In episode 117 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we set out to answer the question: what does circularity look like when designing products? To provide real-life examples and experiences of how they’ve implemented more sustainable operations and moved towards a more circular product design, I had the pleasure of hosting Alicia Chin and Sue Jesch from Smartwool. Alicia Chin is the Director of Sustainability and Social Impact for emerging brands at VF Corporation—Altra, icebreaker, and Smartwool. At Smartwool, Alicia led the development of the brand’s 10-year roadmap aimed at protecting the outdoors and making outdoor recreation more accessible and inclusive. Before joining Smartwool, Alicia managed sustainability and social responsibility at Heineken USA and the NHL. Sue Jesch is Global Director of Design at Smartwool and has been with the brand for nearly 15 years. Sue oversees Smartwool’s product design team that brings the brand’s creative expression to life through award-winning, industry-leading products designed to inspire transformative moments in the outdoors. INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/ WEBSITE: https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/ YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@theoutdoorminimalist ORDER THE BOOK: https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/book GOFUNDME: Fund the Forever Chemicals 10-Part Podcast --------------- EPISODE SPONSOR Diorite Gear: https://dioritegear.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@dioritegear Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089931191484 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dioritegear/ Get 15% Off Your Next Order with the Code MINIMALIST --------------- Smartwool Website: https://www.smartwool.com/ Second Cut: https://www.smartwool.com/second-cut.html Recycle Your Socks: https://www.smartwool.com/second-cut/recycle.html Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smartwool/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Smartwool/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/smartwool --------------- Related Episodes 12. What's the Deal with Natural Fibers in the Outdoor Industry? with John Gage 48. Can a Company Be 100% Circular? with Niclas Bornling 71. Linear vs Circular Economy 72. What’s the Deal with Deadstock? with Nicole Wilson 101. How Sustainable (and Ethical) is Wool? with Mike Sombery 111. Phasing out PFAS in Outdoor Equipment with Fjallraven --------------- Original music by Alex Carney and Ethan Wiese --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/outdoor-minimalist/support