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
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.
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
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.
New Balance Cocona Tee is natural and techie all at once.
3. Soy Exercise Clothes
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).
ActiveSoy Ruched Short is a soy/cotton blend made with low eco-impact dyes.
4. Bamboo Exercise Clothes
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!
Bamboo Lounge Pant are a bamboo and organic cotton combo that are lightweight, breathable.
5. Hemp Exercise Clothing
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.
Vayu Shorts are made in America from 53% hemp, 43% organic cotton and 4% Lycra.
6. Wood Pulp and Seaweed
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!
Lululemon Vitasea Essential T 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
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!
Ecozuzu Clothing are made from an organic cotton and recycled poly-fiber constructed from 100% certified polyethylene terephthlate combo.
By Laurel House
www.planetgreen.com
