This is one of my articles on Sustainable Ethical Clothing Brands , which include womenswear, menswear, nightwear and outdoor wear.
Most of the clothing in this category is a combination of bamboo, cotton – some organic, wool, silk and recycled synthetics. I’m very conflicted about some of these fibres, both from a health and sustainability point of view. If you’d like to drill down into the the sustainability, ethics and health risks of the most popular fibre types, check out this article.
Otherwise read on for a list of European brands of Sustainable Ethical Yoga, Active, Sport and Leisurewear
Nothing mentioned in this article has been sponsored. It’s all just my own personal opinion. If you like your sources to remain independent then please;
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Where to buy Sustainable Ethical Yoga, Active, Sport and Leisurewear in Europe
Choose Reuse First
What’s more sustainable that recycled or organic clothing????? Existing clothing. So before you start looking for new check out the UK reseller of sports clothing ReRun!
And Northface Clothing sell refurbished clothing from their website.
Brands of New Yoga, Active, Sport and Leisurewear
Ireland
The Organic Movement offer leggings, shorts and tops made from a blend of organic cotton and elastane produced in Bali & Europe. Sizes XS – XL
Wear Fianna make garments from OCS certified cotton and GRS certified recycled polyester. They also plant a tree for every product ordered. Sizes XS – XXL
Oceanr (formerly Rashr) make short and long sleeve tops from recycled materials to order. Sizes XS – XL
AWAVE is an athlesiure wear made from Oeko-tex and GRS certified rPet. The mens range is manufactured in a SEDEX audited factory in Portugal and the women’s range is made in Bali (overseen by Indonesian local auditing federation). Sizes XS-XL (women) and XS-XXL (men).
Meld Apparel offers some sport and leisure garments made from certified organic or certified recycled fabrics, which they post in biodegradable packaging. Some of the company’s factories are SEDEX certified and they offset their carbon emissions with a social enterprise in Africa. Sizes 6 – 20
Fresh Cuts is an ethical clothing brand offering some own-brand GOTS certified organic cotton hoodies and sweatshirts, and some active wear items by the Girlfriend Collective garments, an American brand of athleisure wear made from SA800, WRAP and Oeko-Tex certified recycled polyester and Econyl. You can buy their clothing online or in their store in Dublin 2. They stock sizes XS to XXL sizes. They also sells clothing from other ethical brands including Armed Angels, Dedicated, Mud Jeans, Monkee Jeans.
Patagonia is a high-street brand that makes yoga and leisure wear from recycled nylon printed with PVC- and phthalate-free inks. On their website they give details on how they work with factories and mills to ensure ethical work-practices, good working conditions and processes that are less harmful to the environment. They say they are particularly invested in protecting migrant workings and guarding against child labour and human trafficking. The company also gives 1% of their sales to support environmental organizations around the world. There is tons of information on the Patagonia website about the ethical and sustainable way they do business. I found the Environmental Assessment of Materials in Clothing particularly interesting. It talks about the reality behind some fabrics that are being sold as green. They offer a repair, take-back and resale service through their stores. Sizes 6-22.
Irish company Holder Eight sell organic cotton sweatshirts and hoddies.
Holland / The Netherlands
Ironroots makes sportswear from non-plastic materials like hemp, organic cotton and close-loop viscose by Lenzig, in GOTS certified factories in Europe and ISO certified factories outside of Europe. Their products are packaged plastic-free using sustainable transport methods. Sizes XS – XXL (women), XS – XXL (men)
Belgium
Pure by Luce is a Belgium brand making active wear for women from Standard 100 OEKO-TEX certified recycled materials such as such as Econyl, recycled polyester and GOTS certified cotton. Sizes XXS – XXL
France
French brand Do You Green offers lounge and yoga wear made from organic pinewood fibres sourced from sustainable forests, which the company says absorbs perspiration twice as much as cotton and is softer than any other cloth. All of their dying and fabric manufacturing is done in France, to the 100 OEKO-TEX Standard. Their packaging is plastic free. The company uses the term organic pinewood fibres but doesn’t give any details on the process involved in converting them to fibre. Sizes XS – XXL
Germany
Thokk Thokk is a German brand offering sport and yoga wear made from organic cotton, blended with recycled synthetics or Tencel. They have a Fairtrade Licence for their basic shirts and is certified as being organic by GOTS. They also offer free shipping. Sizes XS- XL (women), S – XXL (men)
Runamics is aiming to be the first cradle-to-cradle certified sportswear brand. They offer a repair service for defective products and encourage items to be returned for recycling at the end of their life cycle. They uses 100% plastic free packaging. Sizes XS- XXL (women), S – XXL (men)
Blutsgeschwister in Germany makes leggings from GOTS certified organic cotton blended with elastane in Fairwear accredited factories. They’ve been a member of the Fairwear Foundation since 2013 and reached the top standard for fairness in 2016. Sizes XS – XXL
Sweden
Houdini make active and skiwear from natural and Bluesign certified recycled fabrics, which they cover with a lifetime guarantee and take back at the end of their life. Most of their production takes place in Europe using fabrics from Taiwan, Italy and Japan. The company lists their suppliers and factories on their website. They also offer a rental service online and instore. Sizes XXS- XL (women), XS – XXL (men)
