Our Sustainability Pledge

 

According to the Wall Street Journal (3/31/19) the EPA reports that world production of textiles was 16 million tons. Some 10 million tons of discarded clothing go into land fills yearly. Trendy fashion has a short life – a huge waste of resources including production, agriculture for natural fibers and industrial chemicals for synthetic ones. Many fabrics are not biodegradable. Disposal adds to land fills world-wide. On top of that are the vast resources used to package, ship, warehouse, market and sell the product. The transportation from distant countries leaves a huge carbon footprint.
 

Rockmount’s pledge is to produce products that have the longest life possible, stylistically with rugged construction and durable materials. We frequently hear from people who have enjoyed our shirts for decades and pass them down over generations. Most all our products are made from natural, biodegradable materials. We recommend cold wash and less than five minutes in the dryer as most of our fabrics hang dry wrinkle free.

 

 

We occupy a 1909 historic building built of heavy timbering and masonry which has lasted over 110 years, maintained to last centuries. When others demolish dated buildings, we restored ours. (Jack B. Weil once joked: we renovate every 50 years whether we need to or not.) Preserving a building is far more eco-friendly than any new building can ever match. No new construction can off-set the environmental costs of resources, energy and refuse from destroying an existing one. Demolishing to build new costs exponentially more in terms of resources and the environment. Our 4’ brick walls require less energy to heat and cool. Our glass storefront provides natural light reducing electricity. Our restored (not replaced) windows throughout are weather tight requiring less energy to heat and cool. We use evaporative cooling requiring far less energy than conventional A/C. Our new boiler is over 40% more efficient than the original. Solar energy provides much of our needs. We are centrally located near mass transit and we supply our staff with Eco-passes to ride mass transit.


We follow Papa Jack’s footsteps by committing our entire business operation from manufacturing, warehousing, administration, sales and shipping to preservation of resources. We use solar energy, LED lighting, reuse office paper, recycled hangers and shipping containers. We reuse incoming cartons. We ship from Denver – a central location avoiding unnecessary shipping across the entire country. Our warehouse is above our flagship store so no daily truck delivery to restock. Our manufacturing is largely in the USA.


Our overall philosophy and commitment to sustainability is not just good business, it saves trees, air and water by using fewer resources. It helps keep costs down for both the customer and the planet.