Rab & Lowe Alpine Open European Service & Repair Centre, Donate 25% Of European Service Centre Sales To EOCA Green Friday Fundraiser

Rab and Lowe Alpine (owned by Equip Outdoor Technologies Ltd.) have opened their European Repair and Service Centre in Leusden/The Netherlands. The Service Centre will be available for retailers and end consumers in Western and Central Europe and is part of the company’s aim to drastically reduce its carbon emissions and reach Net Zero by 2030. The Service Centre will offer repair and wash services for waterproof shells and GORE-TEX items, insulated gear, sleeping bags and equipment. More service centres in the USA, Canada and Norway will be opened shortly.

Equip hope to replicate the success of their UK Service Centre. In the last year, they repaired and washed over 7,000 items sent in by customers and over 600 warranty claims. Accepting a quality repair over a new warranty replacement exemplifies the shift in attitude away from a ‘single-use’ society.

Making gear that performs and lasts has been Rab’s unofficial motto since their founder Rab Carrington hand sewed his first sleeping bag back in 1981. But no item is indestructible. Over the years the company has refined and developed its repair and wash services giving customers confidence in their products, but also lowering each item’s carbon footprint. By giving gear a second chance, the brands are keeping valuable resources in action and out of landfill.

Debbie Read, Equip’s CSR Manager, explains: “We have aligned our repair centres to be close to our consumer base; UK, Western and Central Europe, Northern Europe, US and Canada, to increase shipping efficiency, therefore minimising time, costs and carbon impacts for all stakeholders.”

Matt Clarke, Head of Customer Experience at Equip, adds: “Servicing and regular maintenance of technical outdoor products is more important than ever in today’s world. As a brand, we want to keep product performing for as long as possible. Our Service Centres have been designed to offer a consistent global customer experience. Replicating our physical UK offering to other territories and moving it online, should make it easy for customers to self-serve and look after their kit. And if for any reason they cannot find what they are looking for and need some help or advice along the way, the experienced Service Centre teams are on hand to help and support them.”

The Service Centres are an integral part of Equip’s overall CSR strategy. As a certified Climate Neutral Company committed to reaching Net Zero Emissions by 2030, the Service Centre’s contribution is extremely valuable.

For the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA)’s Green Friday Fundraiser 2021,  Rab and Lowe Alpine  have committed to donate 25% of the sales from their newly opened European Service and Repair Centre, within the period of 29th November to 31st December 2021. Following on from the success of its Earth Day fundraiser in April, and in light of the growing urgency to reverse the dramatic loss of nature on our planet, EOCA will be launching their online fundraiser on and around Green (Black) Friday, to raise money for urgent nature conservation projects.

Equip’s new European Service and Repair Centre offers repair and wash services to retailers and end consumers in Western and Central Europe. By getting more out of the gear we already own, Rab and Lowe Alpine are keeping kit in action and cutting down needless waste as part of the company’s strategy to drastically reduce carbon emissions and reach Net Zero by 2030. The Service Centre will offer repair and wash services for waterproof shells and GORE-TEX items, insulated gear, sleeping bags and equipment.

In addition, Lowe Alpine will be giving further support to EOCA’s Green Friday fundraiser with a kit donation to Outdoor Gear For Good, providing packs, luggage, and other outdoor gear. Outdoor Gear for Good is a community interest company (non-profit) which collects end of line items, returned or repairable items for sale and to prevent them going into landfill. The proceeds from the sale of these products will go to EOCA.