Outdoor Brand Arc’teryx Is Facing Massive Backlash After It Held A Huge Fireworks Show In The Himalayas
People both in and outside of China called out Arc’teryx for promoting itself as a brand that loves nature but blows up a mountain for an ad.
Outdoor brand Arc’teryx is facing massive backlash after it held a huge fireworks show in the Himalayas. Here’s what’s going on.
It all started when Arc’teryx teamed up with renowned Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang to stage the fireworks show at the foot of the Himalayas in Tibet’s Shigatse region on Sept. 19.
The show had used a total of 1,050 pots of multi-colored fireworks at 5,500 meters to create the image of a “colorful dragon,” according to Chinese media.
Organizers said that they had used biodegradable, environmentally friendly materials for the fireworks and that they had relocated livestock beforehand.
After the show, Cai then thanked both local authorities for supporting us in “wreaking havoc in heaven,” and the “clever animals” for not getting in the way.
The video quickly went viral online, sparking outrage and calls to boycott Arc'teryx for betraying the brand’s eco-friendly image.
People both in and outside of China called out Arc’teryx for promoting itself as a brand that loves nature but blows up a mountain for an ad.
Environmental experts also said that the Himalayan mountains are too fragile for fireworks, and the noise and chemical debris could cause lasting damage.
People in China also slammed Cai, who is known for his artworks created using gunpowder, for prioritizing his ego over the environment.
After the outrage, Arc'teryx and Cai deleted the videos, while local authorities said that the project had passed all necessary approvals, but that didn't stop the anger.
Due to the controversy, some people had also discovered that Arc’teryx, originally a Canadian brand, has been owned by Chinese sportswear brand Anta since 2019, which deepened the backlash.
People condemned the show as “sacrilege” against Tibet’s mountains, which are deeply spiritual for local communities, and questioned why such a display was approved in a region tightly controlled by China since 1950.
People were angry that Arc’teryx used Tibet’s land and culture as the backdrop for a marketing show, which they said also lines up with the Chinese government’s interests in how Tibet is portrayed.
After continued backlash, Arc'teryx and Cai issued an apology on Sunday, Sept. 21, with Arc'teryx saying on its Instagram it was disappointed this had happened and that it was "out of line with the brand’s values.”
It said that it would address it directly “with the local artist involved, our team in China and will change the way [it] works to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
However, that wasn’t the end of it, because people soon discovered that the brand had issued a different in Chinese, saying it was trying to use art to promote “local highland culture”.
The Chinese apology tried to emphasize the legitimacy of the event and also promised to work with the government to review the environmental and ecological impact of the project.
People felt that the apologies didn’t match as the English one admitted fault — and hinted it was the China team’s decision — while the Chinese one focused on government approval and avoided saying the brand had done something wrong, which made people question whether the brand was serving two different interests.
Cai, the artist, also took to Chinese social media to apologize, acknowledging there were “several oversights that failed to be taken into account properly.”
As the criticism continued online, the Shigatse government announced it would launch another investigation into the fireworks event even though it had already passed all required approvals.
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