*I wanted to give a big thanks to Athleta for sponsoring this post and letting me test out their new sustainable collection. As always, all opinions, thoughts, and experiences I share are completely honest and my own.
This year, I’ve been thinking a lot about my impact on the planet and ways that I can reduce it by living more sustainably. There are plenty of lifestyle changes and everyday choices we can make to practice sustainability including the clothes we buy and wear. Today, the common approach to shopping includes little thought for how our buying practices affect the world around us. In a study from Huffington Post, it was found that the average American throws out 81 pounds of clothing per year and 26 billion total pounds of clothing are sent to landfills! This was shocking to me and something I wasn’t even aware of. It made me realize that not only does a significant change in the fashion industry need to happen, but also a change in consumer mindsets to combat these destructive practices.
Thankfully, awareness surrounding the issue of sustainability and mindful consumption has continued to grow over the last decade, with even large brands starting to offer space for ethical products on their shelves. One of those brands that is working to do better is Athleta, who I was thrilled to partner with for National Take A Hike Day on November 17th to promote their new collection of sustainable outdoor wear. To celebrate, I headed outdoors to do some hiking in one of my favorite valleys in Switzerland wearing head to toe eco friendly Athleta items so that I could test them. To see the full details of my outfit, click here.
I’ve always regarded Athleta as a high quality company and leader in the outdoor and fitness wear industry. However, after testing a few items from their sustainable collection and doing some further research about their sustainability initiatives including becoming a certified B-Corporation, they’ve earned an even greater amount of respect in my books.
As I was researching the values and mission of Athleta, a few important topics stood out to me that I also support.
- Empowering women to achieve their limitless potentialÂ
One of the core values of Athleta is to empower women to be the best version of themselves with the #PowerofShe movement. They celebrate women and their bodies by designing for all body types and situations. I’m personally inspired by the #PowerofShe movement because it recognizes the limitless potential of every woman including our strengths, talents, and our voice to inspire others.
- Protecting and preserving the world we live in
Over the last two years Athleta has been hard at work to increase their use of sustainable materials by using organic cotton, switching to recycled fabrics, and implementing more efficient fabric dyeing and finishing techniques. As of today, 40% of Athleta’s fabrics are made with sustainable fibers and by 2020 their goal is to increase this to 80%. As a B-Corp brand, Athleta is using business as a force for good by putting people and the planet right up there with profit!
Athleta’s initiatives are a great reminder to be aware and be conscious of what we buy and how our consumerist behavior can impact the planet. We, as consumers, have as much of a responsibility as big companies to inspire and make positive and progressive changes to do better and protect the world around us. I hope this blog post gives you a glimpse into why sustainability is such an important topic and also inspires you to take a better look at your impact on the environment and the changes, if even small, that you can make to reduce this impact. Now go ahead and get outdoors and explore this beautiful world we live in.
Do you have any favorite tips on living sustainably or being a more mindful consumer? Feel free to share them below in the comments.
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Lovely pictures.