Cotopaxi, an outdoor gear company that uses recycled goods, gives to fight poverty, and works to provide a positive social impact, is this week's featured Uncommon Brand. The company makes durable bags, jackets, and clothing designed to be used outdoors, while also vowing to 'do good' while making those products. As they put it:

Impact starts with how we operate. That means taking into account ethics during every phase of a product’s lifecycle—from its design to its manufacture and sale. We’re into funky; we’re into recycled; we’re into treating those who sew our products with respect. To ensure that anyone who touches our products is well-treated, we work with suppliers to uphold a rigorous code of conduct.

The company is named after an active volcano in the Ecuadorian Andes, nearby where the founder Davis Smith grew up. After launching two ecommerce companies in the Brazilian market, he began Cotopaxi in 2013 with a mission to do fight poverty in some of the world's poorest regions.

I gifted some bags and a very warm jacket to friends and family last year, and have a few Cotopaxi items of my own. It's an impressive brand, both for the quality of its products and the bigger mission. There's a growing market of those that care more about byproducts of consumption, and Cotopaxi offers a no-compromise choice for outdoor gear lovers.