The Way We Move - Why Sustainable Movement Wear Matters
Movement Blog
The Way We Move - Why Sustainable Movement Wear Matters
WVN.
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Self-care is not selfish, but it turns out that when it comes to choosing what to wear for a self-care practice, it can be. Research shows that most of the apparel worn for ‘healthy’ activities are actually quite unhealthy for life on Earth.
Over the pandemic, activewear consumption has skyrocketed, with a global industry grossing around 353 billion USD in 2020. For wellness advocates, this is great news in the sense that there is an abundance of people purchasing clothing for health and wellness activities, but the reality for researchers and scientists is much different as the production of most of the top activewear and yoga brands weighs heavily on our planet.
“There are more micro-plastics in the sea than there are stars in our galaxy.”
What Are Microplastics?
Microplastics are a relatively recent discovery in science. The term was named in 2004, after a marine ecologist in the UK found first identified plastics on the beach less than 5mm, or around the size of a pearl. These tiny pieces of plastic have big impacts on our environment.
Microplastics come from beauty products, water bottles, textiles, toys and much more. Since their discovery, they have been found everywhere - from drinking water to the ocean floor to within humans and animals. There are currently 5.25 Trillion pieces of plastic in our ocean, and between 9-15 million tons of microplastics on our ocean floor. Scientists estimate that textiles contribute 35% of the microplastics in the world’s oceans.
Where do all those microplastics end up? They take hundreds or thousands of years to degrade and in the meantime, often get consumed by animals and humans alike. A new study found that microplastics have even made their way into our children, with babies showing higher levels of microplastics than adults. Research is still underway on the effects of human consumption of microplastics, though a recent review of scholarly articles shows that microplastics exposure ‘causes toxicity.. and potentially metabolic disturbances, neurotoxicity and increased cancer risk in humans’. Researchers are even more worried about nanoplastics, which are up to 1mm across, too small to detect and for California to agree to monitor. Their smaller size means they may have easier access to making their way into our cells.
But there’s hope.
The knowledge is spreading and people are making more informed choices. A recent survey by Cotton Inc. Lifestyle Monitor showed that one-third of consumers know about the devastating effects of microplastics and therefore choose to support retailers that do not rely on synthetic fibers.
What’s In Your Workout Clothes?
Over 60 percent of garments in general are made with synthetic fibers, but when it comes to workout wear, that number is closer to 80 percent (check out some of your legging tags).
One of the biggest problems with synthetic materials is that they release microplastics into the water supply with every. single. wash. And, not only are synthetic materials worse for the planet, research shows materials like polyester create much more bacteria than their natural counterparts.
How WVN Movement Wear Is Different
We believe everything is connected. We know that we can’t feel good about making healthy choices for ourselves that are unhealthy for our planet and its inhabitants.
That’s why:
Our movement collection is made from 90% GOTS Certified Cotton.
We minimize the use of anything synthetic.
All of our dyes are low-impact.
Cotton breathes the way Mother Earth is meant to.
With our WVN Movement Collection, you can relax knowing your healthy habits are good for the planet too.
Shop here and be sure to check out our best-selling Renew Legging with buttery soft sustainable fabric - and pockets.