Do you know how sustainable is your workout routine?

We all know regular exercise brings many benefits to our physical and mental wellbeing.

What we may not always consider is how our fitness routine may directly or indirectly affect the wellbeing of our planet.

Many workout clothes and accessories contain synthetic materials and plastic ingredients, and are usually a product of heavy-carbon production processes.

Luckily, there are many conscious sports brands that embrace sustainability, circularity, and a plastic-free approach.

Here are 3 awesome ones we offer in our online marketplace:

Iron Roots: Ethical and Sustainable Activewear

Did you know that more than 90% of all sportswear contains polyester or another form of plastic? The team at Iron Roots set out to change this by designing and producing functional and sustainable sportswear. Their products are made from fabrics that don’t contain plastics and that save CO₂ emissions (in fact, some of their activewear saves even more than 60% CO₂ during production compared to polyester clothing!). The secret? Natural materials such as hemp, eucalyptus, beechwood and organic cotton (all GOTS and FSC certified). 

Another highlight from this Dutch brand is fair trade. Most people who actually make clothing tend to be exploited for their work, but not at Iron Roots: they produce their items in selected GOTS and SMETA certified factories in Portugal and Greece, where good working conditions and fair wages are guaranteed. 

Plus, they focus on high performance: their clothes have unique properties such as being antibacterial and antistatic, which makes them great for different workouts (and which also makes you smell less during your exercise routines!). 

Check out the many options they offer for a sustainable workout routine:

 


Terra Active: An eco-friendly Yoga routine

Most yoga mats currently on the market are made from PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride). This is a non recyclable substance, which means that used PVC mats are either sent to a landfill, where they will sit for thousands of years, or to an incinerator, where toxic gasses will be released from their combustion.

Terra Active mats, on the contrary, are made from TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) foam. TPE is a synthetic rubber that is very recyclable and requires less energy to manufacture than PVC. And it also has great properties: it’s lightweight, non-slippery, water resistant, elastic, durable and easy to clean. 

Their eco yoga mats are also free from toxic substances, latex free and PVC free and are made in a BSCI approved factory in Asia. (The BSCI, Business Social Compliance Initiative, certification ensures improved factory working conditions and quality of product).

Their tote bags, on the other hand, are made of organic cotton, which is eco friendly compared to conventional cotton, uses 0% hazardous materials and cuts water consumption by 91%.

 


Vann Bottles: Conscious Hydration

There are many reasons to avoid drinking bottled water. To start, they pollute our planet, even when they’re recycled: they leave a heavy carbon footprint during their production and shipping process and are extremely slow to biodegrade. Actually, plastic can take 10 years to 1000 years to do so! Secondly, they may contain potentially toxic Chemicals that could mess with hormone levels in the body. And lastly, there is an economic factor to consider! The total expenditure in a year on plastic water bottles is often not taken into account. You can protect the planet and your pocket with an eco-friendly alternative.

For example: Vann! This brands makes handy drinking bottles made of high-quality stainless steel and with beautiful designs. They have a capacity of 500 ml and are 100% leak-proof, so you can take them with you everywhere. Also, thanks to their double-walled design of stainless steel, they keep drinks cool for 24 hours or warm for 12 hours! 

Besides, when you buy the VANN water bottle, you also immediately contribute to environmental improvement. VANN donates 1 euro of the sales amount to the Plastic Soup Foundation, which tackles plastic pollution and fights against ocean pollution.

So, remember: next time you practice sports bring your plastic-free bottle for a truly sustainable workout session!