09/30/2025
Picture this: in the high Himalayas, at around 5,500 meters elevation in Tibet, fireworks erupt along snow-topped ridgelines at dusk, painting the sky in dragon forms, smoke trails, and colored flares. It’s cinematic, spectacular — and deeply tone-deaf. That’s exactly what Arc’teryx (in partnership with famed firework artist Cai Guo-Qiang) staged on September 19, 2025, in Gyangze County, Shigatse. 
They called it “Ascending Dragon”. The brand said it was an homage to mountain culture, using “biodegradable, environmentally friendly” pyrotechnics, relocating livestock, and attempting to coax wildlife away.
Fragile ecosystem: Alpine meadows in Tibet have shallow topsoil that can take decades to recover. Add noise, smoke, and chemical fallout, and you’ve just scarred one of the most sensitive environments on Earth. The most significant issues from this clout chase are:
Pollution cocktail: Fireworks release PM₂.₅, sulfur dioxide, perchlorates, heavy metals like cadmium and copper, plus microplastics. One study found post-fireworks microplastic spikes of 1,000% in rivers.
Glacier stress: Shockwaves don’t just rattle eardrums — they can destabilize ice masses already cracking under climate change.
Sacred mountains: To Tibetans, the Himalayas aren’t a stage set. Detonating explosives in a spiritual landscape is cultural arrogance disguised as “art.”
The PR fallout came just as fast as the smoke. Government officials launched an environmental probe, Chinese social media called for boycotts, and Arc’teryx rushed out apologies — one in Chinese, another in English, with different tones, which only made people angrier.
Irony. This is the same company that publicly pledged net-zero by 2050. Yet in practice, they treated the world’s most important water tower (glaciers feeding rivers for 2 billion people) like a fireworks launchpad. It’s the outdoor equivalent of a vegan brand serving foie gras at its launch party.
Arc’teryx wanted viral buzz. Instead, they detonated their credibility as an outdoor company. Do you agree?