ALLIED Feather & Down announced the addition of its 100th partner brand to the proprietary TrackMyDown.com education and supply-chain transparency tool, which was awarded ISPO Gold from the world’s largest outdoor industry tradeshow group this year.
After helping to create the now globally recognized Responsible Down Standard (RDS) within its supply chain in collaboration with The North Face, and gifting it to the Textile Exchange in 2014, ALLIED wanted to take education around sustainable down and the global supply chain to the next level. TrackMyDown was originally born in Fall 2015 with five partner brands signing on: Peak Performance, Feathered Friends, Montane, Daniadown, and Merrell. Now, the family-run business welcomes its 100th partner brand to the ALLIED TrackMyDown family.
Partner brands globally from the outdoor, lifestyle, fashion and bedding industries use the tool, along with several major online retailers, and many are beginning to integrate the revamped traceability and education platform on their own consumer-facing websites as well.
“We are truly honored that the industry has been willing to follow our lead to create a more sustainable, cruelty free and transparent source for the finest natural insulation on earth,” said Daniel Uretsky, President, ALLIED Feather & Down. “We knew it was necessary to develop a tool that would engage the potential purchaser of a down product to help them make more informed decisions. As we continue to be at the forefront of global issues such as Palm Oil Free Certification and reduction of microplastics in the environment, we applaud all of our partner brands and others working to make a difference in the apparel and bedding industries.”
The TrackMyDown.com platform has evolved from not only a traceability tool, but to an educational resource for all. Users are visiting more than just the sourcing pages, with 1.9 average page views per visitor and almost 2 minutes on-site.
“Yes, it is incredibly important to know where your down came from in regards to animal welfare,” continued Uretsky. “But we always saw the RDS and other standards as the foundation for the real work, and now we are able to communicate source complexities and environmental benefits to consumer directly and through our brand partners at point of purchase.”
Also of note, earlier this year ALLIED Feather & Down was the first non-chemical company in the outdoor industry to launch a home laundry solution for down. “With our knowledge of down backed by 30 years perfecting an environmentally responsible, industry-leading washing and processing method, we thought we could do the same for finished goods and for the down consumer,” said Uretsky. “Down can be mishandled quite easily by using the wrong detergents. We knew that with our knowledge of the material and our relationships with our bluesign partners, we could bring something to the market that performed better for down products than currently existed.”
The quest to bring this important product to consumers is what led ALLIED to seek and achieve Palm Oil Free Certification from the POFCAP – the first International Palm Oil Free Certification Trademark and Certification Program in the world. This also makes ALLIED only the fourth U.S. company to achieve this level of certification and sustainability.
