Good
Based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Stio is an up-and-coming brand making a strong effort to decrease the impact of its products. The brand is upping its use of recycled materials, improving circularity through its Second Chance re-commerce program, and packaging products in 100% recycled materials. Still, Stio has room for improvement in areas such as offering repair services and setting greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. Want the full breakdown? Here’s how Stio is reducing its impact, and where the brand is headed next.
This sustainability analysis evaluates both product- and brand-level initiatives to capture the full scope of Stio's efforts to reduce its environmental impact. Our research draws from Stio's published sustainability data, third-party certifications (a cornerstone of our process), and correspondence with brand representatives. We have independently researched over seven Stio products to date and counting, giving us a broad understanding of the brand’s use of low-impact materials, chemistry, and manufacturing practices.
You can explore our analyses of other outdoor brands, or use our advanced search to find products that align with your sustainability values.
Stio receives a “Good” transparency rating for its sustainability information. At the product level, material composition is clearly labeled on the brand’s website, highlighting relevant attributes like PFAS content and recycled materials. Stio publishes a short-but-solid annual impact report, although its 2024 report lacks information about greenhouse gas reduction efforts and is somewhat sparse on the concrete data we typically look for. Still, we appreciate that Stio summarizes the report on its website’s sustainability page for an easy-to-access overview. Representatives at the brand have been somewhat responsive to our questions about its products and sustainability initiatives, although other brands have been more open to answering questions about big-picture initiatives.
Stio lands in the upper tier of brands when it comes to using recycled materials, though its statistics in this area still fall behind leaders like Patagonia, The North Face, and Fjallraven. Recycled fabrics come with a smaller carbon footprint than their virgin alternatives, and as a result, have become a key component of many brands’ journey to reduce their emissions. The majority of Stio products that we’ve researched feature recycled content, and the brand continues to increase the share of these low-impact materials.
Stio started incorporating recycled content into its line in 2019; that year, it used only 4% recycled polyester and 9% recycled nylon across its products. In 2024, Stio reported using just under 66% recycled polyester and over 54% recycled nylon across its products, up from 54% and 36% respectively, in 2023. By the end of 2025, the brand plans to use 75% preferred materials, which include recycled, Bluesign-approved, and certified responsible materials.
Bluesign-approved materials are subject to high standards for chemical safety and environmental responsibility throughout the supply chain. Because the Bluesign system is highly comprehensive, participation in the system has become the gold standard for brands to reduce the impact of textile manufacturing. Stio states that it uses Bluesign-approved materials whenever possible, but of the Stio products we’ve researched, only a handful feature them. Additionally, unlike many other outdoor brands, Stio is not a Bluesign System Partner. (Partners are regularly monitored through on-site assessments to ensure they continue to meet Bluesign’s standards.) To our knowledge, the brand does not have plans to join the system in the future. However, Stio has plans to certify more of its materials to Oeko-Tex standards in the coming years. Oeko-Tex tests finished products for over 1,000 harmful chemicals, but unlike Bluesign, the organization does not monitor the environmental and chemical impacts of materials throughout the supply chain.
In 2020, Stio launched its first PFAS-free durable water-repellent treatment, marking the beginning of its journey toward reducing the chemical impact of its products. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, were once the industry’s go-to for waterproofing outdoor gear. However, because of their environmental persistence and harmful health impacts, California and New York banned these so-called “forever chemicals” from being used in clothing in 2025. Now, most outdoor brands, including Stio, have eliminated PFAS from their products. Stio completed its PFAS phase-out in 2024, putting it on track with many other outdoor brands. Still, industry leaders like Fjallraven and Keen phased out forever chemicals in 2015 and 2018, respectively.
Stio has made solid progress toward increasing its use of certified, responsibly sourced animal products and natural fibers. All of its down is certified to the Responsible Down Standard, which ensures that ducks and geese are treated humanely while providing a high level of traceability from farm to product. One hundred percent of the leather Stio uses is sourced from suppliers certified by the Leather Working Group, which adheres to high standards for chemical management and environmental impact. Unfortunately, the brand does not report on which tier of Leather Working Group certification it uses when sourcing materials.
Additionally, though we know that Stio uses some Responsible Wool Standard-certified merino wool in its products, it does not specify the total percentage of certified wool it uses. Finally, Stio used just over 95% organic cotton in 2024, up from 86% in 2023 and none in 2019. Cotton is a pesticide-intensive crop, and growing cotton using organic practices reduces reliance on these harmful chemicals, which in turn pollute waterways and soil.
Because Stio does not participate in a third-party responsible manufacturing accreditation program, the brand does not meet our responsible manufacturing criteria. To meet these criteria, we require brands to participate in a third-party program that provides certification or annual audits of factories to ensure safe working conditions, fair wages, and a decreased environmental impact. Examples of these certifications include Fair Trade certification, Fair Wear Leader status, or Fair Labor Association accreditation. Still, we appreciate that Stio posts a list of its suppliers on its website.
