A-bra-cadabra! We present the most sustainable sports bras to combat the chemicals that are common in sportswear. These not only damage the planet, but studies also indicate they are present at an alarmingly toxic level for human health—we’re looking at your toxic peep show, Shein.
While we normally encourage readers to wear what they already have, the health risks associated with sports bras mean you’ll likely want to replace them sooner rather than later. After all, even the most modern sports bras have now been found to have high levels of BPA.
And sports bras are meant to uplift our girls when paired with an active lifestyle. So in the spirit of healthy alternatives, we’ve curated our fave options that are made by brands that not only care about the materials and fabrics they use but also who makes them and who ends up wearing them.
Soon, we’ll be using our new Brand Rating System when we refresh this article in the coming months to assess brands against a range of sustainability-related criteria, like chemical use, climate impact, and general green practices. We bare all in our full rating approach, which you can see here.
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.
Eco-Friendly Sports Bras For You & Mamma-ry Earth
We love wearing Girlfriend Collective’s sports bras. They bring their A-cup game with an extensive range of options for large and small busts alike, all made out of their buttery soft rPET fabric.
If you have trouble expressing yourself, TomboyX can help with its size-inclusive and gender-neutral, patterned sports bras that are OEKO-TEX-certified. We tested their Compression Top and found it supportive and durable, ideal for wearing as a sports bra.
Index: Most Sustainable Sports Bras
- Girlfriend Collective Jump to brand
- TomboyX Jump to brand
- WAMA Jump to brand
- Definite Articles Jump to brand
- prAna Jump to brand
- Etalon Jump to brand
- Branwyn Jump to brand
Girlfriend Collective
Price Range: $42–$68
Like a best friend, Girlfriend Collective wants only the breast for you and your twin sisters, which is why the popular size and budget-inclusive brand is a favorite for sustainable yoga clothing, plus they provide some of the most supportive ethical sports bras for all shapes and sizes.
Sustainability features include ethical manufacturing in certified WRAP or SA8000 factories, materials derived from recycled plastic, OEKO-TEX certified clothing dyes, responsible water use in production, community giving, low-waste packaging, plus a successful second life program for gently used duds called ReGirlfriend.
The brand sells just about every imaginable style of sports bra you can think of: tank top, spaghetti straps, long sleeve, nursing, single strap, sustainable high impact sports bra, and more—with Instagram-worthy bike shorts and leggings to match.
My Personal Review of Girlfriend Collective’s Dylan Tank Bra:
“Girlfriend Collectives’ Dylan Tank Bra is a hybrid tank top meets sports bra with full coverage and support in total style. I love the modesty of the higher neckline and super wide built-in support band, doubling as a full coverage crop top. It’s not only my main go-to for working out or yoga, but I also love it street-styled for Saturday afternoon errands. Did I mention how to die for the smooth, itch-free seams and buttery soft rPET fabric is?!”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
TomboyX
Price Range: $32–$49
TomboyX is a gender-neutral brand that offers activewear and swimwear for all—all bodies, all genders.
For over a decade, the Certified B Corp has helped redefine the status quo for personal comfort and support with a plethora of prints across their collections of racerback bras, bralettes, compression bras, non-toxic sports bras, and more—with matching gender neutral underwear to boot.
TomboyX’s mostly natural fiber sports bras are 95% OEKO-TEX-certified BCI cotton and 5% spandex for some extra give. They’re free of BPA, PFOS, and PFOA—toxic chemicals linked to infertility. Their compression tops—which are like super snug sports bras—are not as eco-friendly, with the body featuring 57% OEKO-TEX recycled nylon, 43% spandex, and a lining made of 84% nylon and 16% spandex.
My Personal Review of TomboyX’s Compression Top:
“Whether you want to use this top for binding or you want it as a sustainable high-impact sports bra, it’s a comfortable and effective non-toxic sports bra. It is available in a kaleidoscope of colors and styles, provides plenty of support, and also washes well, neither stretching out nor shrinking down. I do find it runs a little small, so while it is still wearable for me, I would have sized up one size knowing what I know now, simply because I don’t like chest bands that feel too tight.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
WAMA
Price Range: $48
Wham, bam, thank you Cali eco-cool brand WAMA, who protect your mams and Mother Earth with hemp underwear and almost completely plastic-free sports bras. Hemp is one of Earth’s most sustainable fabrics because it grows fast without pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides, helps improve soil quality, and the fiber is naturally antibacterial, very durable, breathable, and comfortable (AKA a dream for your up there and down there).
WAMA dyes everything in OEKO-TEX 100-certified factories, plus they’re PETA-approved, Green America-certified, and National Hemp Association members.
For their hemp production, they use exclusively organic and family-run Chinese farms and only BSCI-certified or WRAP-certified manufacturing facilities where workers receive fair wages, safe work environments, and on-site WAMA supervision to ensure their Code of Conduct standards are consistent.
For your mammary mamas, they offer organic sports bras with their Racerback Bralette, which is 53% hemp, 44% organic cotton, and 3% spandex for some stretch to hug both your body and the planet’s. Available in black and three colors, it’s comfortable, high quality, easy to put on, breathable, and soft in its support. Yes ma’am to WAMA for the mams!
