Environmental and Social Impact Report 2024

We’re focused on more than just our financial performance……

Hooked On Granite Ltd is the parent company of Joe Brown Shops and The Climbers Shop. As an independent, British owned business, we have a long history of providing the best equipment and advice to hillwalkers, trail/ultra runners, rock climbers, mountaineers and expeditions. We are committed to be a ‘good’ business by considering the impact of our activities on people (social impact) and the planet (environmental impact); not just on profit. Happily, new legislation to encourage all businesses to do this and, perhaps more importantly, to help end larger corporations choice to greenwash, is on the horizon……

Our business helps people discover and enjoy the outdoor environment and we fully recognize the connection between encouraging people to get outside more and environmental impact. We proudly continue to support three National Park charities: Cymdeithas Eryri and The Lake District Foundation and Fix The Fells, helping to protect our stunning natural environment for generations to come.

In addition, we support our fantastic staff team with a 24 hour advice helpline, as well as local and international charities committed to promoting the advancement of health, the relief of poverty, improving young people’s life chances and strengthening indigenous, community-based culture. We do this via the El Rio Foundation (formerly The Frank Davies Trust) and Community Action Nepal.

You can read our previous reports here

As of September 2020, we started an annual process to assess the full environmental impact of our business. Throughout this time we have continually improved our Action Plan score rating. We are very proud to maintain our Green Small Business Certification for 2025 with a score of 65% placing us above our industry standard.

Environmental Impact:

We are pleased to report that all of the electricity we used across the business this year was, again, from sustainable sources. Our energy consumption continues to reduce as we replace old light fittings with new LED ones. All old strip light bulbs are recycled and in Wales, we use North Wales Recycle IT, an ethical and sustainable IT recycling company who ensure our data is destroyed with the utmost security before sending repairable items out be re-used by people, families and communities in our region.

Our warehouse uses entirely paper-based packaging with a very small portion of plastics used where safety and security are a priority. We use a mix of paper and plastic tape, depending on which best suits the packaging as some items are packaged in DPD specific plastic packaging. These bags are made from 80% reclaimed material and are 100% recyclable. This year we have improved our re-use of cardboard boxes, significantly reducing those going to recycling and therefore reducing our use of new FSC approved ones.

For stationary, our staff are encouraged to purchase recycled paper and a proportion of our printer ink is from Making IT Green, a sustainable supplier who also recycle spent cartridges. All paper is recycled and in Wales we we send our confidential waste to a local social enterprise providing work for adults with learning disabilities: Antur Waunfawr.

Our key suppliers Rab, Mountain Equipment, Montane, La Sportiva, Scarpa and indeed many of our smaller suppliers, work hard to improve and maintain ethical and environmental excellence across their business practices. Working with them, we discourage single use marketing assets in our shop and window displays across the company, keeping any items we can re-use and returning others back to the supplier for re-use. In Ambleside, LED lightboxes are installed with suppliers making donations to Community Action Nepal for each use.

We continue to offer the Bike To Work Scheme and our only company vehicle is a hybrid.

For 6 years we have only stocked re-chargeable batteries where available.

As a retailer, we are part of a global and complex supply chain, with a large environmental impact. We build long-term business relationships with brands and partners who share our values and understand our main weapon in the fight for a better environment is to offer high-quality products. We use our expertise and knowledge to guide customers to making sustainable and long-term choices when visiting our shops. Online, our digital Buyers Guides are product linked and free to access. Combined with our series of podcasts; Outdoor Gear Chat , they help customers make great choices when buying new kit, teach them how to get the most from it in action and offer maintenance tips to reduce the number of returned items we have to process. This year we covered a key industry topic on changes to waterproof fabrics as they become more environmentally friendly.

Our online comprehensive repairs and servicing guide is available to all and compliments our digital and sustainably printed brochures helping customers maintain their waterproofs and insulated clothing so their garments last longer. Our shops in Wales are a drop off point for Snowdonia Gear Repairs specialising in technical clothing and equipment repairs, complementing our already large spares range and repair tape collection.

Social Impact:

Through our longstanding charitable commitments, we continue to make a significant positive social impact on both a local and global level.

This year we raised monies for The Lake District Foundation via Subscription & sales of Ali’s Round Maps. For  The Snowdonia Society we pay a monthly Corporate Subscription and an additional sum from sales of our Mountain Goat Circuit maps.

We also continued to pay a substantial amount to The El Rio Foundation and Community Action Nepal via Rental payments for our Ambleside shop & the selling of Doug Scott signed photographic prints, Nepali artifacts and a fantastic autumn prize raffle.

We continued our support for a local youth group in Wales with their healthy eating programme and supported a small Welsh expedition on their second attempt on K7 in Pakistan.

Donations were also made to The Martin Moran Foundation, The Armitt Museum, The Beacon Lead Climbing Aggregate, Tuesday Night Fell Running Series (Llanberis), Ambleside Christmas Lights, The North Wales Bolt Fund, Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, Langdale and Ambleside Mountain Rescue Teams and Duddon and Furness Mountain Rescue Team via the Broughton Mountain Film Festival.

Our Joe Brown Outdoor Academy website continues to grow and is packed full of outdoor equipment knowledge, outdoor skills and a great resource for customers to find fully qualified instructors to help them enjoy the hills safely.

Finally, we are very proud to continue our commitment as a Real Living Wage Employer.

None of the above would be possible without you, our valued customers. We would like to take this opportunity to say a massive THANK YOU for choosing Joe Browns and The Climbers Shop to buy outdoor gear to enjoy your adventures. It’s astonishing at how your money can work so hard, not just supporting our staff team and the local businesses we buy from but also literally thousands of strangers across the globe.