Inspiration2 min read

Outer Co-Founder Terry Lin on What Sustainability Means to Us

Outer Co-Founder Terry Lin on What Sustainability Means to Us

We're proud to be featured on the Elemental Green Blog

Here at Outer, we're dedicated to sustainability in every sense of the word. We're honored to have been recognized for that effort recently on the Elemental Green blog, which interviewed our co-founder and Chief Design Officer Terry Lin and and had some very flattering things to say about us:

Turning heads with each sleek debut, Outer certainly doesn’t hold back on creating modern-minded outdoor pieces. And the same can be said of their eco-conscious craftsmanship. The California-based direct-to-consumer brand set out on a mission to reinvent the approach to outdoor furniture through conscious design, eco-friendly materials, and relying on sustainable supply chains, all while on a quest to become a carbon-neutral business. More than 100 recycled plastic bottles make up each of their fully recyclable all-weather wicker furniture pieces, handcrafted by artisans. And their durable yet soft-to-the-touch custom performance fabric resists stains, fading, and mold.
Most recently, they’ve debuted a Teak collection, made using FSC-certified wood sourced from responsibly managed fields in Indonesia, where multiple carbon-capturing trees are planted to replace the ones they harvest. And the Aluminum collection—weather-resistant and outdoor-ready—is 100% recyclable. Chief Design Officer Terry Lin, who co-founded Outer with Jiake Liu, weighs in on the brand’s design intentions and the power of responsible materials.
Q: What strides are you making to bring more sustainability outside?
A: We are getting desensitized to the changing natural world. Studies have shown that getting outside makes you healthier and happier, yet we are spending far less time outside for good reason. You don’t have to look far to see the effects that decades of industrialization have had on our planet. The world is getting hotter, colder, wetter and drier.
As the caretakers of the Earth, we have to take a unified effort to do our part before we cause irreparable damage. That means that we have to look high and low and perform acts great and small. At Outer, our impact is not in the volume of the materials used, but the thinking into the choices that were made. We are currently working with a clean tech partner on developing new material formulations that sequester carbon. The approach is harder, slower and more expensive, but it’s the right one for us.
Q: What’s the lasting impact of your outdoor furnishings?
A: We believe the small acts that we make shine a spotlight and demonstrate to consumers that small companies can make an impact. The collective small acts that consumers, communities and small businesses choose will eventually become big acts. That’s where lasting change can be made.

Click through to read the whole article, and learn more about our commitment to sustainability here!