Definite Articles
Price Range: $48
Definite Articles is definite on one thing: an eco-friendly sports bra that comes free of weird chemicals like PFAS or BPA. Their sports bra without BPA is made from OEKO-TEX certified sustainable technology called CiCLO that enables nylon and polyester to behave like natural fibers and biodegrade in 2-3 years instead of centuries. They have plenty of certifications and scientific testing to back up these claims.
As a Certified B Corp, the brand also gives back 2% of all annual profits to ecological organizations, plants trees for each order, plus they use animal-free materials that are locally and ethically sourced, recycled zippers, and biodegradable packaging to generate the lowest possible environmental footprint (errr… chestprint?).
My Personal Review of Definite Articles’ Riverline Racerback Bra:
“Definite Articles offers one definitely supportive choice: an iconic-looking BPA-free sports bra, the Riverline Racerback Bra, which I love for its quality and fit. Available in a range of brilliant colors, this bra sculpts and supports while remaining stretchy and breathable. This bra provides excellent compression and support and I love the soft, slippery feel of the eco-friendly fabric.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
prAna
Price Range: $58–$69
prAna has been making active and outdoor clothing since their humble beginnings in a garage in Carlsbad, California in 1992. They still operate from California, though they’ve since well outgrown the garage as one of the most popular sustainable yoga clothing brands around.
They have a huge range, from things that go right against the skin to outerwear to layer over it all. In its stylish sports bra and bra top range, prAna integrates a variety of responsible materials such as recycled polyester, organic cotton, and hemp. These materials are selected not only for their reduced environmental impact but also for their comfort, durability, and performance, and many of them are bluesign® approved per prAna’s bluesign® Systems Partner status.
prAna is also committed to transparency in its supply chain, working with Fair Trade Certified factories to ensure fair wages and safe working conditions for the people making its products. They’re also a member of Textile Exchange, a founding member of the OIA Climate Action Corps (aiming to improve sustainability in the outdoor industry), and founder of theResponsible Packing Movement. As such, their packaging is now entirely plastic-free.
My Personal Review of prAna’s Chakra Bra Top:
“The Chakra Bra Top has been my go-to top for YEARS now. I love how absolutely flattering and sculpting it is (even for small-chested ladies like me!). Yet it doesn’t sacrifice support and athletic ability for the sake of its style.
“Plus, being a sustainable bra top gives it so much versatility. I can wear it to the gym and go run errands afterward without needing to change outfits. It looks and feels so nice, I often just wear it as a top paired with jeans for non-athletic purposes, too.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Etalon
Price Range: $190
The world’s first ever Orthopedist-approved posture-supporting bra comes from Etalon—who collects enough trash to make five bras for every bra sold—and is made from recycled rPET. Etalon comes from the French word meaning to measure or gauge, and the brand does just that through careful, sustainable approaches to supporting women’s cores, along with the Earth’s core.
Women are at the forefront, with a woman-owned SA8000-certified and BSCI-certified factory in Vietnam for manufacturing, and the brand itself is owned and run by women.
Poly mailers are also 100% recycled plastic to ship you one of two ethically-made sports bra options: the Etalon 2.0 and the Etalon 2.0 Full Bust, which come Orthopedist-approved for posture-enhancement and backed by over 37 clinical papers on the health benefits of a corrected posture.
My Personal Review Of Etalon’s Posture Bra 2.0:
“I’ve recently tested this bra a number of times while working at my home desk, and it definitely helps maintain a better posture. There’s an undeniable relief felt in my upper back, neck, and shoulder areas as advertised, and it provides good comfort for my front and excellent alignment for my back.
“However, I also tested it working out since the fabric otherwise is a stretchy synthetic material and found it works just as well for fitness needs, providing plenty of support and keeping the spine properly aligned—which is important during physical exercise, too. The front zipper closure makes it easy to strap on, and it doesn’t rub at all, even when running, because of where it falls in between the breasts.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content
Branwyn
Price Range: $48–$75
Branwyn is a total bra-win, born of designer Shawna’s desire for performance innerwear made of natural fibers for exercise, so she decided to develop some herself. After a number of years of research and development, the brand’s results are RWS-certified ZQ Merino ethical wool-based activewear and plastic-free sports bras.
While they use some amount of elastane for extra comfort and stretch, the brand intends to have a 100% compostable product line by 2025. Responsibly raised ZQ sheep from New Zealand are used for the Merino wool, with the yarn spun by Suedwolle, and all items OEKO-TEX sustainably dyed and then seamlessly knitted and finished in Istanbul at a REACH-compliant factory.
Currently, their natural bras come in three styles, all available in six earthy hues: the Essential Bralette, Essential Busty Bra, and Essential Racerback Bra. They each feature the brand’s seminal and sumptuous Merino-blend fabric that is moisture-wicking, naturally ventilated, and temperature-regulating.
My Personal Review of Branwyn’s Seamless Sport’s Bra & Essential Bralette:
“Like the name suggests, this product is more of a bralette than a bra but still fairly supportive. Perfect for those ladies with small girls like myself that find regular sports bras excessive or prefer no bra at all. Thanks to its ultra stretchy and fitting knit design, it’s breathable, comfortable, not itchy, and doesn’t ride up like we’ve seen occur with a number of other bralettes. It also doesn’t lose shape or stretch after washing, which can be done by hand or machine.
“While this sports bra is perfect for some light yoga or hiking, their Essential Racerback Bra—which I have yet to try—is probably more effective for high-impact sports.”
Review by Amber McDaniel, SJ’s Head of Content