12 Best Sustainable Activewear Brands for Eco-Friendly Exercise
When picking out activewear, comfort, function, and sometimes, style are priorities. These are clothes designed for physical activity and exercise, so it's only natural that comfort is essential. From your workout clothing to yoga wear, ethical activewear brands roll out pieces to support your fitness journey while being conscious of the planet and the people involved in the production.
The brands we've curated below have implemented practices to contribute to ethical and sustainable manufacturing. These practices include fair trade, choosing eco-friendly materials, and conscious production.
What to Look for When Choosing Ethical and Sustainable Activewear
Natural Fibers, Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Materials
Ethical and sustainable activewear brands use sustainable fabrics to produce high-quality pieces. Using such fabrics results in minimal impact on the planet. Companies often generate these fabrics from natural and recycled synthetics while using non-toxic dyes.
The conversion and production processes are always considered to ensure a sustainable process. Some of these sustainable materials include organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, linen, and organic corn fiber.
Fair Trade Practices
Sustainable clothing brands prioritizing fair labor practices pay attention to workers' safety, working conditions, and fair wages. These brands are often transparent with the wages they pay and the conditions of their factories or manufacturing facilities.
Many of them are also fair trade companies. This means they're paid fairly when they outsource to producers from developing countries. It also boosts sustainable trade relationships and protects farmers, artisans, and workers.
Sweat Wicking Properties
This is also known as moisture-wicking. Such fabrics remove moisture from your skin and disperse it onto the fabric's surface. The sweat or moisture then evaporates into the air. This is essential in your workout clothes because fitness activities result in lots of sweating.
Sustainable activewear brands use fabrics such as eco-certified bamboo and cotton. Bamboo has a great ability to absorb moisture and is thermoregulating1. Cotton is breathable, absorbs moisture, and helps the body stay cool.
In addition, comfort, performance, and even style are considerations. Choosing Certifications such as Oeko-Tek 100, B-Corp, and Fair Trade may also be important to you.
Related: How to Shop More Sustainably (including more information on sustainable labels), and if you're looking specifically for yoga gear, check out our sustainable yoga clothing brands.
12 of Our Favourite Sustainable and Ethical Activewear Brands
Quicklinks to our top picks of the best sustainable activewear brands:
1. Girlfriend Collective
For: Women, and also offers a "For Everyone" collection featuring gender-neutral clothing
Clothing Range: Leggings, sports bras, shorts, tanks, sweatshirts
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Fairtrade, recycled fabrics, Oeko-Tek certified safe dyes, SA8000 certified factory, eco-friendly fabrics
Size Range: XXS-6XL
Location and Shipping: Based in Seattle, Washington. Ships to the US and Australia.
Materials: Recycled plastic bottles, recycled fishing nets
If you're searching for a sustainable activewear brand that offers size inclusivity, elegance, and minimal aesthetics in its activewear, Girlfriend Collective is your answer. This company offers ethically made and sustainable activewear for your workout sessions, sporting activities, and even yoga practices. They specialize in eco-friendly and high-quality textiles. The brand makes its fabrics from recycled materials in its Taiwan facility.
Girlfriend Collective converts waste, such as plastic bottles and old fishing nets, into functional textile materials. These are then used to produce sustainable activewear such as leggings, sports bras, and shorts. It also guarantees safe working conditions, fair wages, and zero tolerance for child labor or forced labor. The brand's main factory in Vietnam is SA8000 certified.
Related: Girlfriend collective also features in our list of some of the best sustainable bike shorts.
2. Athleta
For: Women and girls
Clothing Range: Products based on activities such as yoga, running, hiking, traveling, tennis, golf, swim
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Sustainable materials, fair trade, women empowerment, water conservation, B Corporation
Size Range: XXS-3X
Location and Shipping: Based in San Francisco, CA. Ships within US territories
Materials: Organic cotton, recycled polyester, recycled nylon, Econly, Tencel Modal, Tencel Lyocell, Primaloft eco insulation (also made from plastic bottles like recycled polyester)
Athleta is a B-Corp-certified brand with long-term goals of attaining 100% sustainability and zero-waste practices. Athleta designs clothing that integrates performance and technical features for active women and girls. The brand offers a variety of sustainable workout clothes for yoga and ethical athletic wear. With Athleta pieces, you're guaranteed the fusion of comfort and style.
