Ethical and sustainable sportswear + a review of my closet
In 2019, we made a conscious effort to overhaul our consumer habits. I had already started this process in the kitchen, our bath/body cabinet and in our cleaning supplied bucket – reducing what we had, reusing what we could, making things from scratch if possible, then opting for package-free, organic, clean foods and products when we had to buy.
We also took a look at our closets and spring-cleaned anything that we didn’t wear and sold them at Mauerpark, donating what was left. We didn’t get hung up on the brands in our closets or the materials they were made of because emptying and starting fresh isn’t so sustainable. We decided we’d keep wearing what we love and then, when its time to add a new item to our closets, we would be picky about the brands and how the materials are sourced – opting for sustainable and ethical ones.
The goal: Don’t be wasteful. Be a conscious consumer moving forward.
During the process, I used the Good On You app to see how the brands in my closet rated for sustainability and ethics. I’m going to start with sportswear but in other blog posts, I’ll touch on some other common brands.
Quick note about Good On You
Good On You rates brands on a scale from 0-5, considering three main categories — people (labor, safety, wages), planet (energy, emissions, water, disposal) and animals (whether and how companies use furs, wool, leather). Here are what the ratings mean:
0: Not rated yet.
1: We avoid. These brands provide little or no information about their efforts. They may also make ambiguous claims that look like greenwashing.
2: Not good enough. These brands provide a little bit of information in relevant areas, but not enough to fully understand their supply chains.
3: It’s a start. These brands are making good progress on one or more of the main issues Good On You looks at.
4: Good. These brands have taken many positive initiatives and are often leaders on one or more issues Good On You looks at. In most cases, they are transparent.
5: Great. These brands score high in at least two categories and have one or more relevant certifications or accreditations. They’re often built on sustainable and ethical practices from the ground up and are very transparent.
Sportswear brands in my closet
Let’s start with athletic wear.
Lululemon [not good enough]
This is a big one for me. I own a lot of Lululemon workout gear because it’s high-quality, long-lasting and a great fit. I’ve also taught for a lot of gyms and studios that use Lululemon to create branded gear. I sweat a lot — at least 6 times per week (between teaching and my own workouts), so having something that can handle the sweat and all of the washing that follows is important to me.
While Lululemon states that they are “passionate about reducing [their] environmental impact” are they really doing enough?
Labor: Not good enough
Planet: Not good enough
Animal: It’s a start
Lululemon uses a low proportion of eco-friendly materials and while they measure their footprint, they haven’t made a time-bound commitment to reducing their current emissions. You’ll notice that their website says, “We always see room for improvement but we’re in it for the long run so that we can get better over time.” However, they aren’t specific about the timeline and when they plan to improve certain emissions metrics and by how much.
Nike [It's a start]
Oy. I already knew Nike doesn’t have the best rating. I honestly don’t purchase Nike clothing for myself, but I do have two pairs of Nike sneakers in my clothes — both are still in great condition, so I don’t plan to get rid of them any time soon. What’s great is, when I do plan to say “goodbye,” the Nike store by me has a recycling program.
Labor: It’s a start
Planet: It’s a start
Animal: Not good enough
Nike uses animal products without specifying how they are sourced and there is no evidence that the company provides a living wage to all of it’s workers. What Nike does well from a planet perspective is that it has made a public commitment to reduce it’s carbon emissions by more than 50% by 2025.
New Balance [not good enough]
No! I love my NB lifestyle sneakers. I also have a few items of clothing because Kick It By Eliza used to work closely with NB to provide beautifully branded workout gear. They do have a new plant-based sneaker coming this year, so we’ll see how things change. As of now:
Labor: It’s a start
Planet: Not good enough
Animal: Not good enough
The company has set not specific targets to reduce their carbon emissions or water usage. It does re-use and recycle any cutoffs during the manufacturing process, but it doesn’t have adequate policies around resource management and disposal. As for labor and animals, it’s not clear if all workers are provided a living wage and it’s not stated how animal products are sourced.
Adidas [good]
I don’t have a lot of Adidas gear aside from a pair of lifestyle sneakers, but my S/O has a lot. Over the past several years, Adidas has set good environmental and labor standards — being transparent about both.
Labor: Good
Planet: Good
Animal: It’s a start
The company made a public commitment to reduce direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions “in absolute terms” by 15% by 2020. When it comes to labor, Adidas’ rating is “good” according to the 2018 Ethical Fashion Report, but they don’t report any empowerment initiatives and have made little to no progress towards paying living wage across it’s supply chain. This means workers selling clothes in the U.S. might be happy, but workouts producing clothes outside the U.S. might not.
Manduka [not good enough]
New to my closet… Manduka! I’ve been a proud owner of a Manduka travel mat for some time now, but this holiday season I added a pair of pants and a sweater to my closet. Manduka is newly rated on Good On You.
Labor: Poor
Planet: Not good enough
Animal: Good
Manduka's environment rating is 'not good enough' because it does use some eco-friendly materials but there’s no evidence that they are reducing carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions.
Labor is poor because Manduka doesn’t publish sufficient relevant information about labor policies – so there’s not information to rate on.
Its animal rating is 'good' but not ‘great’ because while they don’t use animal product, they don’t state that they are vegan.
Manduka us quite transparent about the materials they use. Mats are made from “highest quality PVC on the planet” and biodegradable natural tree rubber, then manufactured emissions-free and with zero-waste. Towels are made from plastic bottles and recycled materials. When it comes to clothing, they’re happy to share all of their preferred materials and certifications.
Athleta [it’s a start]
This one makes me a little sad. I don’t have any Athleta in my closet right now, but I have in the past. Athleta is owned by Gap, and while it’s making strides towards being more transparent with labor and environmental efforts, it hasn’t made any significant strides yet.
Labor: It’s a start
Planet: It’s a start
Animal: Not good enough
What’s next…
I’m not buying anything new until I need it. Next up might be new running socks and shorts, but only when the weather gets better and shorts are needed. Some brands I’m looking forward to trying are…
Outdoor Voices
Girlfriend Collective
Message me with some of your go-to ethical and sustainable sportswear brands! I want to know.