX®. That institutional pedigree matters here: the TESTEX CIRCULARITY label is not a brand-authored badge. For both Arc'teryx and TESTEX, the pilot underlines the importance of independent, third-party certification in building trust and accountability around sustainability claims.

The pilot assessed selected Arc'teryx product categories against defined criteria for durability, repairability and recyclability, with a certification process that required extensive documentation and reporting, exceeding what is typically requested within the industry. All tested products successfully met the certification criteria, reinforcing Arc'teryx's long-standing focus on quality and longevity.

Arc'teryx was not a passive participant. The brand actively contributed practical design insights to the pilot, helping to strengthen the framework and emphasising the importance of preferred and recycled materials — elements that were subsequently integrated into the final standard. Andrew Yip, Senior Director of Advanced Concepts Materials at Arc'teryx, framed the collaboration as a direct response to a structural gap in the market. "Over time, we kept encountering a consistent gap in the industry: there was no consistent definition or standard to help guests assess the circularity of the products they purchase. Working with TESTEX was a natural choice, given their rigorous testing history and how closely their framework aligned with our circular design principles."

In 2024, Arc'teryx announced ambitious climate targets, including a 90 per cent reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions and a 42 per cent reduction in scope 3 emissions by 2030, on its path to net zero by 2050 — and as the largest share of greenhouse gas emissions in apparel is linked to materials, production and end-of-life impacts, circularity has become central to the brand's strategy.

Marlène Maury of TESTEX was direct about why self-reported ambition is no longer sufficient: "At some point, ambition isn't enough. If circularity is meant to work, it has to be measurable at product level. With TESTEX CIRCULARITY, we provide brands with a robust framework to assess circular product performance and give consumers transparent, reliable information they can trust."

Arc'teryx will begin displaying the TESTEX CIRCULARITY label on product detail pages and care labels starting from the fall 2026 season, providing consumers with independent, verified assurance of circular product benefits. The brand's products are currently distributed through more than 3,000 retail locations worldwide, which means the label will reach a significant consumer base the moment it rolls out.

The launch of the TESTEX CIRCULARITY label marks not only a milestone for Arc'teryx, but also an important step towards harmonised standards for circularity in the global apparel industry. With the EU Green Claims Directive tightening scrutiny on environmental marketing across member states, the timing of a rigorous, independently verified circularity standard is pointed. "The certification process highlighted that circularity is more than just product design or material choice — it requires systems-level change," Yip added. That framing positions TESTEX CIRCULARITY less as a finish line and more as a baseline: the minimum credible standard for what "circular" should actually mean on a care label.