The final category-specific Chapter for 2026 lands with a focus on sport – an industry striving to push the boundaries of possibility with more and more energy focused towards making it future-fit.
Sports apparel faces many of fashion’s toughest sustainability problems, but without the same sector-specific legislation. However, new circularity charters, material innovations, and brand initiatives are emerging, showing the sector’s drive to move from ambition to action.
When it comes to sustainability and sporting apparel, the fashion industry is something of a bunk mate and has become more so in recent years, sharing much of the same challenges (which we covered in detail in the Fashion Chapter earlier this year).
Sportswear is not at all reserved fro those partaking in sporting activities, but has long since been fashion staples, bolstered by the advent of ‘athleisure.’ But while it overlaps, in many ways, with fashion, it also has its own unique identity and sustainability challenges.