B-light in Sweden offer leggings, shorts sweatpants made from organic cotton blended with Lycra. They offset their carbon emissions through a Swedish company called Tricorona. Sizes S- XL (women), S – XL (men)
Switzerland
Swiss company Odlo makes outdoor and active clothing in recycled materials, muesling-free wool and ethical down in Fairwear accredited factories in Romania, Portugal Germany. Their fabrics are certified with Responsible Wool Standard, Sustainable Apparel Collation, B-corp, Bluesign and OEKO-Tex. They have a take-back service and claim 97% of their customer deliveries are carbon neutral. Sizes XS- XL, 34 – 46 (women), S – XXL, 46-58 (men)
The UK
Asquith clothing (see photo above) make yoga and activewear from OEKO-Tex certified bamboo and organic cotton in a GOTS certified factory in southern Turkey and India. Asquith claim to recycle everything they can and package everything so that you can do the same. They do not use animal products and nothing is ever tested on animals. Sizes XS – XXL
Noctu makes 100% organic cotton fairtrade lounge wear and nightwear for men, women and children. All of their cotton products are certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), Fair Trade and their factories are SA8000 certified. Sizes S – L
FROM Clothing offer active and yoga clothing made from GOTS certified organic cotton grown in India, blended with close-loop Tencel, and then shipped to Portugal for manufacturing. Their Merino Wool is certified as ethically sourced from South Africa. All sheep farms adhere to a non-mulesing policy as part of a continuous effort to ensure the health and welfare of the sheep. Sizes 8 – 18
Thought (formerly Braintree) sells lounge wear made from organic cotton, hemp, Tencel, Modal, bamboo and seacell. The dyes they use are Azo-free and they claim that their finishes are as environmentally friendly as possible. Each piece of their collection is completed in one to limit emissions from transportation. They’re also a founding member of the Ethical Fashion Forum. Sizes 6 – 18 (women), XS – XL (men)
Cambridge baby sell German sportswear brand Engel, which is made from organic wool and silk. Sizes XS – L, 8 – 18 (women)
Bam Bamboo Clothing sells underwear and yoga & leisure wear made from bamboo and recycled polyester for men and women. Sizes 8 – 16 (women), S – XXL (men)
Presca Sportwear make long-lasting sports and cycling gear from recycled material in Europe and the UK, mostly in a factory run on 100% renewable energy. They state that they are the first climate-positive sports brand, which is partly achieved through offsetting. They offer a repair and buy-back service, which interestingly rewards you more the longer you hold onto garments. They aim to resell items obtained through the buy-back service, but not through their website it seems. They also mail garments in home-compostable packaging. Sizes XXS – XXL (women), XS – XXXL (men)
Planet Warriors make leggings and sports bras from recycled plastic waste, tshirts from organic cotton and sweatshirts from an organic cotton / recycled polyester blend. They print directly onto the fabric to do away with labels, they don’t use swing tags or plastic tags, and their packaging is plastic free and recycled and recyclable. Sizes S – L
Tribe Sports offer active wear made from recycled nylon made from salvaged marine waste in factories in Portugal and China. The company also plant one tree for every order that’s placed. Sizes XS – XL (women), S – XXL (men)
We are Samudra make leggings and sports tops in London from recycled polyester make from Econyl, and t-shirts from recycled cotton and polyester. They also donate 5% of their profits to female-focused marine waste charities. Sizes S – L
Vivida Lifestyle makes OEKO – TEX certified swimwear and clothing from recycled and certified organic materials. Their swing tags are recycled paper with natural ties, and they use compostable packaging and biodegradable mailers. The fabric mills that makes their eco neoprene is Blue Sign certified for excellence in energy and water usage and waste disposal. They are currently applying for B-corp status. Sizes XS – XL (women), S – XXL (men)
Contur make leggings from an Italian blended fabric of Econyl and recycled cotton in London. Sizes XS – XL
TALA is a UK activewear brand that uses GOTS, GRS, OEKO-tex and Blue sign certified fabrics such as recycled and organic cotton, recycled nylon, REPREVE and bamboo. Their clothing is made in GOTS, Sedex, WRAP and BSCI certified factories in Portugal, Turkey, China, Italy & Vietnam. Sizes 2XS-4XL (women).
Select styles of ROXY boardshorts are made with REPREVE, a recycled fibre made from recycling plastic bottles. ROXY is a brand that’s easily found in high-street sport stores. Sizes XS – XXL (women)
Scimitar have a range of running and cycling tops in recycled polyester and organic/regenerated cotton. Sizes XS – XXL
Sundried offers an activewear collection ‘EcoTech’ which features pieces made from recycled plastic bottles, recycled coffee grounds and biodegradable yarn. It is unclear as to whether the recycled coffee ground fabric is recyclable at the end of it’s life and not certification is mentioned in relation to their recycled or biodegradable fabrics. Sizes XS – XXL (women), S – XL (men)
Reve En Vert in the UK sells clothing by a few makers of sustainable ethical activewear.
If you’re based in America or Australia Eco Warrior Princes lists 11 Ethical Organic Cotton Athleisure Brands on their website.
Check out my other listing of Sustainable Ethical Clothing & Accessory Brands
Written by Elaine, Revised by Sharon
living lightly in ireland 
Hi , well there is a Swedish brand with organic cotton clothes. They also have organic yoga clothes. http://www.b-light.se
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Yep, know them well. Bought my knickers from them, or is that TMI? I’ve just checked and I do have them listed on this post.
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