PVRE Green Challenge

Protest X Nu Cycle

To raise even more awareness, we have created the PVRE Green challenge. We challenge our team riders to think about what they can do for the natural environments they love and how they can help make people more aware of what is happening to the earth. Our team rider Maria Kuzma is also an Architectural Activist for Nu Cycle, a solutions-based waste offset service to neutralize their waste impact. As part of the PVRE Green challenge Maria connected the both organizations. Together they neutralize the annual waist impact of each of Protest’s employees by getting Nu Cycle to remove the equivaling amount of waste out of those environments that are most effected by the global waste problem. Read more about this project: Protest x Nu Cycle.

From words to action, to get there

Our road to sustainability

Every season, we challenge ourselves to become even more sustainable by creating collections that are produced responsibly from high-quality raw materials. We also assess the impact of our production and delivery process and actively seek out ways to improve these. At Protest, we take social responsibility very seriously. We are a member of Amfori BSCI, which aims to improve social performance in global supply chains, and we are affiliated with ReFashion, DerGrünePunkt and Léko, which specialise in packaging recycling. We also support the Surf Project, which provides surfing lessons to children with Down syndrome, ADHD and autism. Follow our sustainability process, in which we pursue greener production, greener products and a greener shipping process to create a greener future for us all. This complex process requires step-by-step changes. We’ve divided the process into distinct building blocks that allow us to set smaller, more realistic goals. More of our products will be made from recycled fabrics each new season. Let’s go green together!

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Discover the collection, order your favourites, and do your part to create a greener world.

PVRE Green

Sustainable produced

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Material Guide

An overview of our sustainable fabrics

At Protest, we make our garments from superior, technical fabrics. As part of our Sustainability initiative, we now use innovative and sustainable materials that leave a smaller footprint. We want all the fabrics used to make our clothes to be safe for people and the environment. That is why we have a Restricted Substances List (RSL). This list contains the limits for harmful chemicals in finished products. We constantly update this list in line with new developments and legislation in Europe. Below is an overview of the upcycled substances we use in our collections.

Polyester is an important part of our clothing: it is durable and flexible. Every season, we use recycled polyester for our clothes. This is obtained by processing discarded PET bottles (polyethylene terephthalate) into fabric. For this, we work with REPREVE, a specialist in recycled polyester, among others. We use this recycled product in jumpers, (outdoor) jackets, outer fabric and lining, and in winter to make fleece jumpers.

Product care

Responsible laundering

A Guppyfriend laundry bag captures microparticles of polyester and nylon released during washing, which normally end up in the sea via sewage and water treatment. And that has two important advantages: your clothes last longer and it is better for the environment.

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Guppy laundry bag

PFC- & PFAS-free

Why we don't want to use PFCs and PFAS

We have set the ambitious goal of replacing all PFCs and PFAS in our collection with eco-friendly alternatives by 2030. PFCs and PFAS are used to make outdoor clothing waterproof and make it resistant to oil and dirt. Also known as 'forever chemicals', PFCs and PFAS are virtually non-biodegradable in nature and are increasingly expanding in our food chain. By no longer using PFCs and PFAS in our clothes, we are making a conscious choice to reduce the harmful effects of these chemicals on the environment and animal and human health. The PFC-free finish we use is a safe substitute and is in no way inferior to PFC-containing ones in terms of water-repellency or breathability.

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Our PFC- & PFAS free items

Corporate Responsibility

How we do business for a positive impact

What is corporate responsibility? This is how we manage our business processes to produce an overall positive impact. It covers sustainability, social impact and ethics.

We’re tackling this step by step.

With every stage of the production process, we are looking at how our products are made, the impact that the process is having and how we can improve it. Fusing the authentic design that you have come to expect from Protest with advancements in green technology and renewable resources, we are now creating functional pieces made out of recycled products or sustainable fabrics. We are striving for more people-friendly and green practices. These are other things we are doing to get there.

Protest is a member of Amfori BSCI. The goal of this organisation is to improve social performance in global supply chains. This means we offer safe, humane working conditions and fair pay. There is no child labour. The factories that we work with are regularly screened to ensure these standards are upheld.
Protest complies with the REACH standard, which addresses the production and use of chemical substances. We don’t use fabric dyes like AZO or PFC treatments that are harmful to people and animals.
We don’t use denim sandblasting.
We care about animal welfare; we use alternatives to real duck down and we never use real fur or angora wool.
Our products are transported by sea in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint. Transport by truck or by air would be one hundred times as much.
Our clothing is designed to last a really long time; we choose durable materials and well made constructions to reduce the need to buy more and thereby reducing the impact on the environment.

Recognising our ability to make a difference, we are constantly improving how we get there.

Our clothing is our key product but we produce other articles to enable our business. This includes the packaging used to send our clothing to the customer. This is a lot of packaging. To keep our clothing clean and to avoid damage, we pack our items in poly bags. Our clothing is then sent to our distribution centre and further on to the consumer, all in these bags. So in our effort to challenge the way we work, we set about making our poly bags more sustainable. By using recycled polyester in the creation of our bags, we are reducing the use of raw materials as well as the energy that goes in to making new polyester. Our recyclable poly bags are now made from recycled plastic.

During the same distribution process, our poly bags are placed into cardboard boxes. These boxes are made from recycled paper. From protecting forests to curbing climate change, recycled paper use is essential for sustainability. By utilizing recycled paper, we use less water, less energy and produce lower carbon emissions. After the customer has received their Protest goods, they are encouraged by fun graphics printed on the box, to either reuse or recycle.

We are happy to say that Protest is affiliated with the organizations ReFashion, DerGrünePunkt and Léko regarding packaging recycling.

Regarding our energy consumption, our headquarters in Warmond have since 2018, been powered by energy created from our own solar panels. Our buildings, which include the roofs of Protest Sportswear and sister companies, are covered with 10 000 solar panels, producing approximately 2.5 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity per year. This is the same as the average energy consumption of 600 households for one year.

The produced energy goes to making us energy self-sufficient, powering the companies Protest, sister companies and tenants. Today we’re not just supplying our own power, we are putting energy back into the system.

We are making the change towards sustainable and environmental practices with the resulting product being the same. Protest is on the way to get there.

Protest FUN(D)

To help everyone ride more

Protest Sportswear introduces the Protest FUN(D), an initiative designed 'to help everyone ride more'. The Protest FUN(D) is an initiative designed to support non-profit organisations and new creative projects in pursuing their social goals while nurturing creative adventurers with boundless ideas. You can find the application form for your creative idea or non-profit here.