Plastic-Free Sportswear for Low & High Intensity Movements

Has the performance industry actually been honest with you about what “high performance” means?

By swissimpactstore

January 22, 2026

For decades, plastic fibres like polyester and nylon have been sold as the default for athleisure and high-intensity movement.

You’ve been told they are:

• quick-drying
• water-repellent
• stretchy
• anti-odour
• “technical”

Sounds convincing.
But there are two big problems with this story.

Problem #1: performance often comes from chemical finishes

Most of these “features” don’t come from the fibre itself.

They come from coatings, membranes, and treatments added to the fabric:

• PFAS for water resistance
• antimicrobial finishes for “anti-odour”
• chemical treatments for wrinkle-free or friction-free wear

These raise real concerns around:

• skin irritation
• hormone disruption
• long-term exposure
• microplastic shedding

Especially when these clothes sit directly on your skin for hours during sweat, heat, and movement.

Problem #2: natural fibres were never given a fair chance

What the industry rarely tells you is this:

Natural and semi-natural fibres can meet many performance needs when they’re designed properly.

Not all movement is the same.
And not all “performance” requires plastic.

For pieces that sit directly on your skin like underwear, pyjamas, T-shirts, activewear, there is basically no performance excuse left to default to cheap plastic.

Fibres like organic cotton, merino wool, hemp, linen, and TENCEL™ Lyocell can cover both low-intensity and high-intensity movement when they’re engineered well without toxic finishes and without microplastic shedding.

If you’ve seen my Replace Your Basics guide, you already know how long the list of natural activewear alternatives has become.

Members-only: Plastic-free sportswear for low vs high intensity movement

Inside the Private Club, I break this down clearly:

• what to wear for low movement vs high movement
• which fibres make sense for each
• and the ethical brands that actually deliver on performance