A fun, outgoing brand 100 % committed to a sustainable environmentally-friendly approach
In the beginning, the founders of Picture dreamed big, imagining themselves in the snowboard films that they watched over and over again, crammed there together in that little room, laughing with their friends, and with so many ideas running through their heads. They went skateboarding everywhere they could for fun, waiting for the first chance to head off to the mountains, with no worries holding them back.
The mountains, snow, adventure, friends, the open road… Was it naivety or sincerity? Or simply their lucky star, the right time for them to believe in the future? They created a new brand in the smoldering ruins of the 2008 financial crisis; their calling to rebuild a future founded on something different.
But to believe in the future, you have to prepare for it. This has been their vision, their core values, their mission from the beginning: to ride, protect, and share. A blank page, pure white like untracked powder: creating everything from scratch, learning from the ground up. The brand Picture was born!
Global warming increases the risk of extreme weather events (heat waves, cold spells, droughts, torrential rains). Each passing year bears witness to the negative effects of global warming on biodiversity, access to water, living conditions, and the health of millions of people, often the poorest on the planet.
The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) has analyzed more than 200 scenarios where the average global temperature rises by less than 2°C between now and the end of the century.
The scenarios fall into four categories:
1. Significantly improving energy efficiency.
2. Significantly reducing consumption per person.
3. High use of CO2 absorbing technologies.
4. Some combination of these three approaches. These scenarios require that everyone acts. Civil society, the private sector, scientific institutions, local interest groups, individuals… Everyone has its role to play.
Increased cooperation between all different stakeholders will ensure that initiatives and policies created to fight climate change are much more effective.
Picture acts and hopes that everybody will take action, too, through lifestyle changes and how you choose to consume.
FROM PLASTIC BOTTLES TO SNOW JACKETS
Since 2008 – the year Picture was founded – they have used recycled polyester from plastic bottles as one way to reduce our dependence on oil. Picture reclaims and provides real value to waste. Recycling requires energy, but uses approximately 40 % less energy than crude oil extraction to provide the exact same polyester thread. However, bottles are still petroleum-based waste, and represent a less than satisfying option over the mid to long term.
> 69 % of the polyester used to make the technical apparel comes from recycled bottles.
> 40 % reduction in the carbon emissions through these techniques.
HOW DO THEY MAKE SNOW JACKETS FROM PLASTIC BOTTLES?
The partner in Taiwan is a company called Sunny. They recycle 2500 metric tons of plastic bottles per month in their factory (approximately 70 million bottles). Before grinding up the bottles, they need to be washed. This requires a lot of water, but the factory has its own treatment system, allowing it to reuse 80 % of the wastewater it produces. Grinding turns the bottles into flakes. These flakes are then melted down in order to make thread, and then fabric.
Then, Picture dyes the fabric. 100 % of their technical fabrics are certified Bluesign Approved, which means that no harmful chemicals were used during the process: from thread spinning and weaving to dyeing and laminating. This is the world’s most stringent certification with regard to chemical use. After dyeing, a durable water repellent finish (DWR) is applied to the fabric using PFC-free Teflon EcoElite, which contains no harmful or noxious chemicals.
- - 40 %PictureExa Ski-/Snowboard Jacket Cashmere Rose WomenMSRP 334,95 €200,95 €Available Sizes:L
- - 40 %PictureTreva Ski-/Snowboard Pants Tangerine WomenMSRP 199,95 €119,95 €Available Sizes:XS
- - 40 %PictureXobo 3L Ski-/Snowboard Jacket Andorra MenMSRP 489,95 €293,95 €Available Sizes:SMLXL
- - 51 %PictureNoliwa Plaid Shirt Camel MenMSRP 174,95 €85,00 €Available Sizes:SML
Biosourcing
WIPE OUT FOSSIL FUELS
Today, the fight against climate change starts by wiping out fossil fuels, including oil. According to the International Energy Agency, more than 80 % of all carbon emissions in the world come from burning fossil fuels.
This involves every aspect of the business, from source materials to packaging, by way of all travel and shipping.
WHAT IS BIO-SOURCING?
In the case of a snow jacket, it means creating a fabric partially made with plant material such as sugar cane or castor oil. In general, plants that contain sucrose (beets, sugar cane…) or starch (wheat, corn…) can be transformed into bio-mono-ethylene-glycol (Bio-MEG) to replace conventional petroleum-based MEG.
30 % of the technical apparel will be made from sugarcane by-products unsuitable for human consumption from the 2020/2021 season.
Picture supports the humanitarian, artistic, and ecological approach of photographer Rubén Salgado Escudero, creator of the Solar Portraits project and a regular contributor to National Geographic Magazine.
The Solar Portraits photography project tells the visual story of providing artificial light through solar power to people living in remote areas of the planet with little to no access to electricity. The photos show each subject enjoying artificial light for the very first time. Each portrait reveals the useful role solarpowered lighting now plays in their daily lives. More than one billion people across the world still live without access to electricity. This “electricity underdevelopment” could actually represent an opportunity for the countries involved to deploy renewable sources of energy from the outset.
This year, two of Picture's employees joined Rubén in the Philippines. One of them, Florian Delobre, has this to say, “Every year, Picture offers two employees the opportunity to embark on an environmental or humanitarian mission. The “deal” is clear from the start: Picture covers 100 % of the expenses, and the two employees use their paid vacation time. In 2019, the mission to the Philippines was the next logical step in our partnership with Rubén Salgado.
Picture helped to set up solar-powered infrastructure to provide light to a village that does not have access to electricity. It was simply amazing to see the immediate positive impact of our work: on the very evening right after installing the solar lamps, the kids and adults in the village took advantage of the light to continue working, do their homework, and play basketball after 18:00 (6pm).
Everyone around the world should have access to light and drinking water, both are common goods and a fundamental right.
Leading & Inspiring change
Carbon neutrality
Measuring the impact to better reduce it. Moving away from fossil fuels to cleaner, renewable energy sources for every aspect of the business. Achieving carbon neutrality by 2025. That's the mission of Picture.
Packaging
Reducing the use of polybags is the number one priority, although they still need to protect the products during their transportation. Reusable packaging, industriallycompostable polybags are also works in progress.
Picture For Good
It’s what all of the actions are about. Join Picture in this adventure! They will keep redistributing the resources generated by their business to support environmental projects aiming to wipe out fossil fuels.