At the heart of the brand's practices is empowering girls and women. The brand prioritizes performance, design, sustainability, and sisterhood. Transparency is also important to this company. On the site, we can see information regarding its practices. From fair trade certified factories and sustainable fibers to water-saving techniques and waste reduction, Athleta is making a difference.
3. Outdoor Voices
For: Men and women
Clothing Range: Athletic wear for adults, including leggings, sports bras, dresses, shorts, skorts, sweatshirts
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Recycled and recyclable packaging, natural and recycled fabrics
Size Range: XS-XXXL
Location and Shipping: Based in Austin, TX.
Materials: Recycled PET, responsibly sourced merino wool, bluesign certified CloudKnit, MegaFleece, Cotton Terry.
Outdoor Voices makes activewear for "doing things daily." These include activities such as running, yoga, and dog walks. This clothing brand focuses on creating a product range of sustainable athletic wear for recreation. The brand prioritizes creating high-quality products and designs with circularity and longevity in mind.
Outdoor Voices makes products from fabrics like recycled PET, ethically sourced merino, bluesign certified CloudKnit, and MegaFleece (made from recycled wool). The brand is committed to using packaging that is recycled and recyclable.
4. Organic Basics
For: Men and women
Clothing Range: Activewear and fashion basics such as bras, tights, socks, leggings, tops
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Certified B Corporation, sustainable fabrics, GOTS Certified organic cotton, recycled packaging, made ethically
Size Range: XS-XL
Location and Shipping: Based in Copenhagen, Denmark. Ships worldwide
Materials: Organic cotton, recycled wool, TENCEL, and recycled materials, SilverTech
Organic Basics creates conscious everyday essentials from natural, soft, and renewable fibers. One of these is its GOTS-certified organic cotton. This sustainable fashion brand's eco-friendly activewear and essentials are ethically made in Europe.
The brand recognizes the fashion industry's impact and carbon footprint and constantly strives to contribute positively. This means selecting sustainable and eco-friendly fabrics and partnerships with factories that care about ethics.
Organic Basics works with certified factories that pay living wages. In its SilverTech pieces, the brand weaves natural silver into organic cotton. This creates soft, odor-controlling, and heat-regulating lightweight, breathable fabric. To ensure full transparency, the brand has factory details on its website.
5. Threads 4 Thought
For: Men, women, and kids
Clothing Range: T-shirts, tank tops, shorts, leggings, hoodies, sweaters, joggers
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Ethical production, sustainable fabrics, community empowerment, wastewater is recycled and reused
Size Range: XXS-3XL
Location and Shipping: New York, NY. Ships worldwide
Materials: Organic cotton, Lenzing modal, recycled polyester
Threads 4 Thought has positioned itself as a full lifestyle brand of everyday basics and comfortable and stylish activewear. The clothing brand creates ethical workout clothes while supporting communities in need and ensuring safe working environments for its garment workers.
The company's sustainability initiatives include sourcing some of the world's most sustainable materials for its products. These include organic natural fibers, Lenzing modal, and recycled polyester. Some of its products are made from recycled plastic bottles and fishing nets.
Threads 4 Thought is committed to working exclusively with factories with the highest industry certifications, ensuring they adhere to only the most rigorous ethical standards.
The brand has also put standards such as supply chain traceability, non-toxic dyeing processes, and reduced water usage. As part of its commitment to the people, it has partnered with the International Rescue Committee to help refugee communities live better lives.
