It’s the last day of 2021, and people around the world will be making their New Year’s Resolutions.
Unsurprisingly, one of the most common resolutions this year is to exercise more. Whether to get fit, lose weight, or improve their mental health, over half of all Brits plan to commit to new exercise plans in 2022.
Interestingly, this year has also seen a massive increase in people making resolutions that go beyond them as individuals. This included a whopping 57% pledging to have a better impact on the world.
One way to accomplish both of these tasks is to think more sustainably when it comes to buying your new workout clothes this year.
The fashion industry has a huge impact on the environment. It’s the second biggest polluter behind the oil industry, the second-largest water consumer, and causes vast amounts of waste, with 85% of textiles going to the dump each year.
More than that, the process of making and dying clothing can directly pollute lakes and rivers, and washing them can send thousands of bits of plastic into our oceans.
To avoid this devastating impact, more and more people are choosing to go sustainable, with hundreds of brands following suit. Sports and fitness related businesses have embraced this wholeheartedly, and now many are putting eco-consciousness at the heart of their clothing lines.
Nowadays, with so many choices out there, it can be hard to know what the most sustainable option is. Thankfully, there are a number of features you can look for.
The main one is, of course, what the clothes are made from. Natural fibres, such as organic cotton, hemp, or bamboo, are always a good go-to. A particularly popular choice among ethical activewear brands is Tencel, often marketed under Lyocell or Modal.
However, because they need to stretch, athletic clothing often needs to contain a certain percentage of plastic. Here, eco-friendly companies can get quite creative, using recycled plastics from all types of different products.
The material is only one aspect of a truly sustainable clothing brand; you should also consider whether they have an eco-conscious and transparent supply chain.
This includes sourcing materials sustainably, ensuring fair trade practices, reducing emissions, and making all of their waste (and products) recyclable.
If you’re looking for a brand that goes above and beyond, you can also take a look at their charitable endeavours, from engaging in community work to donating to charity.
You can even make the clothes more sustainable yourself! The ‘fast fashion’ trend has become a worrying environmental issue, with people buying around 60% more garments in 2014 than in 2000.
To avoid this, make sure you buy high-quality, and even if you ditch the exercise class, donate the clothes or get creative and put them to another use.
If looking for a brand that meets all these criteria sounds overwhelming, don’t worry; we have some recommendations.
Threads4Thought is a sustainable clothing company that seeks to lower its impact on the environment, support in-need communities, and help change the narrative around ethical standards in the fashion industry.
They believe we should ‘wear the change we want to see’ and so their entire range is made from high-quality, sustainable materials. Not only do they make athleticwear, but they also have several other basics for both adults and children.
Another of Play it Green’s favourite sustainable alternatives is the Girlfriend Collective who make all of their activewear from materials that would otherwise clog landfills and pollute the earth.
Their process starts with 100% post-consumer water bottles, crushed into billions of minuscule chips, and washed clean. These are then bound together to create a soft, recycled yarn that completely eliminates the need for petroleum.
All of their packaging is recycled and recyclable, and they can also take your old pieces back to turn them into brand new ones!
You can even save some money on your purchase with a 50% sale on particular styles and 20% off everything else by using the discount code THATSAWRAP.
