Essential Kit For The Environmental Gym-Goer

Lifestyle

Essential Kit For The Environmental Gym-Goer

Follow our buyer’s guide to ethical activewear and accessories

Today, being eco-friendly means so much more than switching off the lights when you leave the room and sorting your glass bottles of kombucha into the recycling. It extends to every aspect of life, and the gym is no exception. Removing single-use plastics from your hydration regimen, swapping out non-recyclable coffee cups from your pre-workout plan and being mindful of the pitfalls of fast fashion when shopping for activewear, all go a long way to making your workouts more green. Even if your go-to outfit remains all-black-everything. Fill your gym bag with the ethical kit below and lift your environmental credentials to a well-deserved PB.

Hydrate Responsibly

No self-respecting environmentalist can swig from single-use plastic between sets. So ditch the bottle of Volvic and opt for a reusable water bottle. Get your Third Space branded bottle in club, alternatively Chilly’s offer some great designs (anyone for pineapples?) The clever insulation in both bottles keeps your water cold or hot for 24hrs, they won’t leak and are BPA free.

Chilly’s Reusable Bottle; £25, chillysbottles.com

 

Fuel Responsibly

They may feel like cardboard but, shockingly, the paper cups you’re served your pre-session espresso in are not recyclable. Instead, carry around a KeepCup. You can design your own colourway and, if you opt for the Longplay version, you get a clear plastic booster added to the blown tempered glass that increases durability and keeps your coffee hot (and your fingers unburned!) Plus a filter coffee from Pret will then only ever cost you 49p…

KeepCup Longplay; £22, uk.keepcup.com

 

Style It Out Responsibly

With three ethical additions to any gym wardrobe.

 

Add environmental style points to your yoga class with the Ella Unitard. It’s fabric is totally opaque so it’ll never go see-through, no matter how ambitious your flow. Plus, the fabric is designed as non-toxic and is therefore free of harsh chemicals to make it safe for the skin and the environment. It’s also mindfully manufactured to ensure it’s sweatshop free.

Silou London Ella Unitard; £239, siloulondon.com

 

Much like the unitard, this sports bra from Adrenna is made in conjunction with fabric mills that have third party certifications (Bluesign and Oeko-Tex) to only produce eco-friendly and non-toxic dyes. In addition to this – and being a damn good sports bra, by the way – the designs focus on having minimal cut off to reduce waste and the brand don’t overproduce, either – one of the problems with fast fashion. (Did you know it takes 2700 litres of water to produce one T-shirt?)

Adrenna Core Sports Bra; £45, adrenna.co.uk

 

In addition to the principles outlined by the brands above, Sundried also offers its Olperer T-shirt for men as part of two activewear collections that are made from 100% recycled materials. Eco Core is a range made from recycled plastic bottles while Eco Charge features products made from recycled coffee grounds.

Sundried Olperer Men’s T-shirt; £40, sundried.com

 

Stretch It Out Responsibly

You can’t really call yourself a proper yogi without being mindful of your impact on the planet. And so you need kit that’ll afford you ethical kudos. This ecoYoga yoga mat is biodegradable and boasts a surface layer blend of natural jute fabric and a unique 100% natural rubber compound that provides an excellent non slip surface for your yoga practice.

ecoYoga Jute Mat; £45, yogamatters.com

 

Clean Up Responsibly

Though the best gyms now offer bags for your sweaty kit post-workout that are biodegradable, others do not. Cover all bases with the La Pochette sustainable gym wash bag. Not only doesn’t it reduce your own plastic footprint but it houses your smelly kit in recycled fibre that is both antibacterial and deodorising.

La Pochette sustainable gym wash bag; £35, lapochette.com

 

 

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