6. Tala
For: Women
Clothing Range: Leggings, sports bras, tops, vests, hoodies, tracksuits, jackets
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Ethical labor practices, eco-friendly fabrics, transparent supply chain
Size Range: XS-XL
Location and Shipping: Based in the UK. Offers international shipping
Materials: Recycled nylon, Viscose, recycled cotton, bamboo, lyocell
Tala is a slow fashion brand with a sustainable activewear line. The activewear brand is dedicated to offering a sustainable style that doesn't cost the earth. Its values include accessibility, inclusivity, sustainability, consciousness, and transparency. Tala has partnered with factories to use the best sustainable technologies, processes, and materials to produce its items.
Tala's clothing tags are plantable. The manufacturers fill every tag with seasonal seeds, meaning you'll get a different plant with each tag you grow. Also, the twines are made of hemp, which makes them biodegradable. Tala cares about its supply chain's ethics and works with accredited factories that meet certain standards. With Tala, "It's cool to be kind."
7. Wolven
For: Women and men
Clothing Range: Activewear, loungewear
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Carbon-neutral, recycled poly mailers, fair and legal wages
Size Range: XS-XL
Location and Shipping: Based in Los Angeles, CA. Ship worldwide and offers free international shipping on orders over $99
Materials: OEKO-Tex Certified Recycled PET, modal fabric
Wolven is a sustainable brand that creates activewear products from post-consumer recycled water bottles made of plastic. It releases its collections in small batches. Wolven distinguishes itself from other brands by creating printed and patterned athletic wear.
The team is constantly working to reduce the brand's carbon footprint. Regarding its factories, the activewear line and swimwear are made in a WCA (Workplace Conditions Assessment) certified factory, while the tees and dresses are locally made in Los Angeles.
To address its carbon footprint, the company partnered with Climate Neutral. This ensures transparency in measuring greenhouse gas emissions during production. Implementation plans are also put in place to reduce emissions.
Asides from its sustainable clothing fabrics, Wolven uses recycled and recyclable plastic mailers for shipping. The brand collects 1 pound of ocean-bound plastic for every ethical fashion order from Wolven.
8. Inhala
For: Women
Clothing Range: Sustainable activewear for yoga. The range includes tops, bottoms, shorts, jumpsuits, malas, yoga mats.
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Eco-friendly and ethically crafted products, slow fashion, sustainable fashion, recycled packaging
Size Range: XS-L
Location and Shipping: Based in Peru. Offers free worldwide shipping on orders over $200
Materials: Peruvian fair-trade organic cotton, ECONYL regenerated nylon
Inhala's products are a fusion of quality eco-friendly materials with creative and vibrant design colors. This yoga clothing brand incorporates a slow fashion approach and conscious production into its processes. The company traces its supply chain through its sourcing of sustainable materials to ensure a positive impact on the people involved and the planet. Inhala has a zero-waste and no-plastic commitment. Also, all its collections have zero-elastic designs.
According to the brand's statement, its most important value is preserving and respecting the earth's natural resources. This female-founded brand uses 100% recycled and reusable packaging for packaging and shipping. The team also uses home compostable garment bags. In addition to its sustainable yoga clothes, the brand also carries eco yoga mats. They are light, soft, vegan, and recyclable.
9. Groceries Apparel
For: Women, and men, and features a unisex collection.
Clothing Range: Bras, bralettes, crop tops, leggings, tops, sweatshirts
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Organic fabrics, fair wages, local production
Size Range: XS-XL
Location and Shipping: Based in California, USA. Offers international shipping
Materials: Organic cotton, recycled plastic, eucalyptus, hemp, vegetable dye
Groceries Apparel is a sustainable fashion brand that makes its products with organic fabrics and non-toxic dyes. The company's activewear line features solid color designs and tie-dye prints. These pieces are ideal for workouts and also lounging. Groceries Apparel manufactures locally in its own Los Angeles-based factory. This allows the team to set, monitor, and execute the best sustainable and ethical standards.
This brand actively monitors its manufacturing and supply processes to ensure that the workers are treated and paid fairly. Additionally, as part of its sustainable values, the team constantly works to reduce waste.
