Fast Fashion Activewear’s Dirty Secret: The Cost to Our Planet

Activewear has become trendy, worn even when we’re not hitting the sidewalk or stretching in the gym.

The pandemic has contributed to this shift in style, as working from home made us seek more comfortable clothing – and the activewear market is only predicted to grow in the next few years.

While this trend lends more versatility and purpose to activewear, it also comes with the problem that it’s not a particularly sustainable style.

Activewear is popularly made with synthetic materials like polyester, nylon, acrylic, and spandex.

 
woman wearing leggings
 

Due to their properties – such as stretchiness, wrinkle resistance, and easy maintenance – they’re better suited for clothing used regularly and intensely.

Synthetics are also cheap, which makes them easy to manufacture en masse and easy to replace.

What is the Environmental Impact of Materials Used in Activewear?

Synthetic fabrics are petroleum-based products that are chemically treated.

Sourcing a non-renewable resource like the petroleum needed to make these materials comes with a dearth of environmental destruction including the mining and burning of fossil fuels, which contributes to deforestation, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.

And that’s all before the fabric and the clothing are even made.

In textile mills and clothing factories, manufacturing also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions due to the energy required to make the fabric and then the clothing – not to mention the need to ship materials back and forth, especially if they’re not made locally.

Outsourcing to foreign factories also often leads to gross human rights violations as less stringent labor laws in other territories are abused.

Finishing clothing with dyes and treatments also has massive environmental impacts with up to one-fifth of industrial water pollution attributed to the fashion industry.

Not only is an inordinate amount of water used but the resultant wastewater (loaded with toxic chemicals from dyes and treatments) is dumped into waterways affecting human, plant, and animal life.

Once the clothes are in our homes, the problems persist. When washed, clothes shed microfibers contributing to plastic pollution in our waterways.

 
men working out
 

Activewear also requires more washing, meaning more water is used and more microfibers are released. 

But we can do better now that we know! Consider looking for these conscious materials next time you look for activewear!

What are Eco-friendly Materials Conscious Consumer Should Choose?

When it comes to a sustainable and eco-friendly closet, natural materials like linen, hemp, and wool are usually preferred because their source (whether plant or animal) has less of an impact on the environment, they use fewer chemicals to manufacture, and the result is a strong and durable fabric.

However, when it comes to activewear synthetic materials are often better suited for the clothing’s purpose.

It becomes very difficult to avoid these or to find natural materials that have not been blended with synthetics. 

 

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If you want your activewear to be more sustainable, the main material to try to avoid is clothing made from virgin synthetics. Rather search for recycled synthetics.

Check out our master list of the top sustainable activewear brands!

Recycled Polyester

Recycled polyester is made using post-consumer waste, it helps keep items like plastic bottles and discarded fishing nets out of waterways, landfills, and incinerators.

There is a whole host of other recycled content being put to use in the fashion industry – even natural fabrics are being reused as a means of keeping materials circulating instead of thrown out.

Read our list of the most sustainable recycled polyester clothing brands.

Organic Cotton

Cotton is one of the more common natural materials you’ll find in activewear. It has many great properties, such as breathability and durability.

However, when it comes to activewear, it’s often blended with synthetics. Bear in mind that items like these are difficult to recycle.

Choose organic cotton as this keeps the environment in mind by growing and manufacturing cotton according to organic standards like using uses fewer or no pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, implementing crop rotation, and treating wastewater.  

You can learn more about organic versus conventional cotton in this guide and consider exploring our list of affordable organic clothing brands.

 
woman in yoga class
 

Responsibly Sourced Wool

When it comes to sporting activities where you’ll need extra warmth and padding – like hiking or skiing – opt for responsibly sourced wool.

Breathable, odor-resistant, and dirt-repellent, it’s ideal for the great outdoors. Plus wool is biodegradable at the end of it’s lifecycle.

Read our guide on ethical wool clothing brands!

Tencel & Lyocell

There’s also the go-between: materials that are semi-synthetic but that are made with more sustainable practices, such as lyocell.

Made from the wood pulp of eucalyptus (which is fast-growing and requires little irrigation), it uses fewer chemicals and is more absorbent than cotton making it a good choice for activewear.

Read our list of recommended TENCEL clothing brands here.

Hemp

Hemp is a great sustainable and eco-friendly material that is UV-protective and retains its shape well.

However, this also means it does not have a lot of stretch, which does not make it ideal for certain types of exercise – but it’s still great if you’re just looking to take a stroll or want to stay comfortable, but look good, during a Zoom meeting.

Read our list of hemp clothing brands!

Consider the Ethics & Practices

Since it can be challenging to find sustainable or eco-friendly activewear, find out what else brands are doing.

How do they package their goods? Do they have a takeback program? How do they treat their workers? How do they minimize their water and energy use?

Sustainable activewear – and sustainable fashion, for that matter – is about more than just the material. 

Looking for ethical & sustainable activewear brands? Read our guide!

MEET THE AUTHOR

CLAUDIA AUTHOR BIO PIC

Claudia Hauter is a South African writer, copy editor, and content creator with degrees in Drama and Anthropology. She works in television managing web content. When she isn’t reading or writing, she’s walking her dog, finding small businesses and markets to support, or attracting butterflies and bees with her vegetable garden. Learn from Claudia on Twitter or Instagram.

Conscious Living, Ethical fashionEmily Waddell