Why So Many Leggings? Part 4: Patagonia

As someone who works in environmental education, I try to practice what I preach and live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

My downfall?

Leggings.

During lockdown/furlough, I have been practicing a lot of yoga and enjoying lots of runs on my local trails. I admit I have spent a lot of time on ebay looking at second hand leggings, and doing a fair bit of buying/selling. So I figured it was time to own up to my legging obsession, and share a little of what I've found out. It's tricky when you need leggings for running, leggings for yoga, leggings for hiking, leggings that can dress up/dress down, leggings for lounging... could there really be one pair to rule them all? And what are the eco credentials of the big brands?

These leggings were a second hand bargain and are great for hiking and yoga

Leaders of the Pack? Patagonia

Patagonia - where to begin? The pioneers of creating more environmentally friendly, made-to-last, ethical clothing and equipment. They are a founding member of 1% for the planet, and support many Grassroots charities. Nicknamed by many as "Patagucci", their products come at a price, but there is also a huge second hand market, which is even encouraged by the brand through their "Worn Wear" campaign.

But what about their leggings?

As I buy almost all my leggings second hand, looking for a pair of Patagonia leggings on the likes of ebay and depop is like panning for gold. You might pop on at just the right time and hit the jackpot, as I did with a pair of full length Centred Tights. 

Like many brands, Patagonia have created different leggings for different activities, with this pair designed more specifically for yoga. However, the reviews show them as an all-rounder: yoga, running, even hardy enough for climbing. Made with recycled polyester, Fair Trade sewn, and with links to the mill and factory, Patagonia really are the best in documenting the journey of their clothes. 

Wearing my Centred Crops for an afternoon yoga practice

Perhaps these are the one legging to rule them all? Colourful designs for running and yoga,  and their plain black ones can be dressed up. Comfortable, hardy, ethical, environmentally friendly... what more needs to be said? 

Why So Many Leggings? Part 3: Sweaty Betty

As someone who works in environmental education, I try to practice what I preach and live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

My downfall?

Leggings.

During lockdown/furlough, I have been practicing a lot of yoga and enjoying lots of runs on my local trails. I admit I have spent a lot of time on ebay looking at second hand leggings, and doing a fair bit of buying/selling. So I figured it was time to own up to my legging obsession, and share a little of what I've found out. It's tricky when you need leggings for running, leggings for yoga, leggings for hiking, leggings that can dress up/dress down, leggings for lounging... could there really be one pair to rule them all? And what are the eco credentials of the big brands?

Hiking in my Sweaty Betty Chandrasana leggings in the Outer Hebrides. Photo by Ben McKeown (@thebigbluetree)

The Great British Brand? Sweaty Betty

Sweaty Betty. Are they the UK's version of monster company Lululemon (see Part 1 of this series), or are they more green and ethical?

Like Lululemon, Sweaty Betty leggings are expensive, costing around £80 a pair. Also like Lululemon, there is an excellent second hand market on Ebay and Depop. Sweaty Betty also make leggings for different purposes - for instance, Power for running and the new Super Sculpt for yoga, amongst others. However, SB leggings are good all-rounders.

Clearly I'm behind the times with SB, as I have always been a fan of their Chandrasana Reversible Leggings. On one side plain black, perfect for dressing up or going to work, and a pattern on the other for yoga/hiking/lounging. I have two pairs of these, both bought second hand and worn a lot over the years, and they are still going strong. 

What about their pledge to the environment and their ethical considerations? There is a whole page on their website about Sustainability and the journey they are making. It makes a much more interesting read than the same page on the Lululemon website. SB are using recycled cotton and bamboo in their clothing (see my previous post about bamboo here), and 17 plastic bottles are used to create their new Super Sculpt leggings. There is a section about the changes they are making in-store to be more environmentally friendly (such as not using plastic bottles), and they make their factory standards clear (but do not go as far as Patagonia in sharing exactly what factories they are using). 

