Arc’teryx has announced the launch of a new waterproof jacket and a new framework it’s calling System 0, one that marks a new approach to product design with the aim of keeping items in use for longer and to eventually turn them into new products at the end of their useable life.

Announced on 26 August, the framework rethinks how the brand designs, manufactures, repairs and eventually recycles its technical apparel. Rather than treating sustainability as an add-on, Arc’teryx says circularity is now built into every stage of a product’s life, from the choice of materials right through to what happens once a garment is worn out.

The first product to carry the System 0 badge is the Sperro SV, a hardshell built for multi-sport use and landing in stores and on arcteryx.com from 4 September. It’s made with Gore-tex Pro Fabric using the ePE membrane, developed alongside Gore-tex’s testing team to meet the brand’s usual waterproof, windproof and breathable standards.

What sets the Sperro SV apart from previous Arc’teryx offerings is what happens at the end of its life – traditionally the hardest part of the puzzle for any technical jacket. When the jacket can no longer be repaired, it goes through a chemical recycling process that separates the nylon from the Gore-tex membrane, with the nylon returned to a company called Aquafil to be regenerated into new yarn.

The aim first of all, is to ensure that the jacket can be kept in action for as long as possible through repairs and, as part of this, it comes with three years of unlimited, out-of-warranty repairs through Arc’teryx’s existing ReBIRD programme. It also features reinforcement at common wear points, including the brand’s first easily replaceable zipper slider.

“System 0 represents a fundamental shift in how we build and scale our business with circularity front of mind,” said Arc’teryx CEO Stuart Haselden, adding that the goal is a future where gear stays in use longer and is eventually regenerated into something new rather than discarded.

Chief Creative Officer Katie Becker said the brand deliberately chose to tackle a hardshell first, calling it one of the most complex products Arc’teryx makes, on the basis that solving circularity there could inform how the approach is applied across the wider range in future.

Last year, we covered how Páramo introduced its own 360° programme, built around the same core idea: keeping recycled fabric just as strong and reliable as virgin material. Rather than mechanically shredding old textiles into lower-grade filler, Páramo uses an advanced chemical recycling process that breaks garments down at a molecular level and rebuilds them into new PET chip, aiming to prove that recycled kit needn’t be a compromise on performance.

Seen alongside Arc’teryx’s System 0, it points to a wider shift taking hold across the outdoor sector – brands competing not just on waterproofing and breathability, but on what happens to a jacket once its first life is over.