The Best Sustainable Leggings for Women in 2021
Have you considered the environmental and human impact of your leggings? If not, it is quite possible that your favorite pair of running pants were made from a fabric derived from fossil fuels in a factory that exploits their workers. Eek.
If you dig a little deeper, you’ll likely find that much of your activewear is made from fabrics such as:
Polyester, which is made of fossil fuels and is non-biodegradable.
Lycra (a.k.a. spandex or elastane), a synthetic fabric made from segmented polyurethanes from the reaction of a di-isocyanate with polyethers or polyesters.
Nylon, a petroleum-based synthetic fiber.
Not only does wearing crude oil simply sound terrible, production of these fabrics contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution.
Additionally, the clothing industry in general is fraught with health, safety and human rights violations and activewear is no exception.
The good news is that there are more brands than ever creating gear that is more sustainable and ethical, but you still have to be really thoughtful about your choices.
There are a few things to keep an eye out for when selecting leggings that can help you identify a sustainable and ethical pair of leggings basically at a glance:
Sustainable fabrics - Are your leggings made from fabrics that are more sustainable? Look for fabrics such as organic cotton, recycled nylon and Lenzing TENCEL™.
Third-party certifications - To better ensure that your leggings were not made in a factory that exploits their workers, look for certifications such as Fairtrade international or Social Accountability Standard International SA8000. Clothing with STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, GOTS, or bluesign® certifications are inspected on criteria such as sustainability, chemical use, or responsibility.
Durability - Are your leggings going to last for one year or 15 years? Try to purchase from brands known to last. The longer your leggings take to replace, the less of a strain your purchase will place on the environment.
Here are some of the best more sustainable performance leggings for women in 2021.
I have personally tried all leggings indicated with**
The best sustainable leggings for running
Patagonia Endless Run Tights Patagonia is by and large considered the industry leader for responsibility, so it’s no surprise that they make more sustainable leggings. Patagonia’s Endless Run Tights are made in Fair Trade factories partially from recycled nylon and recycled polyester.
Athleta’s Rainier Tights are made from recycled nylon and have the perfect pockets for running. Athleta is also a B Corp, which means that their business practices have been through a rigid vetting process and meet certain standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability.
The best sustainable leggings for yoga
**Synergy Leggings are made with 90% organic cotton that is so soft, you’ll feel almost naked while you practice.
**Girlfriend Girlfriend was founded as a sustainable brand. They make their super cozy leggings from recycled plastic bottles. Make sure to buy a guppyfriend with your leggings, because even sustainably made nylon leggings leak microplastics back into the ocean. Click here to get $10 off your Girlfriend purchase (I will receive a reward if you use this link at no additional cost to you, I only promote brands that I truly believe in).
**Athleta Studio Jogger These pants are light, incredibly soft and made from Lenzing TENCEL™, a fabric made from wood through a sustainable process.
The best sustainable leggings for cycling
Pearl Izumi’s Interval Cargo Bib Shorts are partially made from recycled nylon and recycled polyester. They also have pockets!
The best sustainable leggings for skiing
Wahi Yoga’s fleece lined yoga pants are bluesign® certified and make for the perfect base layer.
**Athleta’s fleece lined leggings are very comfortable and warm. They do not seem to be made with sustainable materials, but you can buy used to make this a more sustainable purchase.
The environment is our playground and we must treat it with respect. Choose conscious and demand that your favorite brands do better in their environmental stewardship. It is still far too difficult to find a pair of high performance leggings that aren’t contributing to environmental decline.
