Best Ethically Made Activewear Brands

I do my best to make better choices about where I spend my money, from food to clothing, so it’s frustrating to realise that almost all the top-quality performance gear is manufactured in Asia, and I’m afraid that much of it is still made under questionable environmental conditions.

I understand that a lot of the best gear is made by large corporations because they have the financial resources to invest in development and testing, together with a lot of experience gained over the years. This all makes sense. But it bothers me to see corporations promoting their efforts to improve their carbon footprint, even though they have relocated production to Asia to reduce costs, while prioritising profit over ethics and sustainability. And then they give a tiny portion of these profits to help others and make themselves look good. With this tactic, they want to convince people that they are making the world a better place, encouraging them to keep buying from the brand.

Alright, back to the topic of better-made activewear or ethical sportswear. There are a few brands out there that prioritise these values and produce their goods in countries where there are more regulations, so in general, workers are treated well.

I made a list of brands that I have found so far and might want to check out. Most of them make performance clothing. Some of them also have their own sneakers, but most produce them in Asia.

Here is the list of ethically made sportswear brands and the locations of their production facilities:

• YMR Track Club – Sweden / Sunglasses – Italy

• NNormal – Portugal / Shoes – Vietnam & China

• R.A.D Global – Portugal / Shoes – China

• Circle Sportswear – Portugal / Shoes – Portugal

• Fusion Sportswear – Lithuania

• Ryzon Cologne – Lithuania, Chech Republic, Portugal

• Distrct Vision – Europe (I couldn’t find actual country so this might be a warning)

• Norda – Canada / Shoes – Midsole and Sole – Italy, Fabric from Spain, laser work and assembled in China

• Satisfy – Portugal, Bulgaria

• Boldwill - EU

• Incylence – Portugal

• Sporcks – Spain

• Diadora – Italy (not all shoe models)

• Scarpa – Italy

Here are a few more brands to consider. Some of their products are made in Europe, while others are made overseas. If you care about where your items are produced make sure to pay attention when ordering from them:

• Soar – The majority of their garments are crafted in Europe, primarily in Portugal, Italy and Lithuania, with some products manufactured in China and Vietnam. But they don’t specify the country of manufacture for each individual product, making it difficult to know exactly how much is made in the EU and how much in Asian countries.

• Runamics – C2C Shorts: Germany/Poland – Merino parts: Germany/China/Portugal – Tights and Croptop: Italy/Portugal – C2C Pyoneer parts: Germany/Tunisia – C2C Cotton parts: India

• Janji - they are committed to working with manufacturing partners that have a proven track record of both ethical practices and technical ability. The majority of Janji production happens across multiple factories in Vietnam

This article is a continuous work in progress, and I’ll update it whenever I discover a new brand worth adding. So, if you think there’s another brand that should be on this list, leave a comment or send me an email.

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