What’s better than hitting the trail for a run? Doing it in sustainable men’s activewear that positively impacts the environment and workers across the globe.

Finding sustainable men’s clothing is one thing, but finding recycled and natural fiber workout clothes in an industry weighted with unsustainable synthetics is no jog in the park.

We’ve saved you some time by finding the best options for long-lasting shorts, tees, and joggers, (and everything else you need to get sweaty—without heating up the planet, too), so you can focus on hitting that PR.

In addition to sustainable materials, we considered ethical production practices, carbon commitments, and various green practices like circularity initiatives and sustainable packaging.

Our new Brand Rating System extends our considerations to 22 ethical and sustainable criteria, from animal welfare to waste and pollution. We’ll be updating all of our articles with this new system over the coming weeks. In the meantime, have a read of our explainer for the details.

We independently research all featured brands and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. Learn more here.

The Fittest Eco-Friendly Men’s Activewear Brands

It’s impossible to go wrong with the quality from Patagoniaespecially since 100% of profits go toward environmental activism efforts.

Allbirds measures the impact of every piece of women’s and men’s sustainable activewear they produce in order to offset and steadily reduce emissions altogether.

Index: Men’s Sustainable Activewear Brands

  1. Patagonia Jump to brand
  2. Iron Roots Jump to brand
  3. Allbirds Jump to brand
  4. Arms Of Andes Jump to brand
  5. Outerknown Jump to brand
  6. tentree Jump to brand
  7. Brooks Jump to brand

Patagonia

Patagonia has not been rated.

About Patagonia

Price Range: $45–$269

The Patagonia logo is synonymous with the outdoors—and no wonder, since this sustainable outdoor clothing brand has been around (and sustainable) since the 70s.

Their eco-friendly men’s activewear line includes everything you need, from tees and baselayers to water repellant jackets and swim trunks.

Patagonia’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

89% of Patagonia’s fabrics are made with sustainable materials, like organically or regenerative grown cotton and ethical wool.

But for sweatier pursuits, most of their eco-friendly men’s athletic wear contains recycled polyester and nylon, sometimes fully recycled and sometimes containing small blends of virgin synthetics.

Items like the Capilene® Cool Merino Shirt—an ultra versatile, sweat-wicking top—are made with a blend of RWS-certified merino wool and recycled polyester.

Nine of their top ten material suppliers are bluesign®-approved and use zero toxic chemicals.

Supply chain & labor practices:

Partnering with Fair Trade USA for almost a decade, 86% of products are made in Fair Trade-certified facilities.

They’re also a founding and accredited Fair Labor Association (FLA) member and you can find out exactly which factory produced each piece of clothing.

39% (12 out of 31) of Patagonia’s apparel assembly sites pay workers a living wage, a number they’re dedicated to improving.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

94% of their line uses recycled plastic, and they’ve kept over 900 tons of plastic out of the oceans by transforming discarded nets into outdoor gear.

They also helped pilot a regenerative agriculture certification program to bring carbon reduction to the world of fashion farming.

Each product comes with a lifetime repair promise and can be resold via Worn Wear.

Inclusivity:

In ethical activewear, men’s tops run XS–XXL and pants 28″–40″ in short, regular, and long inseams.

Community & charitable giving:

Patagonia founded 1% for the Planet and has pledged 1% of its sales to preserve and restore the environment for over 30 years.

They walk the walk of corporate responsibility and recently transferred all stock to bettering their practices and environmental nonprofits.

Iron Roots

Iron Roots has not been rated.

About Iron Roots

Price Range: €40–€90

The Netherlands brand Iron Roots was started by friends who were fed up with plastic sportswear.

The group decided to take matters into their own hands (literally) and make ethical workout clothes for men from vegan and natural materials.

You can find moisture-wicking shorts, pants, tees, and hoodies at affordable price points.

Iron Roots Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

All sustainable materials are plant-based, and their natural workout clothes are entirely vegan.

This includes hemp and organic cotton from Turkey, and TENCEL™ lyocell and modal made of FSC-certified eucalyptus and beechwood.

Supply chain & labor practices:

Iron Roots works with SMETA and GOTS certified factories across Portugal and Greece.

They regularly visit to ensure ethical production standards. Employees behind this ethical activewear for men are treated fairly, with regular working hours, breaks, vacations, and living wages.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

Using digital methods and plastic-free shipping materials reduces impact.

They give customers a 20% discount if they send back used apparel for recycling.

Inclusivity:

Men’s organic exercise clothing runs S-XXL.

