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Sustainable Performance Apparel: Tips to Reduce Fashion’s Environmental Impact

Updated: Jun 5


Sustainability is hard. If it were easy, we wouldn’t be facing the global fashion crisis we are in today.

Having worked with several global brands, I can tell you that it’s impossible to ignore the environmental impact of products at scale. The larger the brand, the bigger the impact - simply due to the volume of products made. Even brands trying their hardest to do the right thing face major challenges. Without innovation around manufacturing and material developments that are scalable and cost-effective, meeting sustainability goals becomes a constant uphill battle.

Now, when we talk about performance apparel, here's the reality: You will need to use polyester, nylon and elastane. Natural fiber alternatives are great for lower intensity activities like yoga and lifestyle, but when it comes to durability, strength, and performance under high-sweat conditions, synthetics are the better choice.


Before the wool warriors jump in, while wool works wonders for cold-weather, low-intensity sports, it’s not exactly gym-friendly or ideal for high-intensity, high-contact sports. In those cases, fabrics need to dry quickly, resist chafing, and hold up under stress, things wool just doesn’t do as well. Plus it’s expensive, with a lot of brands focusing on the low to the mid-end price range, from a price point alone, it has a high barrier to entry. 

So what’s the True Cost of Fashion’s Environmental Impact?

Over 50% of apparel's carbon footprint comes from material processing. And performance wear? It often uses vibrant dyes and technical finishes that contribute heavily to water pollution. Textile dyeing alone is responsible for about 20% of global industrial wastewater pollution.

The upstream stages - fiber production, fabric manufacturing, dyeing, and finishing - are where the environmental damage is most intense. Many factories, especially in Asia, discharge untreated dye effluents filled with chemicals, polluting rivers and ecosystems.

The Struggle with Traceability is Real. 

Here's the kicker: Tracking a garment’s journey from raw material to retail is notoriously difficult. While large brands have more control over their supply chain, smaller brands often lack the resources or leverage to request the transparency they need. Certifications, while available, need to be requested upfront and can’t always be guaranteed. The costs of audits, certifications, and emerging traceability tech are often too high without economies of scale, which makes it even harder for small brands to keep up with regulations like the EU’s DPP.

So, what can sports brands do to reduce their impact?

  • Know Your Customer: Not just who you think your customer is, but who they really are. Understanding them inside and out helps steer decisions across the board.

  • Smart Range Size: Reduce overproduction by being strategic about your range size. Large financial targets lead to large volumes, and more products mean more waste. Unless designing with circularity in mind is in your brand KPIs, these products will end up in landfills.

  • Design for Durability and Circularity: Start with designs that prioritize longevity and the ability to be reused or recycled. This influences your material choices, construction methods, and overall product life.


  • Material and Trim Choices: Recycled polyester, while still fossil-fuel dependent, has an estimated 70% lower greenhouse gas emissions compared to virgin polyester. Bio-based materials are on the horizon, but cost and scalability are still major hurdles.

  • Color Choices: Performance apparel often comes in bright and fluorescent colors. But those bright colors come with a hefty environmental cost. Rethink your color strategy to minimize that impact.

  • Production Volume: Factories need volume to justify their operations. So, producing smarter - not more - is essential. The fewer products you make, the less waste you create.

  • Leverage Digital Tools: Using 3D design and pattern simulations reduces sample rounds. Fewer samples = fewer shipments, less waste, and faster development. Still, physical samples are needed to check fit and comfort.

  • Know Your Critical Path: Keeping design and development on track lets you plan logistics smarter. Local production minimizes transportation emissions, but when you have to source overseas, opt for sea freight over air freight, and plan your launches accordingly. 

The Bottom Line: 

The fashion world doesn’t need more products. It needs better ones. And it starts with us. Brands who focus on reducing fashion's impact, need to lead by example and push for real change.



What steps is your brand taking to reduce its environmental footprint? Let’s keep the conversation going. Drop your thoughts below!





Sources:

  1. Apparel’s Carbon Footprint & Material Processing:

  2. Textile Dyeing & Water Pollution:

  3. Fiber Production & Environmental Damage:

  4. Traceability & Transparency Challenges:

  5. Recycled Polyester Carbon Reduction:

  6. Circularity in Design:

  7. Sustainability Certifications:

  8. Sustainability & Consumer Behavior:





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