A guide to sustainable activewear brands | UK Small Business Love
Sustainability hasn’t always been a priority amongst activewear brands, but times are changing.
With consumers becoming more aware of issues such as plastic pollution, waste and unethical practices in the garment industry, there is now an increasing demand for eco-friendly items, including fitness gear.
Small businesses, born from a desire to help solve those issues, are here for those conscious consumers. Here’s a guide to sustainable activewear brands from the UK which I will make sure to update regularly.
Scultura Activewear
About the brand
Scultura is a luxury activewear brand from London. Everything from the design to the choice of suppliers and the packaging is in line with the brand vision: “Building Strength for our Planet”.
Alongside creating sustainable and ethical activewear collections, the founder Tasha also wants to raise awareness about environmental issues such as plastic pollution, as well as ethical issues in the clothing industry.
Sustainability
The Scultura team source and produce as much as possible within the UK (or Europe when they have to) and only work with partners that demonstrate high ethical standards.
One of the key fabrics used is ECONYL® which is regenerated nylon created from fishing nets and plastics found in landfill and oceans.
Working towards their ultimate goal of achieving a circular business model, the brand is asking customers to send their old Scultura gear back, so that each item can be recycled.
Even Scultura’s packaging, made of 70% recycled materials, is as sustainable as possible.
Read more about Scultura’s sustainability commitments here.
CONTUR
About the brand
CONTUR is an eco-luxe activewear brand aiming to empower women and boost their confidence whilst minimising waste and fighting against plastic pollution.
Beyond the beautiful designs and bold colours, each CONTUR item is functional, comfortable and designed to help you perform.
Sustainability
Every single CONTUR item is ethically produced in London which considerably reduces the carbon footprint.
Like several sustainable brands, CONTUR chose ECONYL® as their fabric of choice. It offers the right balance of flexibility and support, whilst flattering your body shape and making you feel super comfortable.
The factory where the collections are produced is a social enterprise that focuses on limiting waste as well as paying fair wages.
Wondering about the packaging? CONTUR thought it through too: it is 100% recycled and biodegradable.
Read all about CONTUR’s mission and practices here. And here’s me wearing one of their gorgeous sets:
SOS Activewear
About the brand
The founder Bronte created SOS Activewear to offer a planet-friendly and more durable alternative to fast gym wear brands, without compromising on the style or fit. SOS Activewear offers timeless pieces which you’ll be able to wear over and over again.
Sustainability
Inspired by a quote from David Attenborough: "If you give nature a chance, it recovers" SOS is on a mission to help the planet recover from the plastic pollution crisis and overconsumption.
The activewear sets are made from ECONYL®. Once as much nylon as possible has been recovered from ocean waste, it is then regenerated to create a yarn. The yarn is used to create the sustainable fabric.
I reached out to the owner to find out more about production and packaging. Bronte told me that her collections are produced in London in a facility that guarantees fair wages and working conditions. As for the packaging, is is plastic-free, recycled and recyclable.
Learn more about the story here.
KAMI Activewear
At the time of writing this blog post, KAMI Activewear hasn’t officially launched (launch date: December 30th 2020) but I reached out to them to find out more and they kindly sent me a lot of info about their sustainability practices.
About the brand
Katie, the co-founder, studied marine biology and seeing how plastic pollution affects the oceans motivated her to start a sustainable brand that contributes to reduce plastic waste.
The team is committed to be as transparent as possible in regards to their production. They will also be donating a percentage sales to the Marine Conversation Society.
Sustainability
KAMI activewear is made of different types of fabric sourced in Europe : Econyl which provides the stretch and materials from post consumer plastic waste. The fabric are BLUESIGN certified, which means that they are consciously produced, in safe and fair conditions.
KAMI collections are produced in Europe, in a factory that guarantees ethical production and employment.
Pursuing the effort to limit packaging waste, the items are label-free. You will receive your order in a biodegradable and compostable mailer bag made from potato starch (which is waterproof too!). The clothes will be in plastic-looking bags but don’t be fooled, these are actually biodegradable and can dissolve in hot water!
