When Sustainability Meets With Activewear

Talking about a common future?

Two words or tame words that seem contradictory when placed side by side. The fashion industry and sustainability? We’re lucky it’s at a time of diminished contradictions and irony. Because these two show that you can go hand in hand now. We think it should go ahead.

It’s 2021. Our consumer habits vary for many reasons. Politics, global warming, trends, technology, and more. We can include the difference between generations. One of the things that determine our consumer habits is sustainability.

According to a recent study, Gen Z Shoppers Demand Sustainable Retail, the vast majority of Generation Z shoppers prefer to buy sustainable brands, and they are most willing to spend 10 percent more on sustainable products. The report also found that Generation Z along with Millennials is the most likely to make purchase decisions based on values and principles (personal, social, and environmental).

Activewear and athleisure play an important role in the global economic scene with an annual profit of a trillion dollars. But it is leading the way in the fastest-consuming industries at the same time. So why is sustainability so important in fashion? We can say that this is a matter of life and death. We know it’s a bit intense and loaded, but we’re talking about an element that affects the whole world and people.

It also has a huge climate change footprint, and if we’re going to tackle the existential threat of climate change, the fashion industry needs to urgently address its unsustainable practices. Sustainability in its simplest form; Sustainable fashion refers to clothing that is designed, manufactured, distributed, and used in environmentally friendly ways.

We can also summarize sustainability with a few items;

• Organic, natural, and biodegradable fabrics.

• Re-cycled clothes

• Non-toxic dyes

• Plastic-free packages

• Traditional and natural craftsmanship and techniques,

• Slow fashion models, unseasonable and timeless designs 

We also associate sustainable fashion with ethical fashion. If the above points apply here, we include the social aspect of the work in the understanding of ethical fashion. For example, if you want to use equal and improved working conditions for workers…

The global sustainable athleisure market size was valued at USD 79.41 billion in 2019 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.0% from 2020 to 2027. Rising awareness regarding physical fitness and personal grooming among millennials, coupled with their inclination toward sustainable development, is expected to be a key driving force to increasing product demand throughout the forecast period.

Conventionally produced using non-biodegradable materials including polyester and nylon, activewear can be highly energy exhaustive to manufacture. While such fabrics may tout durability and breathability, they contribute to an amalgam of problems including microfiber and carbon pollution.

The labels rooted in sustainable values are the disrupters truly reenergizing the activewear industry. Small-scale brands are spearheading innovation through a radically ethical and socially conscious approach across all areas of the supply chain. Particularly championing the use of naturally derived and regenerative materials, namely organic cotton, Tencel and Econyl.

As the proliferation of the ethical activewear sector continues apace, it is clear a new era of activewear is on the horizon. Sustainable fabrication technology and natural material innovation are set to define the industry for the foreseeable future.