5 ethical and sustainable running brands
As protests break out in countries all over the world and governments enact legislation aimed at curbing damage to the climate, businesses are increasingly looking at how they conduct themselves with regard to sustainable practice. This is done not only with a mind to achieving a higher ethical standard, but also to appeal to consumers: consumers who now take a company’s environmental policy into account when deciding where they make their purchases.
These decisions are being made for all kinds of items, including sports and running gear. If you want to make your fitness routine more ethical and sustainable, then here are five running brands to take a look at.
1. Adidas
Recently, Adidas made the significant move of introducing its first 100% recyclable brand of trainers. The Futurecraft.Loop is designed in such a way that it can be created by using the materials found in other trainers. This is in addition to the ongoing partnership with Parley to design shoes using plastic materials dredged from the ocean. 70% of their shoes now incorporate these products, and this, combined with Futurecraft.Loop, is part of the company’s drive to completely remove all waste products from their manufacturing process.
2.Nike
Although the company once synonymous with sweat shops and child labour has not yet done enough to completely turn around their image, they have taken several significant steps towards improving their environmental policy. It begins with the development of a new material, “Nike Grind”, created using materials extracted directly from their production process, as well as unsellable products and worn-out trainers. “Nike Grind” is now used not only by the company themselves, but also by their partners, for everything from running tracks and stadiums to retail spaces.
3. Dr Martens
One of the consistently highest rated brands for ethical practices, Dr Martens has demonstrated a commitment for animal welfare that other companies have yet to emulate. Aside from the fact that they do not use fur, angora, down or exotic animal skin, they have recently introduced a vegan line of shoes, made from 100% non-animal recyclable materials. This is in addition to their workplace practices, which include living wages, freedom of association and vigilance against the use of slavery in the supply line, an issue which is still prevalent despite years of effort from the international community – it's reported that as many as 20.9 million people are now directly affected by modern slavery every day.
4. Veja
As the Duchess of Sussex’s footwear brand of choice, Veja has become the preferred option for fashionistas who approve of their mission statement, which focuses on fair trade and ecology. They try to use only sustainably produced materials, including organic cotton, wild rubber and vegetable-tanned leather. They drive economic sustainability by purchasing their materials at a higher base price to help reduce deforestation and the influx of harmful pesticides. And to ensure they consistently meet all these high standards for sustainability, they have a policy of transparency, frequently performing audits and releasing the information to the public.
5. Reebok
Another relatively new entry onto the platform of environmentally motivated companies, Reebok have started their sustainability campaign with the release of their “Cotton+Corn” trainers, composed of a 100% organically sourced cotton upper and a corn sole. This brand is now the only one on the market with 75% USDA certified bio-based content.
