From what you wear to how you workout, your fit lifestyle could be harmful to the environment.

Words by Karen Laing

Plastic pots, throw away fashion and short drives to the gym all add to the massive impact humankind is currently having on our beautiful planet.

So what can we do to be more eco-friendly? Bordoni Sport prioritises being kind to the environment and promoting fair trade fashion. So together, we’ve come up with eight environmentally friendly tips to help your fitness lifestyle save the whales and your pocket.

1. Ditch the plastic.

From water bottles to pre-packaged food and coffee cups, plastic is everywhere. This is especially true if you are grabbing drink on the go or snacks between class and work. Whilst it’s difficult to get rid of completely, simple swaps can make a big difference. How about buying a water bottle and a reusable coffee cup? We love Chilly’s bottles available in Europe and the UK, which keep drinks cool (or hot) even when they’re sat in the sunshine. They’re also better for your health (some research has shown plastic leaches into water from bottles which can be harmful for your health) and your pocket. When it comes to snacking how about wrapping sandwiches in greaseproof paper or using a little bamboo lunchbox?

2. Make earth friendly food choices.

How far has that apple travelled to your supermarket? Buying local produce is better for the environment and your health.

Does that pear really need plastic wrap?

Could you support a local greengrocer or cook from scratch rather than get take out or a ready meal? You’ll have less packaging to throwaway and you’ll know what’s going into your food and your body.

Once you start thinking about the food choices you make you’ll soon notice how little switches can make a big difference.

3. Take your workouts outside.

Why fire up a treadmill when you could pop on your running shoes and head for the great outdoors? This doesn’t have to mean cutting out your favourite classes but perhaps mixing up your training a little to ensure you get a bit of fresh air into your lungs and your pores. There’s plenty of evidence to back up the positive effects that exercising in green space has on your stress levels and on your DNA. Plus you’ll save some fossil fuels in the process.

4. Cut out short car journeys

The environmental cost of short car journeys is huge. According to sustainable living specialist Jen Gale a quarter of all car journeys are less than 2 miles in distance: ‘Replacing these with walking or cycling would save 3 million tonnes of CO2, which is equivalent to taking 650,000 cars off the road in a year!’ Try switching journeys to the gym to pedal power or go by foot. If you must drive then how about a car pool?

5. Don’t use the tumble dryer.

Your fitness wear will thank you as much for this as the environment. Your leggings will last (and perform) better washed at a low temperature, with no fabric softener and aired. The specialist fibres in Bordoni Sport activewear are designed and hand picked to wick away sweat and will therefore dry quickly too.

6. Ditch throwaway fashion. Buy quality fitness wear.

Cheap, high street fitness fashion may look appealing in the shop but we don’t think it’s worth the cost to the environment or to your wardrobe. Recent claims put the fashion industry as one of the top five most polluting industries in the world, alongside the oil industry. And that’s before you consider the manufacturing process. Bordoni Sport is not fast fashion. Bordoni produces small runs of products which fit well and are designed to last. They are all road tested on actual women rather than machines. Bordoni Sport wear is made from hand picked fabrics to ensure they are up to the task of wicking away sweat and not holding on to smells - whilst also ensuring they look pretty and aren’t see through.

7. Take stock of your body and hair washing products.

If you really want to get serious on ditching plastic waste, check out your bathroom cabinets. If you don’t want to switch to shampoo bars, then how about buying shampoos in larger bottles? You could switch hand soap or shower gel dispensers to bars too, to save on plastics. There are so many lovely eco-friendly beauty brands out there. We love this article in Elle magazine on the best eco beauty out there: Elle’s best shampoo bar.

Bordoni Sport’s Fair and Green Manifesto

Bordoni Sport is committed to caring for the environment.

By buying from Bordoni Sport you are supporting a business which prioritises fair-trade and is committed to reducing fashion’s impact on global waste and global warming.

All our receipts and gift vouchers are digital and therefore paper free.

We are currently sourcing and testing new and innovative fabrics that are made from recycled yarns. In the future we hope to use as much recycled fabric as possible whilst reducing current wastage (there is no wasted stock at Bordoni Sport).

We are also sourcing more sustainable packaging options which are kind to the planet whilst being up to the task of transporting our goodies around the world.