Storm Creek (asi/89879) upcycled nearly 10 million plastic bottles – and donated around $950,000 in cash and in-kind donations to charities last year. Those figures are among the highlights from the Eagan, MN-based supplier’s recently released 2023 Impact and Giving reports.

To date, Storm Creek says it’s upcycled more than 32 million plastic bottles, thanks to the high percentage of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) polyester fabric it uses in its apparel. Other sustainable fabrics used include organic cotton.

In 2023, the supplier introduced new yarns across 23 styles, resulting in a 40% increase in sustainability for those garments. Plus, Storm Creek said it was able to develop a 100% recycled fabric, calling it “a pivotal moment in our relationships with our fabric suppliers.” Overall, 75% of the fabrics used in Storm Creek’s garments are recycled, and those that aren’t are produced by a partner mill certified OEKO-TEX Standard 100, meaning they don’t include harmful chemicals, according to Storm Creek.

This year, Storm Creek plans to expand its product offerings to include Bluesign-approved fabrics, which are produced under tight controls for chemical safety, water/air emissions, factory safety and other factors.

“Our overarching goal is to maximize sustainability in every product we offer, subjecting each fabric to annual review for potential enhancements,” the supplier said.

The supplier also has set a goal of upcycling 50 million bottles worth of single-use plastics by the end of 2024.

Other environmental achievements include carbon offsetting through a shipping program with UPS. In 2023, the supplier saved more than 50 metric tons of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere – the equivalent of a year’s worth of energy use in 10 U.S. homes. Plus, Storm Creek reuses boxes when possible and started a shipping bag recycling program, recycling nearly 1,000 pounds of plastic shipping bags since February 2023.

Storm Creek, which previously set a goal of donating $5 million to charity by 2030, is $2.1 million toward its goal, thanks to 2023’s nearly $1 million in cash and in-kind giving. The supplier supported more than 70 nonprofits and community causes, giving $162,900 in cash, plus matching donations and $788,900 of in-kind apparel donations and discounts (18,859 garments in total).

Among the nonprofits supported by the 1% for the Planet member are the National Park Foundation and Save the Boundary Waters. Plus, the supplier is part of the Minnesota Keystone Program, agreeing to donate 5% of its pretax earnings to charity. Last year, Storm Creek also offered each employee the chance to donate $100 to a charity of their choice.

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