My Personal Review of Iron Roots Clothing:

“I own several pieces from Iron Roots, including their long-sleeve base top, zip-up hoodie, and hemp joggers. Across the board, the fabric quality stands out—it’s soft, surprisingly breathable, and clearly made better than your average nike or addidas gear. Both the hoodie and base top have held up through a fair bit of mountain biking, and the fact that it’s lightweight is helpful because I do get hot after a while and it’s a pain to remove a layer while you’re on a bike.

The hemp joggers did start to fade slightly over time, but if you’re not too worried about the coloway pop then this is definitely one of the most comfortable sweats I’ve worn.”

Review By Marco Maene, SJ Tester

Allbirds

Allbirds has not been rated.

About Allbirds

Price Range: $38–$118

New Zealand’s Allbirds creates much more than comfy loungewear and sneakers.

They also carry sustainable men’s athletic clothing, like performance joggers, zip-ups, tees, and socks for all weather conditions.

But what good is men’s eco-friendly athletic wear without athletic shoes to go with it?

That’s why they also sell footwear suited for hiking, running, and everyday wear.

Allbirds’ Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

Allbirds’ eco-friendly men’s workout clothing features sustainable materials like ZQ Merino wool, TENCEL™ lyocell, and recycled nylon.

You’ll also find ZQ-certified merino wool and TENCEL™ lyocell in the uppers of their sustainable running shoes.

Allbirds developed their own sugarcane SweetFoam™ midsoles, derived from the world’s first carbon-negative green EVA. The laces are made from other recycled plastics and the insoles are from castor bean oil.

Supply chain & labor practices:

Allbirds sources wool from merino sheep—raised without the practice of mulesing—to save around 60% less energy than synthetic shoes.

Their tree fiber, lyocell, is primarily sourced from naturally-grown wood in South Africa, using 95% less water than organic cotton.

This Certified B Corp’s suppliers and factories (in Vietnam) are routinely audited to adhere to ethical standards.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

Products are shipped in a 90% post-consumer recycled cardboard box with its carbon footprint printed in eco ink.

They’re currently Carbon Neutral but aim to become climate positive, vowing to use 100% renewable energy in all their facilities by December 2025.

Community & charitable giving:

Lightly used or returned shoes that are not resold via their circularity program ReRun, are donated via a partnership with Soles4Souls.

Arms Of Andes

Arms Of Andes has not been rated.

About Arms of Andes

Price Range: $60–$250

The single origin brand, Arms of Andes, operates every production stage—from sourcing materials to manufacturing pieces—from Peru.

Their eco-friendly men’s athletic clothing is made from warm, durable, and comfortable Alpaca wool.

You can find base layers, mid-layers, bottoms, underwear, and everything you need to tackle the outdoors.

Arms of Andes’ Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

Arms of Andes’ claim to fame is 100% alpaca wool fabric, a natural, biodegradable fiber produced without chemicals and minimal processing.

Items like the Alpaca Wool Base Layer can be purchased in a choice of natural or low-impact sustainable dyes.

The cotton stitching and zippers are made of metal and cotton/synthetic blends.

Supply chain & labor practices:

As a single-origin brand with 100% of its supply chain based in Peru, Arms of Andes understands each point of production.

The raw wool is purchased from small free-range Alpaca herders, and sent to nearby Peruvian factories, reducing carbon emissions.

The Arms of Andes team visits the production facilities each week to ensures quality and adherence to ethical standards.

Carbon commitments & green practices

All products are shipped in compostable bags.

Inclusivity:

Shop sustainable men’s workout clothing in S-XXL.

Community & charitable giving:

Arms of Andes genuinely cares about their Alpacas, herders, and employees, providing veterinary care and support.

Outerknown

Outerknown has not been rated.

About Outerknown

Price Range: $78–$298

You’ll be ready to hit the waves or the trail with Outerknown’s sustainable men’s activewear collection.

The surf-inspired brand offers comfortable but durable shorts, trunks, joggers, zip-ups, tees, and sweatshirts made for the outdoors.

If your definition of working out is going for a swim, check out the 100% recycled Apex Trunks made from discarded water bottles.

Outerknown’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

Outerknown improved their preferred fiber usage of recycled nylon and polyester, organic cotton, hemp, alpaca wool, and RDS-certified down to 95% in recent years.

Their sustainable men’s clothing is bluesign®-approved as not containing harmful chemicals.

Supply chain & labor practices:

Outerknown wears its ethics on its sleeve—or its trunks—and publishes its complete list of suppliers.

