Sports, like every other global activity, are starting to have an impact on the environment. As a result, so-called eco-friendly sports have risen in popularity, with both amateur and professional players concerned about the environment’s consequences.
Such sports tend to reduce the number of resources required for that sport, such as water, gasoline, and electricity consumption. The majority of eco-sustainable sports are outdoor activities that any amateur can participate in without worrying about affecting the environment. Green Running, Fuelless Pedaling, Recycling, and Power-saving sports have all found a place in sports sustainability and became so popular nowadays, and also impacted using eco-friendly sporting goods and made them a necessity in any sport you are involved.
Sports clothes, sports footwear, and sports equipment are all part of the sporting goods business. This dynamic worldwide industry sector has experienced substantial growth over the years, as it strives to meet the increasing need for new and enhanced sports items.
Learn more about sustainability in sports goods in these three categories and why does it matter.
- Sustainability in Sports Apparel
The first one that appears when speaking of sustainability in sports is recycling. Many of the known sports brands have included sports shoes and clothes made of high-quality materials without harming the environment. And it becomes a trend to reuse the waste of old clothes and produce new ones, without any waste to nature.
Modern sportswear is generally performance-oriented, using materials that are highly practical for both performance and leisure applications. Rapid innovations in sportswear materials have opened the way for the customization of specialized performance properties for various sports, such as good thermal properties for cold-weather sports, aerodynamic properties for high-speed sports, breathable waterproofing for outdoor sports, strength, and durability.
Sustainability in sportswear includes using raw materials, and natural (cotton) and synthetic (polyester) are the two used types of materials when producing textiles for sports. There is a lack of understanding of these two types when one is seen as bad as is the case with a synthetic one, and a natural one appears as a good material for any sports clothes to be made. Both can be good materials for wearing, except the production process of natural materials is more sustainable, so using cotton and bamboo might be the better option.
- Sustainability in Footwear
Many famous brands have made their way to sustainability when they started reusing the old, used footwear and produce it as new. Reusing has never been better.
Convincing the consumers to contribute and help sustainability in sports rise, many known companies are accepting used footwear in an exchange for a new pair from their stores and made this a trend lately, and most importantly appear as eco-responsible companies.
They are not only nature savers, but became very attractive for more and more customers, adopting this trend.
- Sustainability in Sports Equipment
What sustainability in the sports equipment means to be made with less polluting and with less waste. Some equipment is strictly made of composites, and others are made of more natural materials.
Who says Basketballs can not be eco-friendly? Rubber represents the majority of a basketball’s composition. Almost all basketballs contain an inner rubber bladder that is inflated and wrapped in layers of fiber before being covered with a sticky surface composed of leather, rubber, or a synthetic composite. Using old tires and shoes to produce basketballs saves energy since reclaiming and reusing rubber requires less energy than generating new rubber.
We shouldn’t forget that Soccer ball is also an eco sports product. Completely recyclable and reusable, these sports balls are made of natural plants, along with other sports involving balls, like Volleyball and Tennis. Both, Outdoors and Indoor Volleyballs are made of soft biodegradable and non-PVC materials, providing a comfortable touch to the players.