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Working out strengthens your body, fortifies your bones, and improves your immune system. But don't forget that as you sweat, your pores are opening, making you more prone to outside invaders slipping in through your skin. Problem is, many of the trendy exercise clothes are made from chemically treated fabric that, yes, when we sweat can be purged. Why work so hard to be healthy, all the while swaddling ourselves with something so potentially unhealthy?
Beyond the immediate concern of our bodies, the chemicals used in the production and manufacturing of exercise clothes are unhealthy to the planet. Take, for example, a favorite fabric loved for its comfort and "purity"—conventionally grown cotton. In case you don't know, let me fill you in on the facts:
Conventional Cotton Isn't So Pure
- 1/3 pound of agricultural chemicals is used to produce one cotton t-shirt.
- 24% of the world's insecticide use—worth $2.6 billion—goes into cotton production.
- Insecticides and pesticides then seep deep into the soil, contaminating both the soil and nearby ground, surface and drinking water.
- Of the fifteen known pesticides and herbicides used in the production of conventionally grown cotton, seven of them have been labeled "possible," "likely," "probable," or "known" carcinogens including: acephate, dichloropropene, diuron, fluometuron, pendimethalin, tribufos, and trifluralin according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
- Pesticide-poisoned run-off from cotton fields killed 240,000 fish in Alabama in 1995, not to mention the approximate 67 million birds accidentally killed each year in the US from the toxins.
Obviously a green fabric alternative is in order. Some green fabrics have gotten an unfair bad rep thanks to early stage attempts at green style—or a lack thereof. The fact is that many of those natural fibers are much more luxurious than potato sacks if you just give them another chance in their new, much more fashionable incarnations.
Great Natural Fibers Perfect for Green Exercise
1. Organic Cotton Exercise Clothes
Image courtesy of juthathip tybon/istockphoto.
The no-brainer green choice when it comes to cotton is organic cotton. Organic cotton is grown and processed without the use of pesticides, insecticides, defoliants, or artificial fertilizers, or dioxin-producing bleach.
A Few to Try:
Aviator Nation Women's V Hoody will be your favorite pre, during or post-workout hoody that is vintage-soft and stylish but really organic cotton. Believe me, you won't want to take this thing off. More than day to night, this hoody can be worn from workout to out on the town—yes, it's that adorable!
4-Rth Organic Trak Pants takes exercise clothes to a whole new trendy organic cotton level that you will love.
2. Coconut Shell Exercise Clothes
Image courtesy of Igor Ostapchuk/istockphoto.
No, we're not suggesting you sweat in hula-style coconut bra cups. Coconut shells have been taken to a whole new level when it comes to exercise clothes. CoCoNa is made from charcoal (or activated carbon) derived from coconut shells, then combined with polyester fibers to enhance its performance properties. The result: a greener, more naturally high-tech fabric that helps evaporate sweat, cool the skin, resist odor, and add UV ability. More than technical, CoCoNa is functional, lightweight, comfortable, and it retains its stretch after repeated wear and washes.
A Few to Try:
New Balance NBx Cocona Seamless Tee is natural and techie all at once.
GoLite Women's DriMove DriMove S/S Top is both stylish, cool and dry—yes, it keeps you cool and less sweaty even on a hot trail-running day, all thanks to recycled coconut shells.
3. Soy Exercise Clothes
Image courtesy of dustin steller/istockphoto.
In 3000 B.C., the Chinese heralded soy as a top five sacred crop. Soy is now being fashioned into one of the most in-demand green exercise fabrics around. The bean's fibers are being spun into fabric that's silk-like and sustainable. With its naturally wicking, anti-microbial technology-free "technology" that breathes like cotton and feels more luxurious than cashmere, its immediate rise to eco fabric-stardom is no surprise. What makes soy exercise clothes even more eco fabulous? The soy that goes into making the cloth is actually a tofu byproduct. But don't look at your eco clothes as waste, love them for their soft strength, durability, and warmth retention (kinda like wool but without the itch).
A Few to Try:
ActiveSoy Ruched Short, is a soy/cotton blend made with low eco-impact dyes.
Of the Earth Soy Long Sleeve Shirt is soft, silky and classic.