In conclusion, Sweaty Betty definitely beat Lululemon with their ethical and green credentials. Speaking from years of using SB, their leggings are certainly made to last, with barely any pilling on my Chandrasana pairs even after years of washing at 30 degrees. I think it's a shame they are no longer selling reversible leggings, which offer the best of both worlds, though this may change. I use them for work, lounging, yoga and I have hiked up mountains in them. Like with my BAM leggings, I choose not to run in them, as they are quite thick and I prefer a more lycra feel of material for running. 

If you've got the cash, it's nice to know you're supporting a British company which is moving in the right direction for our climate and its inhabitants. Not got that cash? Swipe through Ebay and Depop for your perfect pair on a budget.

Why So Many Leggings? Part 2: BAM

As someone who works in environmental education, I try to practice what I preach and live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle.

My downfall?

Leggings.

During lockdown/furlough, I have been practicing a lot of yoga and enjoying lots of runs on my local trails. I admit I have spent a lot of time on ebay looking at second hand leggings, and doing a fair bit of buying/selling. So I figured it was time to own up to my legging obsession, and share a little of what I've found out. It's tricky when you need leggings for running, leggings for yoga, leggings for hiking, leggings that can dress up/dress down, leggings for lounging... could there really be one pair to rule them all? And what are the eco credentials of the big brands?

Is bamboo the answer to environmentally friendly leggings? BAM think so

I absolutely love these leggings from BAM

I have followed BAM for years now, regularly receiving their catalogues and over the years I have made a few purchases from them. Interestingly, I remember their early catalogues boasting about their clothes being an environmentally friendly choice, and then for a while the catalogues stopped mentioning their eco credentials. Recently this has changed again, and BAM now have a whole Sustainability section on their website, and are striving to "become impact positive". They claim to now be "climate positive" through offsetting 100% of their manufacturing emissions. Their Instagram shows photos of their Sustainability Expert visiting the bamboo forests in Chongqing, China, highlighting the plant's fast growing, high yielding and non-pesticide-requiring characteristics.

But is bamboo all it's cracked up to be?  In this Patagonia article "Why We Don't Use Bamboo or PLA", the author states that the process of turning bamboo into clothing (or, more specifically, the fibre rayon) is not so environmentally friendly, as it requires a toxic solvent, carbon disulphide, about half of which goes back out into the natural environment. Instead, Patagonia has opted to use Tencel (fibres from the eucalyptus tree), a fabric used by other eco-clothing companies including Finisterre and Vildnis.

BAM leggings are great for hiking. Photo by Ben McKeown (@thebigbluetree)

Back to leggings. For me, BAM leggings do come close to being the one legging to rule them all. I like their thickness for hiking, they're soft and hugging for yoga, and the plain colours can be dressed up with a nice top for an evening out. The only thing I don't like using them for is running, preferring a lighter material which feels more sweat-wicking for jogs on the trails. I find their sizing hit and miss, sometimes sizing up, sometimes down, sometimes OK with my usual size. From an environmental perspective, I think the jury is still out with bamboo, but BAM are clearly making some positive steps in the age of climate emergency. 

Why So Many Leggings? Part 1: Lululemon

As someone who works in environmental education, I try to practice what I preach and live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. 

My downfall?

Leggings.

During lockdown/furlough, I have been practicing a lot of yoga and enjoying lots of runs on my local trails. I admit I have spent a lot of time on ebay looking at second hand leggings, and doing a fair bit of buying/selling. So I figured it was time to own up to my legging obsession, and share a little of what I've found out. It's tricky when you need leggings for running, leggings for yoga, leggings for hiking, leggings that can dress up/dress down, leggings for lounging... could there really be one pair to rule them all? And what are the eco and ethical credentials of the big brands?

The Guilty Buy.... Lululemon

Wunder Anders are a great all-rounder

I have read and learned a lot about Lululemon lately, and beneath the surface of the big Canadian brand is a lot of negative press. For instance, this 2019 article about the treatment of workers in a factory in Bangladesh,  which is well worth a read. Lululemon also did not open up during the #whomademyclothes campaign which swept social media. It has a bad past - the name itself was thought up by the founder, Chip Wilson, because Vancouver receives a lot of Japanese tourists and he wanted something that was hard for them to pronounce. It's perhaps not a surprise that the brand are no longer affiliated with him. 

