Helinox Chair One Sustainability Report

The Helinox Chair One is surprisingly resilient for its weight class. The DAC aluminum poles and reinforced seat corners handle regular use well, though extended exposure to rough terrain can wear down the pole sleeves. Treat it gently and avoid overloading, and it will hold up over many seasons of moderate use.

Choosing durable outdoor gear is perhaps the most effective way to reduce environmental impact—the longer it lasts, the less it needs to be produced. Our proprietary longevity rating evaluates overall build quality based on factors such as materials, fabric denier, component durability (including zippers and toggles), real-world performance as reported by our field testers, and our experiences with the brand. Overall, we feel strongly that reducing overall consumption is a cornerstone of sustainability.

The Helinox Chair One features recycled 600-denier polyester and polyester mesh in its seat. The carry case is made of recycled 300-denier polyester. Helinox stated that it planned for 90% of the polyester it uses to come from recycled sources by 2023, but has not provided an updated statistic on its website. That said, the majority of Helinox products that Better Trail has reviewed incorporate recycled content.

Outdoor gear can be made partly or entirely from recycled materials, the most common being nylon, polyester, wool, and down. Some products include a single recycled component or a partially recycled fabric, while others are 100% recycled (generally excluding accessories like zippers, Velcro, toggles, etc.). For our sustainability ratings, we evaluate the amount of recycled materials in a particular product and assign points accordingly.

The Helinox Chair One incorporates Bluesign-approved materials in its seat, mesh, and carry case. Many of the fabrics that Helinox uses are Bluesign approved, but Helinox is not a Bluesign System Partner.

Bluesign Technologies, based in Switzerland, operates a third-party textile certification system that ensures materials are manufactured to strict environmental, chemical, and worker safety standards. A Bluesign-approved material indicates that it has undergone a rigorous vetting process based on the criteria above. A Bluesign Product goes the next mile, containing at least 90% Bluesign-approved fabrics and at least 30% Bluesign-approved accessories.

Helinox does not partner with any third-party fair labor accreditation programs, so it does not meet our criteria for responsible manufacturing. The brand does state that it uses third-party auditors to ensure that its factories meet Helinox’s code of conduct, but it does not release public data about those audits.

This criterion evaluates a brand's commitment to fair wages, safe working conditions, and reducing its environmental impact throughout the production process. Responsible manufacturing is most commonly demonstrated through certifications and membership in programs such as Fair Trade Certified, Fair Wear Foundation, Worldwide Responsible Accreditation of Production, and the Fair Labor Association. We also recognize brands that prioritize local production, such as those that manufacture primarily in the United States or Europe, to reduce carbon emissions, maintain better oversight of working conditions, and comply with strict social and environmental regulations.

We were unable to confirm if Helinox uses reduced or recycled packaging, as it does not publish information about its packaging on its website. When we reached out for more information, representatives at Helinox told us that they could not respond to our inquiries.

Packaging can add significant waste to an outdoor gear purchase and often ends up in landfills. Many brands are using recycled packaging and/or making efforts to reduce packaging altogether. For example, they may use a certain percentage of recycled cardboard or make efforts to use less plastic or paper across their packaging operation. In some cases, brands also use Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper products, which helps to ensure sustainable sourcing of forest materials.

Helinox offers repairs through its five-year warranty program. However, to our understanding, it does not provide repairs outside of that warranty. We reached out to the brand for more details on its repair offerings, but unfortunately, it did not respond to our questions.

Repair services extend the lifespan of outdoor gear and reduce overall consumption. Some brands offer comprehensive repair programs that can fix a wide range of issues, while others have more limited capabilities. If a brand's warranty policy only covers replacement, rather than repair, these programs usually do not meet this criterion.

Helinox does not offer a resale or recycling program for its products.

Resale and recycling programs help keep outdoor gear in circulation for longer and out of landfills. The most common form is a trade-in program, where consumers can exchange items for store credit, which is then resold. Some brands accept products back for recycling at the end of their life, thereby reducing waste. Occasionally, some do both.

Helinox utilizes Higg Index tools to track and measure its greenhouse gas emissions. Its tracking is not third-party verified, and Helinox has not set reduction goals for its Scope 1, 2, or 3 emissions. The brand does not publish greenhouse gas data on its website but does share limited data publicly through its participation in the Outdoor Industry Association Climate Action Corps.

This criterion evaluates whether this brand measures its greenhouse gas emissions, along with its commitment to reduction and transparency in reporting. Typically, we require brands to follow established frameworks such as the Higg Index, Greenhouse Gas Protocol, or The Change Climate Project. Most companies use the widely recognized scope categorization system for measuring brand emissions. Those who earn the most points in this category have emissions reduction goals verified by the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi), a global organization that helps companies set greenhouse gas reduction targets in line with the goal of limiting global warming to well below 2°C. To verify their goals through SBTi, companies undergo a rigorous assessment process and continual follow-up to ensure consistent progress towards achieving their targets.

Helinox does not publish an annual impact report detailing its sustainability progress. For this reason, we have limited information about the brand’s sustainability initiatives.

An impact report is an important step toward transparency and accountability on the sustainability front. These reports vary in form but generally cover topics such as material sourcing, greenhouse gas emissions tracking, waste and water usage, supply chain analysis, and packaging efforts. For our sustainability ratings, we evaluate this criterion based on the depth and quality of the information provided in the report, and how often it is produced. Some brands produce their own impact report, while others are published by their parent company. In practice, we’ve found that reports produced by individual brands include more detailed information about their sustainability efforts.