Outerwear brand Arc'teryx apologizes over fireworks stunt in Tibet

Officials in Tibet are investigating after Canadian outdoor apparel brand Arc’teryx set off fireworks in the Himalayas in a publicity stunt that was widely criticized over its potential impact on the environment.

HONG KONG — Officials in Tibet are investigating after Canadian outdoor apparel brand Arc’teryx set off fireworks in the Himalayas in a publicity stunt that was widely criticized over its potential impact on the environment.

The fireworks display, called the “Ascending Dragon,” was staged on Friday by Arc’teryx and prominent Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang at an altitude of about 18,000 feet in the Himalayas, a highly fragile and unstable ecosystem in southwest Tibet, according to Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency.

The show played out in three acts, with bursts of color igniting one after another along the ridge, tracing the mountain’s outline in rainbow-like waves, according to videos that have since been deleted.

A local environmental official told state-run news outlet The Beijing News that the event did not require review because it used eco-friendly materials. The display site was outside any protected area, and there was no sign of ecological damage so far, the official said.

An Arc'teryx store in Shanghai, China.CFOTO / Future Publishing via Getty Images fileBut the Arc’teryx publicity campaign quickly drew backlash on Chinese social media, prompting officials in the Tibetan city of Shigatse to launch an investigation.