Salt Lake City, Utah (Wednesday, January 12, 2022) — In November 2021, Geartrade (Geartrade.com), the family-owned marketplace of ‘UnNew’ gear for outdoor adventurists, announced the successful completion of a year-long effort to become Climate Neutral Certified.
One month later, Geartrade concluded a robust 2021 holiday season for used gear buyers and sellers, fueled in large part by the rapid growth of their free-shipping consignment program which launched five months earlier.
Looking ahead to 2022 – as demand for used gear continues its rise amidst surging outdoor participation and ongoing supply chain issues for new items – Geartrade is embracing the challenges of squaring their continued growth with the priorities of a business that’s seeking to slow down overconsumption and find an environmental balance.
“We went through the Climate Neutral Certification process more for the learning than for getting a certificate to hang on the wall. We’re fully aware that our goal of growing a responsible business is far from over, and we’re going to keep adding positive building blocks whenever we can,” said Aaron Provine, president of Geartrade.
Geartrade launched its consignment program the summer of 2021 with the goal of making it easier for outdoor gear sellers to become a part of the UnNew economy. Through the program, Geartrade offers to send free boxes and pre-paid shipping labels to prospective sellers, who merely have to fill their box and tape it up. Once received by Geartrade, the gear is evaluated, appraised, photographed, posted for sale, and easily monitored through a seller dashboard.
Geartrade’s consignment program grew far faster than initially anticipated in 3Q and 4Q, significantly widening the number of sellers and items in their UnNew marketplace. As the growth happened at the same time as the end phase of their Climate Neutral Certification process, it put a particularly sharp point on the work yet to be done.
“The benefits of recommerce are more about putting the brakes on consumerism than leading the charge on environmentalism. But still, it would be totally inconsistent for Geartrade to be evangelizing and celebrating the benefits of the UnNew marketplace without doing everything we can to minimize our impact,” added Provine.
Throughout Geartrade’s operations, the company’s initial steps toward re-use and sustainability include recycled and compostable mailer bags, no plastic purchases for company use, reuse of plastic that is shipped to facilities, separating and recycling materials whenever possible, no paper-towel use in company facilities, and a commitment to planting trees though the One Tree Planted non-profit.
ABOUT GEAR TRADE: Geartrade is a Climate Neutral Certified and family owned online marketplace for UnNew outdoor gear and apparel. Founded in 1999 and relaunched in 2019, Geartrade makes it easy to buy and sell used gear, extends the life cycle of all outdoor products, and minimizes their environmental impact wherever they can. Geartrade sellers include individuals, retailers, and manufacturers; and their selling options include both self-listing as well as consignment – which includes free boxes, free shipping, and complete hassle free posting of all items. For more information or to sell that great old backpack hanging in your garage, please visit Geartrade.com.
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