Mending the Future
The main goal of the KORE Outdoors Re-Hub tour is to gauge community interest and support for a permanent repair hub located in the region —a key step in establishing the Kootenays as Canada’s hub for outdoor gear circularity. “This is about more than fixing zippers and broken buckles,” says KORE board chair Matt Mosteller. “It’s about reimagining the lifecycle of gear and creating a repair economy to inspire regions around the world.”
The Hidden Cost of Adventure: Our Gear’s Footprint
The outdoor recreation industry, a $15 billion contributor to British Columbia’s economy, faces a critical sustainability challenge with both soft and hard goods. Less than 1% of materials in outdoor clothing and gear—from jackets and tents to skis and climbing equipment—are recycled, with 85% ending up in landfills, persisting for centuries due to their complex, synthetic compositions.
Diving Deeper: The Complexity of Gear Waste
The outdoor recreation industry, valued at $887 billion globally[1] and contributing $15 billion annually to British Columbia’s economy[2], faces a critical sustainability challenge. While 76% of BC residents engage in outdoor activities[3], the industry’s growth comes at a significant environmental cost.
Less than 1% of materials in outdoor clothing are recycled, with 85% ending up in landfills or incinerators[4]. Modern gear, designed for high performance, often incorporates synthetic materials and toxic “forever chemicals” like PFAS, which can persist in the environment for centuries, releasing harmful microplastics and pollutants[5].
The complex, multi-material construction of items such as ski jackets and skis further hinders recyclability, with each pair of skis generating approximately one ski’s worth of waste and typically lasting only 125 days of use[6], yet their materials persist in landfills for centuries.
However, solutions are emerging: extending a product’s life by just nine months can reduce its environmental impact by 20-30%[7], and initiatives like the Repair Re-Hub are addressing this by focusing on technical repairs, upcycling, and community education.
These efforts, combined with rising consumer demand for sustainable products[8], offer hope for transforming the industry’s approach to gear lifecycle management, turning potential waste into valuable, reusable resources and starting to create circularity in the system by encouraging manufacturers to design for reuse
Partners
The KORE Re-Hub program is powered by a collaborative network of partners, including College of the Rockies (COTR). “We are proud to support the KORE Re-Hub tour with a sustainable business practices inventory and study,” says Paul Tiege, COTR’s Manager of Applied Research and Innovation. “We are also happy that our Mobile Education Lounge is playing a key role as the mobile repair hub.”
Selkirk Innovates is another key partner. “It’s a privilege to contribute to Re-Hub’s mission through the pilot project of hardgoods gear repair,” says Selkirk College Instructor Shawn Curran. “It’s our aim to better understand the potential business opportunities for outdoor gear repair in the Kootenays.”
Sponsors
KORE Outdoors gratefully thanks these funders for their support of our programs and initiatives:
Keep informed about upcoming Re-Hub dates and offerings by signing up:
