Excellent
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Jul 21, 2026Salomon is a major player in the outdoor industry, offering everything from ski and snowboard equipment to trail running and hiking gear. The brand has made impressive strides in developing recycled and recyclable ski helmets and trail running shoes, while also providing excellent transparency into its sustainability efforts. It has been a Bluesign System Partner for many years, helping manage the chemical and environmental impacts of its products. However, Salomon still has room to improve in key areas, including reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and increasing its use of recycled materials. Want the full picture of Salomon's sustainability efforts? We break it down below.
This sustainability analysis evaluates both product- and brand-level initiatives to capture the full scope of Salomon's efforts to reduce its environmental impact. Our research draws from Salomon's published sustainability data, third-party certifications (a cornerstone of our process), and correspondence with brand representatives. We have independently researched over a dozen Salomon products to date, giving us a broad understanding of the brand’s use of low-impact materials, chemistry, and manufacturing practices.
For more, you can explore our analyses of other outdoor brands, or use our advanced search to find products that align with your sustainability values.
In terms of sustainability, Salomon receives an “Excellent” transparency rating. On its product pages, the company has a tab titled “Features and Fabrics,” which provides a detailed breakdown of the materials used in each product. Additionally, Salomon provides information about its greenhouse gas emissions, low-impact material use, and other sustainability initiatives in its detailed annual impact report. The company has also responded to our inquiries via email in a timely manner. Where Salomon falls slightly short is its sustainability webpage. While it links to its annual impact reports and certifications, it doesn't provide an overview of key sustainability topics—such as materials, PFAS elimination, and greenhouse gas emissions—on the page itself.
Compared to many outdoor brands, Salomon uses a moderate amount of recycled content. Fewer than half of the Salomon products we've researched contain recycled materials, and recycled materials accounted for just 8% of the brand's soft goods in 2024, down from 10% in 2023. However, the company has made progress in individual material categories. In 2025, around 50% of its polyester and 12% of its nylon came from recycled sources. While those figures are improving, they still trail industry leaders, many of which now use nearly 100% recycled polyester and nylon. It's also worth noting that our research has focused primarily on Salomon's footwear and helmets—two product categories that have generally been slower than apparel and backpacks to adopt recycled materials.
Despite its relatively modest use of recycled materials, Salomon stands out for its work on recyclable products. In 2021, it introduced the Index road running shoe, one of the first performance running shoes designed to be fully recyclable. The company followed that with the Brigade Index helmet in 2024, designed to be recycled into products such as flowerpots and automotive parts, and the XT_PU.RE shoe, which incorporates both recycled and recyclable materials. In 2025, Salomon also launched several pilot projects exploring textile-to-textile recycling technology. We appreciate the brand's leadership in designing more circular products, but it still has considerable room to increase the use of recycled materials across its product lineup.
Although Salomon is a Bluesign System Partner, its use of Bluesign-approved materials varies significantly by product category. The brand uses relatively few Bluesign-approved materials in its footwear, helmets, and ski boots, but incorporates many of them into its apparel. In 2025, 42% of the fabrics Salomon used were Bluesign approved. These materials are produced according to rigorous standards for chemical safety and environmental responsibility, and Bluesign System Partners commit to increasing their use over time. Salomon also follows Bluesign's Restricted Substances List and has advocated since 2022 for the development of more Bluesign-approved materials for footwear—a category that has lagged behind apparel, backpacks, and outerwear in adopting these lower-impact textiles. As a result, we have yet to find Bluesign-approved materials in the Salomon footwear we've researched. Still, we appreciate that the vast majority of Salomon products are free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a plastic associated with chlorine-based chemicals linked to cancer, immune system damage, and hormone disruption.
Salomon has been slower than many industry leaders to phase out PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, despite beginning the transition in 2016. It eliminated intentionally added PFAS from its footwear in 2021 but has not yet completed the phase-out across its entire product line. By the end of 2025, Salomon reported that 93% of its products were PFAS free, falling short of its goal to eliminate intentionally added PFAS from all products by year-end. Most major outdoor brands completed their PFAS phase-outs in 2025 to comply with new California and New York regulations restricting PFAS in textiles. Several industry leaders—including Fjallraven and Keen—made the transition much earlier, eliminating intentionally added PFAS in 2015 and 2018, respectively. We hope to see Salomon complete the phase-out across the remainder of its product line in the coming months.
When it comes to responsibly sourced natural fibers, Salomon is making steady progress. It primarily purchases leather from Gold- and Silver-rated Leather Working Group-certified tanneries, helping reduce the environmental impacts of leather production. While few Salomon products use down insulation, those that do contain Responsible Down Standard-certified down, helping ensure ducks and geese are raised according to high animal welfare standards. The brand also uses a small amount of wool but does not disclose where it comes from or whether it meets any third-party certification standards, leaving a gap in our understanding of its sourcing practices. In 2025, more than 80% of the cotton Salomon purchased came from organic farms, reducing pesticide use and its associated environmental impacts. The company also began using Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified wood in its snowboards in 2024 and started transitioning to FSC-certified natural rubber in its footwear in 2025.
Salomon uses a variety of certification programs and frameworks to improve working conditions throughout its supply chain. Its parent company, Amer Sports, has been a member of the Fair Labor Association (FLA) since 2020, though unlike many outdoor brands we’ve researched, it is not an accredited member. While FLA members commit to improving labor practices, accredited members undergo ongoing evaluations to verify continuous progress in protecting workers' rights.
In addition, some of Salomon’s suppliers are Fair Trade Certified, while other Tier 1 (finished goods) factories are audited through programs such as Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), amfori Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), Better Work, and the Social and Labor Convergence Program (SLCP), meeting our responsible manufacturing criteria. Amer Sports also owns several winter sports manufacturing facilities certified to ISO 14001 and the European Union’s Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS), helping reduce environmental impacts and improve environmental management. Overall, we think Salomon demonstrates a meaningful commitment to improving working conditions throughout its supply chain.
Salomon has made a meaningful effort to reduce the impact of its packaging by replacing virgin materials with recycled alternatives and reducing its overall packaging volume. The company aims to eliminate half of its single-use packaging by 2030, though as of 2025 it has not reported on its progress toward that goal. It has replaced its virgin poly bags with 100% recycled alternatives and, in 2021, began packaging all footwear in Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper sourced from recycled content or responsibly managed forests (although we were unable to confirm how much of this paper is recycled). To further reduce packaging, Salomon removed filler paper from its footwear and alpine boot packaging, saving an estimated 40 tons of paper annually. Beginning in 2017, the company also reduced the amount of cardboard used in its packaging and eliminated glue and water-based ink to improve recyclability.
Compared to brands that lead the way in this area, Salomon's repair offerings remain limited in the U.S., though it has recently expanded its repair services in Europe. In France, where the company is headquartered, Salomon partnered with Green Wolf Repair to begin repairing damaged products at its Annecy, Lyon, and Toulouse locations in 2023. In 2025, the program completed approximately 500 repairs—a relatively small number for a brand of Salomon's size. However, in April 2026, it launched a repair program for bags and apparel, available across Europe. Customers pay for repairs, while Salomon covers shipping costs to its repair partner, United Repair Centre. Unfortunately, the program does not currently include footwear or equipment.
In the U.S., Salomon offers a five-year warranty for alpine bindings, a three-year warranty for winter sports outerwear, and a two-year warranty for all other products. It also publishes how-to videos covering repairs such as replacing its Quicklace system, and customers can request replacement Quicklace kits under warranty. In addition, Salomon sells a variety of spare parts for skis and snowboards, including buckles, power straps, binding components, pole baskets, laces, and binding ratchets. Still, we hope to see Salomon launch a U.S. repair program in the future.
Salomon has been an early leader in designing products for recycling, despite its relatively limited product lineup. It was the first outdoor brand to introduce a recyclable ski helmet, the Brigade Index MIPS, and also offers the Index.03 road running shoe and XT PU.RE shoe. Both can be returned to Salomon for free recycling at the end of their lives (be sure to register your product). While the brand currently sells only a handful of recyclable products as of 2026, it plans to design more circular products going forward. Salomon aims to offer at least one repair, recycling, second-hand sale, or rental program for its entire product line by 2030.
While Salomon is making progress on the recycling front, it has yet to launch a resale platform for used Salomon products. Other brands like On, Arc’teryx, Brooks, and The North Face offer re-commerce platforms to help keep gear in circulation for longer. The brand has not disclosed any plans to launch a resale platform in the future.
Outdoor brands track their greenhouse gas emissions to understand their environmental impact and identify opportunities to reduce it. Salomon began tracking its emissions in 2019, around the same time many outdoor brands started measuring their carbon footprints (very few did so before 2018). It has set Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi)-verified goals to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions (from owned assets and purchased electricity) by 50% and Scope 3 emissions (from its supply chain, transportation, and materials) by 30% by 2030, relative to its 2019 baseline. Like all Amer Sports brands, Salomon also aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
So, how is Salomon progressing toward those goals? In 2019, the company reported emissions of 226,227 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e). By 2025, that figure had increased to 366,000 tCO₂e—a 60% increase over its baseline year. Purchased goods and services accounted for the vast majority of those emissions. While Salomon has set ambitious climate targets, its absolute emissions remain well above its baseline. The company has, however, improved its carbon efficiency: since 2022, it has reduced its emissions intensity per unit of revenue by 34%, meaning it is producing products more efficiently even as total emissions continue to rise. Compared with brands such as Fjallraven and Rab, which have made measurable progress in reducing their absolute emissions, Salomon lags behind. Still, we appreciate the company's detailed emissions reporting and transparency.
Annual impact reports offer an in-depth look at a brand's sustainability practices. Both Salomon and its parent company, Amer Sports, publish excellent reports with detailed information across many of the sustainability criteria we evaluate. We especially appreciate that Salomon reports its greenhouse gas emissions over time—a level of transparency many brands avoid when their emissions are rising. The report also provides data on recycled materials, responsibly sourced natural fibers, and Bluesign-approved materials, as well as updates on responsible manufacturing and efforts to increase circularity throughout its supply chain.
The Salomon Foundation supports outdoor professionals affected by accidents and nonprofit organizations that help disadvantaged communities access mountain sports. Salomon aims to allocate more than $20 million to the foundation by 2030. In 2025, the foundation donated nearly $650,000 to more than 30 nonprofits and around 40 mountain professionals. Additionally, Salomon has been a member of Textile Exchange since 2022. The organization works with companies across the textile industry to advance more responsible materials and sourcing practices through programs such as the Responsible Down Standard and Responsible Wool Standard.
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Better Trail Certified products score 4 out of 5 or higher in our sustainability ratings and generally meet around 80% or more of our criteria. While it’s true that no product is 100% sustainable—all take resources to create and arrive at your doorstep—these products are industry leaders and among the most sustainable on the market.
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