Words: Isobella Wolfe
Category: Top Picks
Published: 09 May 2022
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In the market for activewear for some sweaty pursuit or another that does good by people, the planet, and animals? Tap into our ratings in this roundup of more ethical and sustainable activewear for men or those who prefer menswear.
Men’s activewear with a conscience
There’s no denying that the ethical fashion world is mainly geared towards women or femme-presenting people. As society slowly but surely moves towards equality, we are seeing more compassionate men who aren’t afraid to say, “Hey, we care too.” Bust those masculinity stereotypes by wearing ethical activewear for men.
While we have rounded up activewear brands that deserve your support before, we wanted to put together a list of options for all the menswear-sporting folks who want to sweat it out in style, knowing that their trackies and trainers aren’t supporting the exploitation of people, the planet, or our animal friends.
Some of our faves from this list are the agility shorts, comfortable and odour-preventing bamboo sports socks, and a unisex hemp hoodie that looks and feels great on every body.
A note on degendering fashion
While this article may be addressing keywords on men’s activewear, here’s the simple truth: clothes don’t have any gender. It sometimes seems silly how the industry ascribes gender to inanimate garments like t-shirts and socks. We believe people of all genders should be able to express themselves however they want, regardless of the binary marketing. So when you use our directory to search for brands, we automatically deliver search results without any consideration to gender. If you still want to find products labelled as menswear or womenswear, you can use our filters.
Threads 4 Thought
Rated: Good
Threads 4 Thought carries everyday basics, workout wear, and other styles that are produced responsibly and aligned with its sustainable initiatives. Take comfort in the carbon neutral Andrei Tee made using recycled material while delivering high performance as it wicks away sweat to keep you cool during your workout.
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Organic Basics
Rated: Great
Organic Basics offers high-quality sustainable fashion basics for men and women in organic materials. The Denmark-based brand puts sustainable thinking at the centre of everything—it only chooses fabrics that care for our environment, and only ever partners with factories that care about their impact. This odourless long-sleeve tee is made with sweat-wicking, recycled materials for your active lifestyle. Organic Basics clothes are available in sizes XS-XL.
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Presca
Rated: Good
Presca is an activewear label that designs and manufactures high performance sportswear with sustainability in mind. This UK-based brand is on a mission to take back materials which were polluting the planet and redesign them into performance sportswear that is built to last, like this recycled Gold Jersey. Find the range in inclusive sizes 2XS-3XL.
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Girlfriend Collective
Rated: Good
Girlfriend Collective creates minimal, luxury clothes made with certified fair labour, certified by the Social Accountability Standard International SA8000. The brand uses eco-friendly materials like recycled polyester as well as low-impact non-toxic dyes and is fully Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified. The brand recently launched a men’s active collection which we love, including this bright UPF 50+ windbreaker. Inclusively sized Girlfriend Collective offers products from 2XS-6XL.
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Outerknown
Rated: Good
Founded by surf champion Kelly Slater, Outerknown is a sustainable brand that aims to blend style and function with the protection of natural resources. The brand is Bluesign certified and has partnered with the Fair Labour Association. This black and blue windbreaker is crafted 100% ECONYL® recycled nylon. Find the range in sizes XS-2XL.
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tentree
Rated: Good
tentree is a Canadian sustainable lifestyle brand that plants 10 trees for every item purchased. The certified B-Corp brand has already helped to remove tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere and reforested over 5,000 hectares of land (that’s equal to 12,000 football fields). But its commitment to sustainability extends way beyond trees. Using recycled, organic, and circular fabrics, tentree cuts down on huge amounts of waste and water usage with every piece. We love it for its super comfy fabrics and easy wardrobe staples that are available from XS to XL, like these versatile latitude shorts.
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CasaGIN
Rated: Good
CasaGIN is a positive place, designed for those looking for a sustainable and conscious lifestyle where you can find products capable of conveying well-being and harmony. No set of ethical activewear for men is complete without a pair of leggings, and these black sports leggings are made from recovered fishing nets. Bonus points—there’s a pocket for your keys AND the logos are high-vis.