4. Bamboo Exercise Clothes
Image courtesy of ooyoo/istockphoto.
A member of the grass family, bamboo is a fast growing plant grown without the use of pesticides. Sure, it's a grass, but don't belittle it. Giant-sized timber bamboo can grow taller than 100 feet. When woven into a fabric, bamboo is naturally hypoallergenic, antimicrobial, odor resistant, breathable, and quick-drying. It's a naturally sustainable and renewable plant that releases more oxygen into the atmosphere than trees, therefore helping to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. Bamboo is grown without the use of harmful pesticides and insecticides. It is considered to be sustainable because of its ability to grow "like a weed" and quickly replenish itself. Some species can grow as much as four feet per day!
A Few to Try:
Bamboo Slim Leggings are a bamboo and organic cotton combo that are lightweight, breathable and made with low eco-impact dyes.
Satori Divine Linked Vibes Raw Edge T-shirt is 100% bamboo and seriously stylish.
5. Hemp Exercise Clothing
Image courtesy of ideeone/istockphoto.
No not that kind! Hemp is a non-toxic, durable, naturally SPF, static-free fiber grown without the use of herbicides or fungicides, and, when harvested and turned into fabric, keeps skin cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
A Few to Try:
More Trees Hemp Trance Pants are made in America from 77% hemp and 23% recycled pet (plastic soda bottles) and perfect to green your yoga or pilates.
Rawganique Sleeveless Hemp Flax Linen Knit V Top lets your skin breathe while you're working up a sweat.
6. Wood Pulp and Seaweed
Image courtesy of Amanda Cotton/istockphoto.
Wood pulp is being transformed into an array of eco fabrics that the fitness industry is swooping up. The natural, man-made fiber called Lyocell is spun from the cellulose in wood pulp, which is harvested from tree-farmed trees. Cellulose is a natural polymer present in the living cells of all vegetation. Not to fear the tree farms, they are planted on land not suitable for food crops or grazing. The fiber is then spun into "Tencel" as well as another Seaweed enhanced fabric called "SeaCell." Against your skin, SeaCell is supposed to impart a sensation of calm—a direct response from the nutrients in seaweed. Confused? Bare with me for one more minute. SeaCell is sometimes amped up with an infusion of silver and dubbed "Active" SeaCell in order to create a natural antibacterial and odor neutralizing effect. Talk about creating a green exercise material from the Earth's bounty!
A Few to Try:
Lululemon's Vitasea Classic T II is made with Seacell, then blended with cotton and Lycra in the creation of an ultra soft, pre-shrunk fabric that retains its shape and stays soft after you wash it over and over.
7. Recycled Plastic Exercise Clothes
Image courtesy of Dori OConnell/istockphoto.
EcoSpun, Eco-Fill are spun from plastic bottles and other usable waste that's turned into raw materials including recycled "polyester" or "fleece" yarn. The yarn is then spun (and sometimes blended with other yarns like tencel, cotton and wool) into something that is not only eco-centric, but shockingly soft, weather-resistant, lightweight, durable, and fabulous! The bottles are sorted by type and color, cleaned, crushed, diced, melted down to a liquid, and finally fashioned into fibers. The process can remove as many as 3 billion plastic PET soda bottles from of the world's landfills each year, which adds up to a savings of over 1/2 million barrels of oil, while eliminating 400,000 tons of smog-making air emissions. One woman's trash turns into another's favorite green exercise shirt!
A Few to Try:
Zuzu Clothing Biplane Eco T-shirt is the most adorable "vintage" t-shirt made from an organic cotton and recycled poly-fiber constructed from 100% certified polyethylene terephthlate combo.
Cannondale Women's Classic Jersey is a re-spun fabric constructed from recycled plastic bottles that's not only durable but also provides UPF 40+ sun protection, shielding the skin from the sun's harmful rays.
More on Green Fabrics:
Recycled Plastic Workout Gear is Great for Fitness, Great for Planet
Turning Umbrellas Into Eco-Chic Apparel
Learn What Goes into Your Clothes
Got a tip or a post idea for us to write about on Planet Green? Email pgtips (at) treehugger (dot) com.
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