Best sustainable activewear to buy right now
Story updated July 2021.
Sustainable yoga clothes, finally.
Hands up if you buy fewer clothes nowadays, and do everything in your power to make your wardrobe last that much longer? Yeah us too, and it’s comforting to see the growing number of fashion, sports and apparel brands speeding up their shift to more environmentally friendly practices. Still too few, and probably too slow, but make no mistake the shift is coming, and it will be adapt-or-die for brands that fail to meet the demands of conscious modern shoppers. This online shopping guide is for anyone seeking out the most environmentally friendly options for activewear in NZ?
Best activewear to buy in NZ
We’re promoting a lot of brands on Rewardhub, because they all pay cash back to New Zealand charities, clubs or schools. The last thing we want though, is people buying things they don’t need, so expect to see us cover more responsible shopping ideas. For this shopping edit we’ve reviewed trusted brands, and quizzed our network of eco-warriors, for the best activewear to buy in New Zealand, that’s kind on both people and planet. So the next time you’ve worn that active wear into disrepair, and have no choice but to upgrade, we hope you’ll find these picks handy.
Lorna Jane New Zealand
Lorna Jane is one of the most popular activewear brands in New Zealand, with a dedicated local online store for activewear, sports bras, yoga clothes and more. It’s a brand that’s know for style, quality, ethics and innovation. In 2020, it was encouraging to see them launch the Eco Range, made with recycled PET plastic. Lorna Jane now use recycled material in a number of their products, made bra padding optional noting some customers don’t use them and use corn starch bags for wrapping online orders. For a brand that makes products built to last, they’re also affordable in New Zealand. See our picks below.
Lace up ankle biter leggings in Sepia featuring recycled Nothing 2 see here fabric.
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Eco phone pocket ankle biter leggings featuring recycled Nothing 2 see here fabric.
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Adidas
Adidas has been working on sustainable materials for many years now, using plastic from the ocean to make eco-friendly sneakers and more recently collaborating with All Birds to make zero carbon sneakers, to name a few initiatives. In fact by the time of writing they expect over half of their production will be made from recycled material. The featured trainers below are functional, comfy and easy on the eye and made using Adidas’ Parley ocean plastic recycled materials. You will find these sustainable workout kicks at the online stores below.
Adidas by Stella McCartney Ultraboost Sandals. View here.
Cotton On
In 2016, CottonOn were among the first New Zealand retailers to join the Better Cotton Initiative and this year are on track to be using 100% sustainable cotton. In 2019, CottonOn launched an active wear range from recycled fibres, while this capsule range is still available in Australia, their New Zealand activewear ranges are made from recycled fibres and always offer good value for money for those looking for cheaper, but well made options. View our picks from CottonOn below. Always check product features section, which show materials.
Eizbuy
While Ezibuy is not a store with a particular focus on sustainable products yet, they do offer quality activewear made from 100% merino wool which is a 100% natural, renewable and biodegradable fibre. It also tends to last for a long time, making merino based exercise clothes worth consideration if you’re looking to go easier on the planet. Featured below is the Isobar Merino Half Zip Sweater from Ezibuy.
Net-A-Porter
Shipping to New Zealand from the UK, Net-A-Porter has been a pioneer of curating looks and styles for online fashion shoppers. Today you’ll find a comprehensive range of sustainable fashion brands from around the world in their “Sustain” section. See our picks and browse the Sustain section below.
