Canadian, Sustainable, and Ethical Activewear

What better way to show your Canadian pride than sporting locally made, eco-friendly and ethical active wear?! I have compiled some of my favourite Canadian activewear brands and created The Ultimate Guide to Canadian, Sustainable, and Ethical Activewear!

Inner Fire

Inner Fire creates yoga apparel that honours Mother Earth. Inner Fire's leggings are made from 88% recycled polyester, which is derived from recycled plastic bottles! They are also made in small batches in Vancouver, BC. Another great feature of the leggings is that they are SPF 50 and can be worn for sun protection- perfect for being active outdoors!

Karma Athletics

Karma creates ethical and stylish activewear. All of Karma's garments are manufactured locally with high-standards of a safe and ethical workplace. They ensure that their factories are operating within safe labor practices and working conditions throughout Karma’s supply chain.

Encircled

Encircled makes thoughtfully designed, versatile wardrobe essentials. They make more than just athletic wear! While you're shopping for your new favourite pair of leggings, stock up on some amazing, locally made, eco-friendly wardrobe essentials as well. As if this company couldn't get any better: the scrunchies are part of their zero waste program as they are made from upcycled production cuttings from other designs. The goal is to reduce fabric waste from production and find valuable opportunities to upcycle the fabric into new products! How cool is that!?

Bonus: Encircled is a Certified B Corporation!

Ecologyst

The core of the Ecologyst brand is about fostering a deep connection to nature and inspiring others to get outside amongst the trees. They make ethical clothes for all your outdoor adventure needs using eco-friendly materials (organic cotton, wool)

Prana Vida

Prana Vida creates a large line of eco-friendly leggings, they also make fleece lined leggings- perfect for those chilly winter yoga sessions! These leggings are made through a revolutionary closed-loop and zero waste processing system. You can workout guilt-free knowing that the production of these leggings didn't create any textile waste!

Ballin' on a Budget?

As a student, I realize that buying new, sustainable, and ethical clothes can be tricky when you’re on a budget. There’s no need to buy brand new active wear when you can get all your fav brands at the thrift store for a fraction of the cost! Buying second hand is awesome for the environment for a number of reasons: it reduces textile waste, encourages recycling, saves water & chemicals that are needed to make new clothing, and it keeps unwanted clothing out of the landfill. Not to mention, shopping second hand means you can still wear the brands you love, without supporting their unethical practices.

In addition to all the classic thrift stores like Value Village, Goodwill, and Talize, there are many online thrift stores such as ThredUp and DePop, which make thrifting easy if you have a busy schedule!