This includes GOTS-certified organic cotton producer Bergman Rivera, so they know precisely where their organic cotton comes from.

Fair Trade Certified factories in China, Mexico, and Peru provide good working conditions as per Outerknown’s Code of Conduct and Fair Labor Association (FLA) membership.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

Check out their 2020 Sustainable Roadmap for all the ways Outerknown plans to continue reducing their footprint, and their Outerworn section for pre-loved garments.

Inclusivity:

Outerknown’s sustainable activewear for men ranges from S-XXL.

Community & charitable giving:

Be on the lookout for special product collaborations that see 100% of profits go toward organizations like Ocean Conservancy.

tentree

tentree has not been rated.

About tentree

Price Range: $40–$108

Canadian sustainable brand tentree creates some of the best ethical and sustainable mens activewear for hitting the gym, trails, and everything in between.

The InMotion collection includes stretchy shorts, sweats, joggers, and pants, alongside basics like recycled tanks, tees, and zip-ups—including the Active Soft Knit Zip Up that will keep you warm on your morning run using 100% recycled plastic.

Besides activewear, tentree also makes boxers, hoodies, jackets, and accessories.

tentree’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

If you’re looking for TENCEL™ activewear, tentree’s InMotion collection primarily uses sustainable materials like TENCEL™ and REPREVE® recycled polyester.

Some of their ethical men’s workout clothes contain virgin elastane, but tentree is beginning to replace this with Creora® regen recycled spandex—one of the first brands to do so!

Supply chain & labor practices:

tentree is a Certified B Corp and has been awarded Best For The World in Community by B Corp for the second year in a row.

All partner facilities are routinely audited to ensure compliance with their Code of Conduct and international labor standards, with certifications from the likes of fair trade, BSCI, WRAP, and SA8000.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

All tentree products have a GreenStep-assessed Eco Log, which compares the water, CO2, and waste saved in comparison to similar fast fashion pieces.

By measuring emissions, they then completely offset them (and give you the option to purchase offsets for your daily habits, too).

They’re now moving onto the third phase of their climate action plan to actually reduce emissions.

Inclusivity:

For their sustainable activewear, men’s sizes S-XXL, bottoms 32″ to 38″, are available.

Community & charitable giving:

tentree plants TEN TREES for every product purchased, aiming for 1 billion by 2030.

The trees are planted in biodiversity-damaged areas across Madagascar, Indonesia, Senegal, Nepal, Canada, Mexico, Peru, and Haiti. You can register your purchases to track your impact and see where the trees are planted.

Brooks

Brooks has not been rated.

About Brooks

Price Range: $20–$198

Brooks keeps it simple “More feet. Less footprint.”

They create eco-friendly running clothes for men, including shoes, tees, shorts, joggers, socks, and accessories.

Not everything is eco-friendly yet, but most of their extensive range of clothing contains recycled synthetics, like the 95% recycled Run Visible Thermal Hoodie which also includes technical features like reflective panels to keep you safe and visible on your post-work run.

Although they’re still finding their footing, Brooks is working towards using 100% recycled polyester.

Brooks Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Materials:

In their men’s eco-friendly workout clothing, most garments contain upwards of 84% recycled materials. Any wool is certified non-mulesed.

For athletic shoes, Brooks incorporates recycled synthetics but still uses ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), polyester, rubber, and thermoplastic polyurethane (TU). Although these aren’t eco-friendly, Brooks aims to source only those with a minimum of 50% recycled or bio-based content by 2030.

Supply chain & labor practices:

Brooks requires all factories to sign and adhere to their Supplier Code of Conduct and complete the Higg Facility Social Labor Module (Higg FSLM) self-assessment.

Carbon commitments & green practices:

In addition to offering a climate neutral running shoe, Brooks has two climate objectives: reduce their carbon emissions in line with climate science and achieve net zero by 2040.

They track their carbon emissions following the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and have developed reduction targets using the Science-Based Target initiative (SBTi).

Some strategies include converting their operated facilities to 100% renewable energy, having zero waste production by 2025, developing circular products, and switching to bluesign® approved fabrics.

Brooks also adheres to the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Manufacturing Restricted Substance List (MRSL), aiming for 100% compliance by 2025.

Inclusivity:

Men’s tops range from XS-XXL and bottoms 28″–44″.

Outside sizing, they support inclusivity and diversity in athletics by being a founding member of the Running Industry Diversity Coalition (RIDC).

Community & charitable giving:

Between their booster club that supports youth running teams, and numerous sponsorships and product donations, Brooks’ give-back philosophy is one for the b(r)ooks.