The Little Green Book
Minimising your environmental footprint needn’t mean trading in your Nike Zooms for hemp slippers or counting your own steps. Brands at the sharp end of performance are investing time and energy into crafting sustainable, durable products that are as good for your goals as they are for the planet. This kit will make the right kind of impact
The fitness industry and environmentalism may seem like strange bedfellows. The former concerns itself with progression – quicker times, bigger lifts, newer kit, smarter metrics – while the latter is about conservation. We wear out our trainers and bin them; we switch our smartwatches for newer models. Races leave behind discarded water bottles. But things are changing. Today, cutting-edge brands are working to ensure that high performance and a competitive mindset are no longer at odds with eco-friendliness. “It’s evolved far beyond an afterthought to satisfy a tick box,” says Roxy Rocks-Engelman, a sustainability consultant working with the food and clothing industries. “There are exciting innovations at play that incorporate sustainability right from conception through to final design. What’s more, consumers are increasingly critical of brands that are unable to share information about provenance and company values.” Eco-aware companies are furiously funnelling money and resources into improving their offerings, crafting products that are built for life – not the landfill – while ensuring that packaging is less of a faff to recycle. “The result is a betterquality product,” says Rocks-Engelman. She uses the example of outdoor-wear brand Patagonia, which not only sources Fairtrade materials for its jackets but will fix them for free should something snag – not that it’s likely to, mind. Spending your money on brands whose values align with yours pays back: if they’re unwilling to exploit the people working within their supply chain, they’re unlikely to flog you a sub-par product that will fall to bits two months into your fitness programme. Because if you can keep up with your workouts, the gear you’re using should certainly be able to keep pace. Unsure where to start? We’ve compiled a kit list that’s as good for the planet as it is for your gains.