Lululemon are expensive, some leggings retailing for over £100, but I do find their quality excellent. However, this article describes them as "not good enough" on their environmental impact. This is what Lululemon have to say, but I think they need to do more. Though I dread to think what this will add to the already costly price tag...

If you really love Lululemon, here is my advice: buy second hand. There is a huge market on ebay and depop, and it's easy to get leggings for £30 or so, instead of £78. You'll need to research the different materials and products (quite an education!), but this way you get the best of both worlds: excellent leggings and supporting a more eco friendly second hand industry - and saving some pennies in the process. 

Looking for a pair for running? I love my Train Times. Just want some for yoga? Aligns are so comfy, but you do have to watch out for pilling. Need an all-rounder? Go for Wunder Under. 

Train Times are my favourite running legging, and a great second hand purchase

Are these the one legging to rule them all? I don't think so. I don't use them hiking, as I worry too much about damaging them - it's certainly not what they're made for. However, they are made to last, and in our throwaway, fast fashion society, longevity in products should count for a lot.

Coming up next in this series: Is bamboo the eco friendly leggings option? A review of BAM.

A Letter to Litterers

This is a letter to those who litter.

This is a letter to those who left the recent state on the beaches of Bournmouth.

This is written for those who have abandoned your camp chairs, fire pits and broken tents in the mountains of the Lake District.

This is for those who need to gain some perspective.

A letter for those who have bought plastic water bottles from Pen Y Pass on the flanks of Snowdon, dropped their bottle somewhere along the journey up. That bottle journeyed down the Glaslyn river, depositing micro plastics in the river water, and made its way to the sea, where it will float, steadily break up, and maybe bits will be ingested by a rare sea turtle which makes its long journey to the Irish Sea in the summer, only to find its belly full of bits that cannot be digested, and will wash up dead on a beach on the Llyn Peninsula. 

I am writing to ask you to think about what you're doing. To take responsibility. To show some respect. Respect for the ground under your rubbish, where the nasties from your plastics will leach into the soil. Soil, under appreciated, but essential to life. Respect for the animals who may ingest the plastic. Respect for the people who live in these areas; people who yes, will probably tidy your mess, because they care. This land is like a big back garden for local people. If someone came and dumped a broken tent, flung some aluminium energy drink cans, some Costa coffee cups and Coca Cola bottles in your garden, wouldn't you tidy it up? Especially as whoever flung said stuff into your garden, they've gone, disappeared back into society, nameless and shameless. Show respect for the other visitors to the area, who want to appreciate the beautiful landscapes and contribute positively to the local economy. Who don't want the name "tourist" to be a negative connotation. 

I live in Snowdonia, and I am holding my breath in anxiety of what is to come. Soon our park will welcoming visitors again. Local businesses will open, desperate to be able to earn their livelihood again. Park wardens and volunteers will be busy offering advice, desperate to prevent any spread of Covid in these rural places. Things will have to be run differently. People will have to listen. To heed advice. 

What better time to turn over a new leaf? So here is my advice to you. Bring a refillable water bottle, or two. Use a reusable coffee cup. Bring an old plastic bag to have in your rucksack, which all your rubbish can be put in, and kept until it can be put in a bin, or sorted into recycling bins. Look around you after a picnic - would anyone know you've been there? Think about your purchases - do you really need that disposable barbecue, or can you wait until you're back in your holiday home/campsite and help prevent more burnt patches of soil in honeypots?

It's small changes, small acts of kindness. If Covid should have taught everybody anything, it's the need to be kind. Kind to people - the Warden offering advice, the local who's been asked five times that day where Snowdon is. Without a doubt, the kindness will be reciprocated. Be kind to the environment. Get behind the bigger challenge facing humanity - climate change - rally behind this, share thoughts and advice with friends, teach young people to care and don't be afraid to be taught by them too. Leave no trace. Protect what you love. For if you come to these beautiful places, surely you care about them? If not, you really do not deserve to be here.

Kind regards,

Rachael