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Patagonia
Rated: Good
Patagonia is a brand which truly lives and breathes the great outdoors. It makes clothing for trail running, climbing, mountain biking, surfing, skiing, and snowboarding. Patagonia has strong labour rights and uses recycled, rather than virgin, polyester. It has also committed to reducing its energy use and emissions. It has an extensive range of ethical activewear for men including this wetsuit, which is made with Fairtrade rubber and recycled polyester, and is perfect for transition seasons.
See the rating.
Shop Patagonia @ LVRSustainable.
éclipse
Rated: Great
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éclipse creates climate control UPF 50+ clothing essentials and accessories to help keep the whole family sunsafe. It manufactures locally to reduce its carbon footprint, and its entire product range is vegan-friendly. While the brand stocks a selection of ethical activewear for men, we love these sun sleeves. They are an extension of the popular gloves, fitting from armpit to just beyond the wrist. Products are stocked in sizes S-XL.
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Loop Swim
Rated: Good
Loop Swim transforms post-consumer use plastic bottles into phenomenal REPREVE UP50+ sun protective swimwear for men, women, and kids, like this navy Sunseeker Rashie. Find most items in sizes XS to XL.
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Boody
Rated: Good
No list of ethical activewear for men would be complete without a good pair of active sports socks, like these odour-preventing ones from Boody. Made from organically grown bamboo, Boody is an Australian clothing brand that supports the trend for all things green and ethical. Find the range in sizes XS-3XL.
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CARIUMA
Rated: Good
CARIUMA is a sustainable Brazilian sneaker brand that wants you to feel crazy comfortable while providing effortless style in organic canvas, leather, and suede styles. How cool are these white high-top skate shoes? They are engineered for durability, movement, and the best grip possible. Find CARIUMA’s shoes in US sizes 5-13.
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Ethletic
Rated: Good
Ethletic make fair trade casual shoes and sneakers from organic cotton and natural rubber. Their line of Root II sneakerscome with a reinforced toe section, a padded tongue and a padded collar for extra comfort. The all-round sole strip features extra-stable stitching and the removable antibacterial insole is made with coconut fibres for added absorption, making this the perfect sneaker for everything from skating to parkour.
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Iron Roots
Rated: Great
Iron Roots is a Dutch sustainable sportswear brand that makes all its apparel from plant based fabrics. Its pieces effortlessly combine design, functionality, and sustainability. This hemp performance hoodie is designed to take you from yoga to the basketball court. Find sizes S-XL.
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True Tribe
Rated: Good
True Tribe is a French activewear and swimwear designer that seeks to redefine the codes of conscious fashion. These camo running shorts are multi-layered for optimal movement, available in sizes XS-2XL.
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Nike (Pre-Owned)
Rated: It's A Start
Nike is an American sportswear and activewear manufacturer. The brand has good policies to audit suppliers in its supply chain, but it is not taking adequate steps to ensure payment of a living wage for its workers. By buying Nike second hand you're helping keep clothes out of landfills and helping protect workers by slowing down the fast fashion cycle and the relentless demands on low-paid workers in the supply chain.
See the rating.
Reebok (Pre-Owned)
Rated: We Avoid
Reebok has set some good environmental and labour standards over the years. It is a founding member of the Better Cotton Initiative, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and is partially certified by Bluesign.
See the rating.
Jack Wolfskin (Pre-Owned)
Rated: Good
Founded in 1941, Jack Wolfskin is a German brand on a mission to motivate people to go outside and connect with nature, experience new things, and enjoy (life outdoors) with family and friends. The brand has good policies to audit suppliers in its supply chain and it uses a few eco-friendly materials.
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Editor's note
Feature image via Iron Roots, all other images via brands mentioned. Good On You publishes the world’s most comprehensive ratings of fashion brands’ impact on people, the planet, and animals. Use our directory to search thousands of rated brands.