We love that Stio uses 100% recycled packaging materials in its products, though brand representatives did not respond to inquiries about the specific materials used. Though packaging typically accounts for only a fraction of a brand’s emissions, it makes up a substantial component of its waste. In its 2024 impact report, Stio announced that it plans to reduce waste by eliminating single-use plastic in its base layer shipping materials, with the aim of reducing packaging materials across other product categories in the future. All in all, the brand is making solid progress in this area.
Unfortunately, unlike top brands for sustainability, Stio does not offer repair services. Instead, it replaces products with manufacturer defects through its warranty program. Wear-and-tear issues such as rips and tears are not covered, and neither is gear purchased from Second Turn, the brand’s resale program. On the upside, representatives at the brand help connect consumers to local repair providers near Stio stores, and Stio reimburses approved repairs with store credit if they are covered under the brand’s warranty. Still, when compared to repair offerings at Patagonia and Arc’teryx, the brand’s offerings are underwhelming.
In 2022, Stio launched Second Turn, a resale program designed to keep gently used products in use longer. In the program’s first year, Second Turn helped divert 8,600 pounds of material from landfills, avoiding almost 3.5 tons of carbon emissions. Stio plans to expand the program by 33% by the end of 2025, aiming to sell at least 4,000 items on the platform this year. (The brand does not accept swimwear, co-branded items, accessories like hats, scarves, beanies, and bags, tee shirts, underwear, baselayers, or anything with an MSRP under $50.)
Additionally, Stio only takes gear in good condition. It describes the minimum standard for apparel sent into the program as “used for a season or two” with some “visible wear.” This means no rips, tears, stains, or broken zippers. Items can be dropped off at a Stio store or sent in with a pre-paid shipping label (provided by Stio). If your gear is accepted, Stio will reward you with store credit, totalling up to 25% of the original product value. Unlike several leading brands, Stio does not offer a recycling program for used gear. To our understanding, there are no plans to implement a program like this in the future.
Greenhouse gas emissions data offers a bird’s-eye view of a brand’s progress toward sustainable practices. Brands making a serious effort to decrease their impact measure emissions, set reduction goals, and report on their trends using key metrics like absolute emissions and carbon intensity. Stio started tracking its greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 and has reported on emissions each year since. It set a target to reduce its Scope 1 and 2 emissions (which come from owned assets and purchased electricity) by 50% by 2030, compared to its 2020 baseline year. These targets are aligned with Science Based Targets Initiative criteria, but have not been verified by the organization. Unfortunately, Stio has yet to set a Scope 3 reduction target, which is significant given that over 95% of its total emissions fall into this category.
In its 2023 Climate Label report, Stio reported that it emitted a total of 11,697 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) in its operations, with an emissions intensity of 0.15 kilograms of carbon equivalent per dollar of revenue. Notably, Stio has made reductions in both its carbon intensity and absolute emissions over the past four years: In 2020, the brand reported emitting 14,645 tCO2e with a 0.38 kg CO2e/dollar. Like most outdoor brands, the vast majority of Stio’s emissions fell under Scope 3, or supply chain emissions, which include raw materials, manufacturing, shipping, and more. Because the brand is certified to The Climate Label, it funds emissions reduction and removal projects at a scale equivalent to its emissions. As of the latest data, published in 2023, Stio has put $366,818 toward these projects. Notably, the brand does not report on its emissions data in its impact report; instead, we rely on third-party sources for its data.
Stio published its first annual impact report in 2020 and has published one each year since. Compared to the annual impact reports published by other brands, Stio’s is short and somewhat limited in data. Still, it includes useful sustainability information for many of our criteria, including PFAS-free chemistry, resale programs, and the brand’s partnerships and donations. The report provides in-depth coverage of responsible and recycled materials statistics, but does not include any greenhouse gas tracking data, which marks a substantial gap in transparency. It also fails to address repair services, the use of Bluesign-approved materials, and sustainable packaging. Annual impact reports are one of our key sources of data on a brand’s sustainability progress, serving as an essential indicator of transparency. Even with the gaps mentioned above, Stio’s report still lands in the upper tier of annual impact reports we have read.
Stio is a member of the Outdoor Industry Association Climate Action Corps, a group of brands working toward cutting the outdoor industry’s emissions in half by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. The brand is also certified to The Climate Label, which means that it measures its emissions and funds greenhouse gas reduction and removal projects at a scale that matches its emissions. Stio also donates to a variety of climate and outdoor access organizations, ranging from Protect Our Winters to the Coombs Foundation. In honor of its logo inspiration, Stio also supports the Whitebark Pine Ecosystem Foundation, which works to protect whitebark pine trees in the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem.
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