The global activewear market is expected to be worth $216.87 billion by 2025. It is an industry that has seen huge growth since the Covid-19 pandemic, as consumers have developed a heightened interest in health and fitness as well as having swapped office attire for work from home attire – with comfort being a priority.
Whilst it may be great that there are a variety of activewear options for whatever workout takes your fancy, this is having a detrimental impact on the environment. The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions and over 20% of global water pollution. Not only this, 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year and washing some of these fabrics leads to a huge amount of microplastics entering the ocean.
With this in mind, as the activewear market continues to grow exponentially, we look at five sustainable brands with a mission to help the planet,
Presca Sportswear touts itself as the world’s first climate positive sportswear brand. It was started 8 years ago by Guy Whitby and Rob Webbon, who came up with the idea whilst training for Ironman Kalmar. Their mission is to provide the most sustainable and environmentally sound performance sportswear on the market.
They offset every product purchased with Greenstory and each newsletter subscriber with Eden Forest Reforestation Projects – meaning to date they’ve planted 21,840 trees and have offset 1,133 kgs of carbon. Their goals for this year include becoming B-Corp certified, fully circular for all new garment ranges and Net Zero on their operations and supply chain. Watch this space!
Alice Asquith founded Asquith London in 2002 after combining her two passions – fabrics and design with yoga and pilates. Her goal was to create activewear that looked good, felt good and minimised the impact on the environment.
The fabrics are key to Asquith’s commitment of protecting the planet, they use organic cotton and bamboo, which requires no chemicals and only a tiny amount of water to grow. It’s not just the clothes either – their garment bags are made from corn, sugar cane and potatoes. They are 100% renewable, sustainable materials and are completely compostable and biodegradable.
Luxury activewear brand Silou was founded in 2016 by former Victoria Secret model Tatiana Kovylina and yoga teacher Phoebe Greenacre. Their goal was to create high-quality activewear with ethical principles that could be worn both inside and outside of the gym.
Their clothes are ethically produced and made from certified non-toxic materials, meaning you’ll not only look good, but feel good about what you’re wearing. They also participate with the 1% for the Planet collective, which represents a global network of businesses, individuals and non-profit organisations tackling the planet’s most pressing environmental issues.
David Gordon founded Bamboo Clothing in 2006, after an expedition in Greenland made him realise he wanted to create an environmentally sustainable business. Once he discovered how he could use bamboo for clothing his business came to life.
Bamboo absorbs five times more carbon than hardwood trees and needs half the land cotton needs to produce the same amount of fibre – making it a much better option for the planet. The business is also challenging themselves to reduce their carbon footprint to zero by 2030.
Tripulse was founded by Franziska Mesche, due to her frustration that she couldn’t find activewear that she felt good in and that wasn’t made from materials that used harmful chemicals or were cheaply made under unethical working conditions.
Since then, the business has achieved Climate Neutral Certification, and by investing into climate projects and planting one tree for every product purchased with One Tree Planted in the areas such as the Amazon rainforest, they’re on track to becoming climate negative.
If you’re looking to promote your sustainable fashion brand, get in touch today to see how our team of experts can help you achieve your goals.