10. Kaira Active
For: Women
Clothing Range: Bras, bottoms, face masks
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Locally-made, made ethically, sustainable pieces, giving back, recycled paper packaging, and recycled poly mailers.
Size Range: XS-L
Location and Shipping: Based in California. Ships within the US
Materials: ECONYL yarn, recycled polyester
Inspired by "long beach days and sweaty studio sessions," Kaira Active creates clothing and products to facilitate people's outdoor adventures. Kaira Active creates multifunctional activewear using regenerated fishnets. You can use these activewear sets when surfing, practicing yoga, and hiking. The aim is to create this while minimizing a negative environmental impact.
Unlike some activewear pieces that are not comfortable for wearing daily, this eco-activewear brand creates pieces that also serve as everyday wear. You can also wear them as loungewear. As part of its sustainability efforts, it donates 1% of every purchase to non-profit organizations that protect the ocean.
11. Arms of Andes
For: Men and women
Clothing Range: Sports bras, t-shirts, shorts, jackets, underwear
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Fair pay, biodegradable products, environmental consciousness, local sourcing, and manufacturing
Size Range: S-XXXL for men, XS-XL for women
Location and Shipping: Based in Peru with a presence in the US and Europe. Ships worldwide
Materials: Alpaca wool
Arms of Andes create high-performance and sustainable outdoor apparel using 100% Royal alpaca wool. This makes the products lightweight, durable, and soft on the body. This material works great for active wear due to its properties. These include its ability to regulate temperature, quick-drying nature, and anti-bacterial properties.
This outdoor and eco-friendly activewear brand also uses natural materials like natural dyes and cotton for labels and stitching. Its naturally-colored beanies, shirts, and neck gaiters are 100% biodegradable.
Arms of Andes applies fair principles by ensuring that the farmers it sources are paid the fair market rate. The brand sources and produces in Peru. This helps to reduce its carbon footprint since all processes occur locally.
12. Iron Roots
For: Women and men
Clothing Range: Adults' athletic apparel and accessories
Ethics and Sustainable Measures: Fair manufacturing, sustainable measures, partnerships with GOTS-certified factories, plastic-free packaging, recycling of worn-out pieces
Size Range: XS-L for women, S-XL for men
Location and Shipping: Based in The Netherlands. Ships worldwide
Materials: Premium industrial hemp, beechwood, organic cotton, eucalyptus
Iron Roots is a sustainable sportswear brand that makes its products from natural materials. The brand provides an alternative to activewear made from plastics. As a result, its products are microplastic-free. This means that its pieces don't release tiny pieces of polluting plastic every time you wash them. Instead, the manufacturers use natural materials.
The brand has established partnerships with GOTS-certified factories to make its clothes ethically. This helps to ensure fair treatment and wages for workers. The team also visits the facilities regularly to ensure that ethical and fair labor practices are always in place.
Sustainable practices extend to packaging and shipping, and that's why Iron Roots uses plastic-free supplies helping to reduce plastic waste. More good news? As a consumer, you can return your worn-out Iron Roots pieces and get a discount on your next purchase. The brand recycles these into new products preventing clothing from ending up in landfills.
Making the Switch to Ethical and Sustainable Activewear Brands
Whether you're looking for activewear for exercise, yoga, hiking, or other physical activities, you can find something from our sustainable brands specializing in activewear. These companies offer comfort, performance, and sustainable materials in their products. They also ensure the people who make your clothes are paid fair wages and work in safe environments.
Additionally, many of these conscious brands have programs that extend to empowering communities and protecting the planet. So if you're currently looking to switch to ethical brands, there's something for you on the list.
| 1 | Antony, Rinsey. (2018). Eco friendly Textiles. 5. 67 -73. |
Jen’s a passionate environmentalist and sustainability expert. With a science degree from Babcock University Jen loves applying her research skills to craft editorial that connects with our global changemaker and readership audiences centered around topics including zero waste, sustainability, climate change, and biodiversity.
Elsewhere Jen’s interests include the role that future technology and data have in helping us solve some of the planet’s biggest challenges.
