How to buy sustainable sportswear |Vogue Spain Largechevron Menu Close Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube Pinterest Facebook Twitter Pinterest Gallery Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube Pinterest Largechevron

If you have set out to put yourself this year, you may also consider updating your sports equipment.But here is the problem: most sportswear is manufactured with virgin nylon and polyester - that is, plastics derived from fossil fuels - and therefore is very harmful to the planet.

This is increasingly concerned to many of us, and according to Lyst last year the searches for ‘sustainable sportswear’ amounted to no less than 151%.However, finding a challenge to find sustainable equipment to go to the gym."Although the market [of sustainable sportswear] is growing is still much easier to find options that are not sustainable," Tatiana Kovylina, founder of the London brand Silou, tells us.

At present, even the most sustainable options that can be found in the market contain a percentage of Lycra or elastane virgins to achieve that necessary elasticity."We need to use Lycra in our fasteners and leggins," says Quang Dinh, executive director and founder of the firm based in Seattle Girlfriend Collective."While we are still looking for a better alternative we are working to reduce the amount we need in our garments and use the minimum possible."

For all this it is crucial that we reduce the environmental impact of sportswear as much as possible.Here we tell you how.

1. Avoid virgin synthetic

Since the great concern are virgin synthetic fabrics, try to opt for brands such as Girlfriend Collective and Perff Studio, which instead use recycled alternatives."Our famous recycled polyester is manufactured from recycled plastic bottles," explains Dinh, specifying that each pair of leggins has been manufactured from 25 recycled plastic bottles.

More and more sustainable firms are, such as Indigo Luna and Vyayama, who opt for natural alternatives such as cotton or organic viscose, which (when they are obtained sustainably) have a lower impact on our planet than synthetic tissues.

2. Keep in mind the durability

Since sportswear needs to be constantly washed, durability is essential from the point of view of its sustainability."We believe that consumers need to buy better, no more," says Kovylina."Our products exceed our own tests - our entire team exercises using our samples, washing them with dryer to check how long they last."

3. Invest in a microplastic filter

Be sure to use a microplastic filter (such as the Guppyfriend or the Cora Ball) when washing your sports clothes, so that you prevent plastic microparticles from ending up in our oceans and harming marine fauna (according to aStudy a single washer load can release no less than 12 million microfibers)."We manufacture a filter that you can add to your washing machine, but there are many great options out there," adds Dinh.

4. Get away from harmful chemicals

Taking into account that sportswear is so close to our skin, it is understandable that we are concerned with chemicals in their manufacturing process, so look for the Oeko-Tex label, because it certifies that the garment that wears it is free of chemicalsharmful

Natural dyes are also more sustainable than their synthetic alternatives."Large -scale conventional dyeing uses numerous harmful chemicals that are sometimes released again in the midfielder without being treated, causing huge damage to local communities and ecosystems," explains Loviisa Mäenpää, co -founder of Indigo Luna."All our natural dyes are obtained locally in Bali, Indonesia, and all the generated waste is organic and compostable."

5. Look for marks with recycling systems

Once you have worn your sportswear, it is key to think about what will happen to you later, making sure that you do not end in a landfill.That is why finding brands that offer recycling systems or plans, as in the case of the Girlfriend Collective Rulent Program, will help contribute to us to address a more circular system."We can break down the pieces spent, recycle the polyester to create a new fiber and then mix it with our‘ new ’polyester fiber," says Dinh."Our main goal from the beginning has been to create a closed circular system."