Inov-8 to Help Restore Peatlands in Fight Against Climate Crisis

FOR PEAT’S SAKE – INOV-8 TO HELP RESTORE PEATLANDS
IN FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CRISIS

inov-8 has turned its back on the potentially lucrative Black Friday sales period and instead launched For Peat’s Sake – a Green Friday campaign in the battle against climate change.

The UK Lake District based brand – who specialise in running, hiking and fitness gear – will donate 5% of all website and in-store purchases between today and November 29^th to peatland restoration, in collaboration with Cumbria Wildlife Trust and their carbon reduction projects.

Peatlands may only cover 3% of the planet, but their soils store twice as much harmful carbon as all the world’s forests. These boggy wetlands are also among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth.

Michelle Waller, Senior Development Officer for Cumbria Wildlife Trust, a charity devoted to the conservation of wildlife and wild places in the county which homes the Lake District, said: “Protecting and restoring peatlands is one of our best defences against climate change because they lock away harmful CO2, so that it doesn’t leak back into the atmosphere.

“Many people might not know this, but healthy peatlands full of bogs are actually the UK’s largest carbon store – they lock away 28.5 million tonnes of CO2 in the Lake District alone.

“The money received from inov-8’s For Peat’s Sake campaign will help us maintain special peatlands. These include the 350-hectare site at Foulshaw Moss Nature Reserve, which is about the size of 500 football/soccer pitches and locks away over 5,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year.”

In the past 12 months inov-8 has donated £12,000 to Cumbria Wildlife Trust, contributing towards the on-going planting of 2,000 trees at Staveley Woodlands, near its head office.

As part of its new campaign inov-8 will also hold a litter pick from its Staveley-based brand store, The Forge, on November 26^th, the day known elsewhere as Black Friday. Several of inov-8’s trail running athletes will join staff in cleaning the local area of rubbish, while others will do likewise in their own villages, towns and cities. Representatives from Cumbria Wildlife Trust will also be there to talk about their critical work protecting Cumbria’s wildlife and wild places.

Michael Price, inov-8 COO, said: “We need to get a grip on the climate crisis – and do so now, before it’s too late. This is not something any of us can run away from.

“As a brand we’re committed to sustainability and I’m proud of the big steps we’ve taken in making products that last longer and reducing our environmental footprint. We’re not perfect, but we’re improving all the time.

“Focusing our efforts on Cumbria Wildlife Trust and the For Peat’s Sake campaign, rather than the overindulgent madness of Black Friday, may hit us in the pocket but there are bigger stakes at play and I’m proud that we’re taking this stand.”

inov-8 has also set up a JustGiving page where anyone can make an additional donation to Cumbria Wildlife Trust or do so without making a website purchase.

Learn more about the For Peat’s Sake campaign.

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inov-8 was forged in the fells and mountains of the Lake District in 2003. It is a footwear, clothing and equipment brand for committed trail and off-road runners, adventure-seeking hikers and fitness athletes who push boundaries and stretch limits. The brand is renowned globally for designing shoes with the best grip and in 2018 became the first-ever to use Graphene – the world’s strongest material – in the rubber outsoles of its footwear.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust is the only voluntary organisation devoted solely to the conservation of the wildlife and wild places of Cumbria. The Trust stands up for wildlife, creates wildlife havens, and seeks to raise environmental awareness. Formed in 1962, the Trust cares for over 38 nature reserves you can visit, campaigns for the protection of endangered habitats and species such as limestone pavements and red squirrels, and works with adults and children to discover the importance of the natural world. Cumbria Wildlife Trust is part of a UK-wide grassroots movement of 46 Wildlife Trust charities, with more than 850,000 members and 38,000 volunteers.