The benefits of sustainable activewear

sustainable activewear

Wearing sustainable activewear is not just about style and trend. We know that recycled and organic fabrics perform just as well as the originals, and we also know these fabrics are a lot more eco-friendly too. In this post, we want to go over the benefits of sustainable activewear and why sustainability is so important today in textile production.

Using less resources and energy

The production of sustainable activewear has a much less negative impact on the environment. Conventional methods take a lot of resources and energy to produce, not to mention harmful chemicals and pesticides.

“A single cotton t-shirt takes up to 2700 liters of water to produce. Enough drinking water for one person 2.5 years.” (Euro Parl)

Sustainable activewear made of organic cotton activewear significantly reduces water usage and pollution. In addition, recycled or upcycled materials take advantage of the energy already used to produce the original fabrics resulting in a reduction of about 70% less energy.

Sustainable activewear

Better working conditions and salaries

Poor labor conditions and unfair salaries are also an issue for many textile workers. Wearing sustainable activewear that is produced in ethical Fair Wear certified companies that constantly work to improve labor conditions.

At Running Republic, we only work with ethical factories around Portugal and Spain. We constantly supervise these factories to make sure safe and fair working conditions are met.

Reducing the greenhouse emissions

In addition, the textile industry is responsible for about 10% of the global greenhouse emissions. By using recycled materials, sustainable activewear limits the use of crude-oil base materials and therefore leaves a much smaller carbon footprint.

In addition, Running Republic produces all of its garments in Europe thus reducing the C02 emission due to transportations from Asia.

greenhouse emissions

Reducing the generation of plastic waste

Plastics are a major concern for the environment today since they are not biodegradable which means they can be around for hundreds of years polluting the environment. We all need to do our part when it comes to plastics, and by using sustainable activewear we help in diverting plastics from landfills and oceans. The key to sustainable clothing is to make it last longer. When choosing sustainable clothing we are giving a second chance to plastics that would otherwise end up polluting our lands and oceans.

sustainable activewear

Wearing sustainable activewear does not mean less quality

Sustainable activewear is all about high quality and caring more about the environment. Recycled materials such as polyester and polyamide retain all the technical attributes of the original materials and perform just as well. In fact, as more companies and people realize the need to become sustainable, it is quite likely that sustainable activewear and the processes to manufacture it and collect waste will improve even more due to new designs and studies.


As you can see, the benefits from using sustainable activewear are plenty. At Running Republic, we hope to inspire you to use activewear that is good for people and the planet. Practicing, training, and working out can be done by protecting the environment at the same time.

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