We truly enjoyed identifying the best sustainable activewear and ethical activewear brands for this year’s guide. Plus, we got in some much-needed workouts.
It makes us happy to see so many socially responsible clothing brands focused on ethical workout clothes. Our picks are all focused on organic materials, eco-friendly production, and ethical working conditions for garment workers.
QUICK LINKS | Best Sustainable Activewear
Tree Tribe
Tree Tribe is an eco-friendly outdoor lifestyle brand that creates sustainable products that give back to the planet.
Tree Tribe creates top-quality products that fit the eco-bill – eco bottles, activewear made from upcycled material, bamboo sunglasses, wallets, journals, and more made from vegan leaf leather.
Plus, they plant a tree with every sale and have planted more than 400,000 to date!
The Tree Tribe activewear line is perfect for yoga, hiking, biking, working out, or (of course) working from home! It’s handcrafted in the USA with upcycled materials.
Get more information here.
PACT
Pact’s mission is to design head-to-toe sustainable fashion basics that empower every kind of person.
They only use 100% organic cotton. They only use Fair Trade Certified factories. And they only use fabric made from recycled material everywhere humanly possible.
Pact’s aim is guilt-free fashion! That comprises organic cotton, Fair Trade Factory Certified, zero harmful chemicals, and sustainable processes that use much less water than conventional cotton materials.
Get more information here.
We promise not to be gross. Toxic dyes, pesticides, and bad attitudes have no place in your clothes. After all, there’s nothing more personal than what you put on your skin, so we take clothing VERY personally. Our ingredients are nice and clean, and our approach is just plain nice. We’d rather make friends than compromises.
– PACT
Boody
Boody is a sustainable clothing brand from Australia that makes everyday basics made from sustainable materials. Their specialty is sustainable & eco-friendly everyday basic apparel.
It’s a family-run business. Two families actually.
We love their active wear and workout clothes and their women’s and men’s essentials. They also do a range of baby clothing and loungewear.
We are big fans of their sports bras.
Outdoor Voices
Outdoor Voices is on a mission to get the whole world moving!
When we’re moving our bodies generate endorphins.
Endorphins Make You Happy™
They make high quality products for sweating in that make you feel strong, confident and ready for doing things!
Threads 4 Thought
Threads 4 Thought was founded in 2006, with the understanding that every time you buy product or support brands, you’re casting a vote with your wallet.
These votes will no doubt determine the spread and success of each brand’s ethical and moral standards.
Threads 4 Thought is a lifestyle brand producing sustainable apparel in a way that’s focused on supporting sustainable initiatives for a better future. They ensure fair and safe working conditions for all their garment workers.
We decided to create a product that leaves an innately smaller impact on our environment, supports in-need communities, and assists in changing the narrative and understanding of ethical standards within the fashion industry.
Satva
Sativa is a values driven company. They aim to be pure, impactful, mindful, authentic, and bold & adventurous.
They use organic cotton and recycled polyester in their activewear and are constantly looking to proactively create real change.
They believe that they represent a way that lets women embrace their true inner selves and radiate it outward with joy, kindness and individuality.
For us, thoughtful living is about seeing the interconnectivity of all we do and touch, leading to a richer life for all.
Satva believes the difference between the ordinary and the adventurous is attitude and they celebrate vibrant women who embrace life’s adventures.
tentree
Tentree has committed to planting 1 billion trees by 2030.
With 42,706,404 planted so far they are well on their way to meeting their environmental goals.
tentree keeps you looking good, while you keep the planet looking great.
Tentree uses the most sustainable and eco-friendly materials available. They use a variety of different materials: Tencel, Hemp, Recycled Polyester and Organic Cotton.
We’re fans of Tentree activewear. Check them out!
prAna
PrAna is all about clothing for positive change.
They are deeply committed to positively and continually improving their socially responsible processes.
They believe that from “factory to closet” we can all create positive change through our fashion and clothing choices.
“Start asking questions about your clothes in the same way you ask about the food you eat, and you can help fundamentally change the way clothing is made.”
