NEMO, an award-winning designer of outdoor gear and accessories that are built to improve the experience of adventure, has won four prestigious international awards for three new products and a project to eliminate polybag use. The GOOD Green Design Award from the Chicago Anthenaeum & The European Centre was given to both the Chipper™ Seat Pad and 100K Polybag Elimination Project, and the iF Design Award to both the Moonlite™ Recliner and Moonlander™ adjustable height table.
GOOD Green Design Award
NEMO’s Chipper™ and 100K Polybag Elimination Project were each selected from hundreds of entries submitted from across the world. “…designs for buildings and products that emphasize the most advanced ‘Green Approach’ and the most sophisticated methods and technology to make the most positive impact on the environment were cited and awarded,” stated officials.
The Chipper™ seat pad is the only closed-cell foam seat made entirely from off-cut foam waste. Constructed from reclaimed and remolded PE foam scraps from sleeping pad production, Chipper™ offers a supportive and resilient place to rest, whether you’re sitting, kneeling, or standing.
The 100K Polybag Elimination Project, a partnership project created with DAC, is an example of how combining forces through the supply chain can create new possibilities. NEMO has been able to not only remove an unnecessary polybag from its packaging, but also reduce the resources needed to make a sewn pole bag. The Repreve® recycled, undyed, uncoated fabric bag with recycled thread uses less energy and water to manufacture. There is no webbing, cord, or plastic hardware, minimizing materials and creating a straight-forward solution.
“For 19 years, we’ve been committed to building a lasting brand, to making decisions with a long-term view,” said NEMO’s founder and CEO, Cam Brensinger. “The future we want to create isn’t possible without addressing our impact on the planet. We are taking many actions right now to address our sustainability. More than 80% of the products we make have at least one significant sustainability attribute. Some, like our new Chipper™ seat, are pushing forward new ways of making our category of products. Using reclaimed foam chips instead of virgin material, Chipper™ will remove 8.8 tons of scrap foam from the waste stream, destined for incinerators and landfills, and 48 tons of CO2 in its first year. In switching to the 100% recycled pole bag, we repurpose .8 plastic bottles per bag while using no water for dyeing. We have a goal of eliminating 100,000 polybags with this approach by 2023. These are just beginnings, but they have started an intensive learning process and we are committed to the journey.”
The iF Design Award
The iF Design Award has been a globally recognized trademark for excellent design since 1954. Nearly 10,000 products were submitted from 52 countries this year, with only 1,744 winning products selected.
Two new pieces from NEMO’s 2021 line of lightweight furniture won the iF Design Award:
The Moonlite™ Recliner, which also won Backpacker Magazine’s coveted Editors’ Choice award, brings a new sitting experience and design standard to the lightweight chair category. With welded construction, seamless seating, ball-and-socket connections, forged aluminum hubs and oversized thin-walled tubing, no other lightweight chair can match the stability, functionality and comfort. Its first-in-class, patent-pending design and hardware offer adjustable seating positions for dining, remote working, napping, or anything in between. A majority of Moonlite’s textiles are also 100% post-consumer recycled with a significant amount bluesign® certified.
Unlike other camping tables, Moonlander™ can be used in either low position at 4”, perfect for sitting on a picnic blanket or tailgate, or as a side table for a camp chair, like NEMO’s Stargaze™ or Moonlite™ Recliner, at 16”. It packs radically small—to the size of a laptop, and sets up in seconds, like opening a pop-up book. It can easily be carried to the park, backyard, or backcountry while providing a secure landing for a pair of wine glasses or lunch. Moonlander™ uses bluesign® Zinc pole tips, and for the carrying case, bluesign® certified, 100% PCR textiles and webbing.
“We are a design driven company and take pride in everything we do from how we serve our customers to how we treat each other and the planet,” said Noah Pitchforth, NEMO’s VP of Product. “We believe great ideas require a great team, working environment and process. We are applying material science and obsessive attention to detail to create exceptional experiences to not just make great product, but to master the process. We are honored with these recognitions.”
About NEMO
NEMO is a New Hampshire-based outdoor gear design company known for creating award-winning products that are built to last, comfortable and fun to use. Named the fastest growing camping brand in 2021 by NPD Group, NEMO has also been recognized by New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility as a small business leader for the environment, and has won over 100 major awards for its designs since its founding in 2002. NEMO’s reputation for design innovation across its product lines—tents, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, camp accessories and furniture—is an outgrowth of its design philosophy to never bring anything to market that doesn’t offer a meaningfully better experience. NEMO’s team of designers and engineers are motivated by a passion for outdoor adventure and sustainability.
