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feature image woman wearing girlfriend collective leggings
06 Dec
feature image woman wearing girlfriend collective leggings

Our Favourite More Ethical Activewear Brands from the USA and Canada

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Discover our favourite more ethical activewear brands from the US and Canada.

Our favourite “Good” and “Great” activewear brands for our American and Canadian friends

Staying active is one of the best things we can do for our health. But when choosing which activewear we’re going to rock to the gym, on a run, or during our at home yoga classes, we should also be considering the health of the planet, workers, and animals! That’s where more ethical activewear from the US and Canada comes in.

To make your life easier, we found a selection of more ethical and sustainable brands who made it their mission to help you do just that. And because a lot of you asked for it, we divided this series into 3 articles so you can shop from brands closer to you!

So without further ado, here our favourite “Good” and “Great” activewear brands for our American and Canadian friends!

Threads 4 Thought

Rated: Good
woman wearing purple threads 4 thoughts sports bra

Malana Sports Bra – Ships internationally

Threads 4 Thought uses a range of more sustainable materials including Lenzing Modal harvested from the limbs of beech trees. This process means that the trees are never cut down and 95% of the production materials to make the yarn are recovered and reused. Their manufacturers are a combination of Fair Trade USA certified and Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production certified. The Malana sports bra is made from recycled polyester and features a cute-yet-functional strap design, offering both the comfort and support you need during your workout.

See the rating.

Shop Threads 4 Thought.

Girlfriend Collective

Rated: Good
woman wearing burgundy girlfriend collective leggings

Plum Compressive High-Rise Legging – Ships internationally

Girlfriend Collective creates minimal, luxury women’s activewear made with fair labour, certified by the Social Accountability Standard International SA8000. The brand uses recycled polyester as well as low-impact non-toxic dyes and is fully Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified. This classic legging is recycled and recyclable, which means you can give it back as part of the ReGirlfriend initiative so it can be reused and upcycled. How cool is that?!

Find Girlfriend’s range in inclusive sizes 2XS-6XL.

See the rating.

Shop Girlfriend Collective @ LVRSustainable.

Shop Girlfriend Collective.

Patagonia

Rated: Good
patagonia black hoodie

Men’s Fitz Roy Horizons Uprisal Hoodie – Ships internationally

Patagonia is a brand which truly lives and breathes the great outdoors. It makes clothing for trail running, climbing, mountain biking, surfing, skiing, and snowboarding. Patagonia has strong labour rights and uses recycled, rather than virgin, polyester. It has also committed to reducing its energy use and emissions. This fantastic Fair Trade hoodie is 95% recycled and is made using 14.9 plastic bottles and 0.82 pounds of cotton scrap, saving 184 gallons of water compared to a conventional cotton hoodie!

See the rating.

Shop Patagonia @ LVRSustainable.

Shop Patagonia Pre-Owned @ Vestiaire Collective.

Shop Patagonia.

tentree

Rated: Good
woman wearing black leggings by tentree

inMotion 7/8 Seamed Legging – Ships internationally

Canadian brand tentree believes big change starts small. Small as in bringing your reusable bag to the grocery store, making fewer, more thoughtful purchases, and choosing to purchase more sustainably when you do. The brand plants ten trees for every item purchased to help regenerate ecosystems and provide planting jobs in communities around the world, and has already planted over 65 million trees.

All tentree’s products are created with an Earth-First approach, meaning they're made in fair, safe working conditions, and constructed using lower-impact and recycled materials.

tentree’s super comfy fabrics and easy wardrobe staples are typically available from XS-XL.

See the rating.

Shop tentree.

PACT

Rated: Good
woman wearing pact pale pink t-shirt

Relaxed Raw Edge Tee – Ships to North America

PACT is a brand that is passionate about being part of a movement transforming the way apparel is made. All of their clothing is sweatshop and child-labor-free, and its activewear range is almost entirely made from certified organic cotton, with more than 50% also certified as Fair Trade. If you’re looking for great basic tees to sweat in, then this brand is for you!

See the rating.

Shop PACT.

éclipse

Rated: Great

Sun Sleeves – Ships internationally

éclipse creates climate control UPF 50+ clothing essentials and accessories to help keep the whole family sunsafe. It manufactures locally to reduce its carbon footprint, and its entire product range is vegan-friendly.

Products are stocked in sizes S-XL.

See the rating.

Shop éclipse.

Nike (Pre-Owned)

Rated: It's A Start
A young man and woman in Nike gear

Pre-Owned Nike Activewear – Ships internationally

Nike is an American sportswear and activewear manufacturer. The brand has good policies to audit suppliers in its supply chain, but it is not taking adequate steps to ensure payment of a living wage for its workers. By buying Nike second hand you're helping keep clothes out of landfills and helping protect workers by slowing down the fast fashion cycle and the relentless demands on low-paid workers in the supply chain.

See the rating.

Shop Nike Pre-Owned @ Vestiaire Collective.

And there you have it, our favourite more ethical activewear brands from North America. For more activewear inspo, head over to our Ultimate Guide to More Ethical and Sustainable Activewear!

Editor's note

Feature image via Girlfriend Collective, all other images via brands mentioned. Good On You publishes the world’s most comprehensive ratings of fashion brands’ impact on people, the planet, and animals. Use our directory to search thousands of rated brands.

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