We really like their Yoga and Bra Tops. These are quality garments that come with a healthy dose of social positivity and committment to social change.
Patagonia
Patagonia needs no introduction. They been pioneers in the activewear industry since 1973.
Patagonia is a designer of outdoor clothing and gear for what they describe as the silent sports: climbing, surfing, skiing and snowboarding, fly fishing, and trail running.
Comfort is RelativeTM
You can’t go wrong with Patagonia. We spend alot of time in their sports bras. Check out their latest online deals today.
Groceries Apparel
Groceries Apparal ticks all the boxes.
They source their fabrics directly to the seed and from farm to factory.
They only use 100% GMO-free ingredients. Pesticide and herbicide-free as well.
They are committed to full transparency in all the lifecycle stages of their fabrics and garments made from recycled materials.
Manifesto
“We are redefining transparency and human responsibility by supporting family farms, localized manufacturing, living wages, and Monsanto-free post-consumer ingredients. Our operation empowers human beings through fair-trade, fair conditions, and fair treatment across our entire supply chain and by providing full traceability to our customers. We operate our own California based factory to ensure we are able to follow through with our claims. We are the future of our industry and we are here to create a demand for our values and would rather go out of business than compromise”
Groceries Apparel uses only natural and recycled ingredients: Organic Cotton, eucalyptus, recycled plastic, hemp, recycled cotton, and natural vegetable dyes.
VYAYAMA
VYAYAMA was founded with the intention of providing a natural alternative to synthetic active wear, with the belief that the products we use should be held to the same standards that we hold for ourselves. We believe that mindfulness should inspire quality, beauty and joy.
VYAYAMA <pronounced ‘vai-ah’mah’> is a 3000-year-old sanskrit word meaning ‘to move’ and ‘to tame the inner breath’.
Ancient Ayurvedic texts describe VYAYAMA as movement designed to stabilize and strengthen the body.
VYAYAMA has implemented an innovative TENCEL fabric made in Europe from sustainable eucalyptus.
It’s smooth, slimming and supportive.
Achieving this perfect balance of softness and compression for their unique yogawear took over a year of development with their fabric team in Portugal.
LA Relaxed
This brands ethos is right in their name. Relaxed.
Their definition of relaxed is “about knowing and accepting who you are and where your place is in your world. Being comfortable with yourself, body and mind and soul.”
The clothing they craft is a reflection of this commitment.
LA Relaxed was originally founded in 2015. They only use sustainable, vegan and cruelty-free materials. They produce their garmets in smal batches to minimize waste, and they make everything in downtown Los Angeles.
The fair and ethical treatment of their employees is their top priority and the foundation they are built upon.
Cerinic
Cerinic is a women’s activewear line with a focus on funtionality, style, and comfort. All their activewear is made out of recycled polyester in the USA.
They believe that every women is unique and amazing in their own way.
Their mission is to empower women to reach their goals, push themselves, and acheive their dreams!
Yoga Democracy
At Yoga Democracy, it all starts with the fabric.
Everything they make at Yoga Democracy is made from recycled polyester or recycled nylon.
They source their fabric in Italy from a supplier who leads the way in Europe when it comes to wasterwater treatment and green energy. We are big fans of using recycled plastic bottle and other recycled materials for workout clothing.
Our supplier uses a type of yarn called ECONYL® to produce our nylon. That yarn comes from a process carried out by a company called Aquafil SpA which reforms fishing nets collected from the world’s oceans, carpet fluff and other nylon containing material that would otherwise end up in landfill into new fabric. We were in fact one of the very first US apparel companies to use fabric made with ECONYL® yarn.
Girlfriend Collective
Girlfriend Collective’s catchy slogan is “Don’t make waste, wear it.”
Girlfriend Collective is a super popular activewear brand that makes awesome athleisure wear out of recycled materials.
Trash, as they say, looks better on you than it does polluting the planet.
Grilfriend Collective believes health and wellness comes in many shapes and sizes, and that representation matters.
They believe in being transparent, taking care of the people who make their clothes, and never putting their bottom line before what’s best for the planet.
