Sophie Okolo, MPH

Ethical activewear can not only help you on your quest to fitness and to improve the health of your own body, but also assist in reducing your impact on people, animals and the planet as a whole. Purchasing your fitness clothes from companies that genuinely care about their environmental impacts and strive to minimise the negative effects of their activities can be tricky, though. It’s estimated that only 1% of all fashion can rightfully claim to be ethical. So how do you find a good supplier, not only of ethical activewear but also of sportswear that does the job it promises to? Here, we look at some of the issues.

How Does The Fashion And Sportswear Industry Impact On The Environment?

So why should we worry about the clothes we buy and begin looking for ethical activewear brands instead of just buying any fitness clothing when we want the right kit to go to the gym? Even a quick search on the internet will leave you in no doubt that the fashion industry is one of the worst culprits in the world when it comes to causing pollution. Environmentally, the impacts of its production of the crops and the manufacturing processes used in making garments are immense. Then there’s the enormous overproduction of clothing and the distribution around the world – all this has a huge negative impact on water, soil and air pollution. In fact, statistics show that the fashion industry as a whole causes around 10% of the world’s carbon footprint. The demand for new garments has in the past been driven by consumers who want more and more clothes for cheaper prices. 

Fortunately, though, people are becoming more aware of the situation and are beginning to opt for better choices, like ethical activewear and fashion generally. And the more our awareness is raised about the benefits of sourcing ethical athletic brands and other fashion items, the better news it is for our environment. We’re also learning more about using natural wellness supplements and how to make more considered choices as a whole. Ethical clothing steers away from the mass production of fast, disposable fashion and the synthetic fibres that have been used to make cheaper clothes in recent years. It looks for viable, sustainable alternative materials that don’t cost the earth – literally or metaphorically! If you want to make greener choices about the clothes you buy and wear, then sourcing ethical alternatives is the way to go.

How Do You Go About Sourcing Sustainable Gym Wear?

The first important factor is being aware of the negative effects of not buying sustainable gym wear and other clothing items, which we have outlined in brief above. But given that manufacturers of ethical garments are few and far between, how do you go about sourcing it? 

The big plus for consumers these days is the rise in internet shopping. This has opened up the world of retail in ways we can’t even begin to imagine. Rather than being restricted to what you can find on your local high street, you now have the whole world at your fingertips, and what’s more, the convenience of being able to browse and buy at your leisure any time of the day or night. Search for retailers of sustainable gym wear and you’ll find there is a growing choice out there. Having found suppliers, how do you then select the right one for your requirements? Well, like making any internet purchase, it’s best to do a little research of your own.  First, check the website is informative about the credentials of the ethical sports clothing they sell. Do they clearly state the source of the materials using in the making of their garments and explain why these are sustainable? Do they maintain an active social media presence? This can help give assurances about the company being active, both in retail and in making a difference to the environment. Are their claims for their clothing believable and able to be backed up by facts and further research?