Community & Initiatives

Life on the Water for Everyone
As a community, we are stronger when we embrace our diversity. Level Six strives to create a respectful, inclusive, stigma-free and supportive culture within our watersports community and internally as a company. We want all individuals to experience the joy and personal growth that comes with life on the water.
Community Development, Sustainability Initiatives & Our Pledge to The Environment:
At Level Six we realize that we need to conserve our watersheds and give back to the water sports communities. Therefore, Level Six has introduced various community development and sustainability initiatives that give back.  Our current initiatives are:
1% for Watershed Conservation
As a company and as industry leaders, we recognize that we have a responsibility to conserve our watersheds for all to enjoy. Every year we take 1% of our direct retail sales and donate it to various watershed conservation organizations across North America. Our livelihood depends on having clean and navigable waterways to explore and experience.   
100% Recycled Nylon and PFC/PFAS/PFOS Free Dry Wear
All our waterproof, breathable fabrics are made out of 100% recycled nylon and are PFAS-free. This includes our fabric, membrane and DWR on all our exhaust fabrics. 
Recycled & Recyclable Packaging
The amount of single-use plastic and waste in the retail industry is staggering. At Level Six, we continually strive to find ways to minimize our use of single-use plastic packaging. We use 100% recycled cardboard for individually wrapped items, single bag liners for bulk shipments, and rolled clothing items tied with twine or casual apparel. It is our perpetual goal to mitigate our impact on our natural environment and lead the water sports industry toward a brighter and more environmentally sustainable future. 
Petroleum Free Neoprene
We currently use limestone-based neoprene in our Jericho and Sombrio line of products and will continue to move petroleum-based new products in our line up to more eco-friendly options.  
Direct-to-consumer carbon-neutral shipping
How it works: For every order we receive, a formula is used to calculate the estimated shipping emissions. Based on those estimates, a portion of our revenue goes to carbon removal companies that have been vetted by scientists from Carbon Direct. Those companies use that money to remove however much carbon our shipments created. Any extra funds go toward the further development of carbon removal technologies.
 
Diversity In The Outdoors
We have teamed up with the Yonkers paddling & rowing club and their Hudson River Riders program to give young people and adults from disadvantaged neighbourhoods the opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities, environmental education, recreational paddling and skills training in kayaking & stand-up paddle-boarding.
We have worked with Project Canoe. They offer therapeutic and educational outdoor programming to Ontario youth in both wilderness and urban environments.
Their focus is on youth who might otherwise miss out on the experience of outdoor adventure as a result of systemic or mental health barriers they face in their lives. 
We support Waterways an Indigenous-led non-profit organization based in Manitoba that empowers Indigenous youth through canoe-based outdoor recreation programs. 
We work with Colour the Trails , which is a national Black woman-owned business focused on improving access to outdoor activities for BIPoC (including those who lay within the intersection of BIPoC and 2SLGBTQAI+ community)  adventurers.
A Carbon Free Future
We plan to assess our carbon footprint and look into working towards becoming a carbon neutral business in the future. We would do this by using a company like treecanada.ca to calculate and offset our footprint by the planting of native trees in Canada.
The Level Six Youth Paddling Scholarship
This scholarship program was introduced as a measure to get more young people on the water to experience adventure and build self-confidence.
Level Six has teamed up with five of the top kayak schools in Canada and the US to sponsor twelve youths. These twelve young individuals will get the opportunity to go to a kayak school and learn the fundamentals of paddling. Our goal is to create lifelong paddlers who will drive the future of paddle sports forward for generations to come.
Community Event Sponsorships
We sponsor community events across the globe. From races and festivals to demos and clinics, we try our best to help support community leaders who promote and take steps to actively grow water sports in their respective communities.
 
Our Manufacturing Code of Conduct:
Level Six uses the ETI (Ethical Trading Initiatives) as our framework for our product sustainability standards. We do our best to follow this model across all our supply chains and will continue to work with factories that follow good labour practices. This is one part of our commitment to the overall well being of the environment and our sustainability initiatives. 
The ETI Framework is as follows:
1. Employment is freely chosen
2. Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are respected
3. Working conditions are safe and hygienic
4. Child labour shall not be used
5. Living wages are paid
6. Working hours are not excessive
7. No discrimination is practised
8. Regular employment is provided
9. No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed
During the design process, we strive to use as much recycled content as possible within our products and work with our factories to create new materials that are more environmentally sustainable.