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Under Armour is making real moves on sustainability, but its turnaround is still in progress. These U.S.-based alternatives to Under Armour deliver athleticwear and eco credentials to fill the gap right now.
Under Armour built its name on compression. When founder Kevin Plank launched the brand in 1996 from his grandmother’s basement in Washington, D.C., the concept was deceptively simple: a moisture-wicking undershirt that athletes actually wanted to wear. By the mid-2010s, the company had grown into a multi-billion-dollar force in performance wear and a genuine threat to Nike’s dominance — a feat that took less than two decades to pull off.
Then came the slide. Over the past five years, Under Armour’s shares dropped roughly 60 percent while the broader market climbed 80 percent, and the brand has struggled to stay relevant with younger consumers. A Piper Sandler survey found that only 1 percent of upper-income male teens named Under Armour as their preferred athletic footwear brand, compared to Nike’s 71 percent.
“When Under Armour was growing at 20 percent plus numbers, people saw it as a legitimate competitor to Nike,” David Swartz, senior equity analyst with research firm Morningstar, told CNN. “It was like On or Hoka but 10 years ago. It was the upstart athletic brand that was making real inroads against Nike, the dominant name in the industry. People saw it as a company that actually could break through and take market share from Nike among the hardcore athletes,” Swartz said. “That actually did happen for a while, but then that didn’t last.”
The 2023 departure of NBA MVP Joel Embiid — who left for Skechers just months after winning the league’s most valuable player award — underscored a deeper problem: Under Armour had lost the cultural traction that once made it the underdog worth rooting for.
A sustainability pivot in the middle of a turnaround
Plank returned as CEO in 2024, and the company has been restructuring since — trimming its product lineup by 20 to 25 percent and working to rebuild its identity from the performance side out. One of the more forward-thinking moves has been on materials. In early 2024, Under Armour and chemical company Celanese unveiled Neolast, a spandex alternative manufactured without solvents and with recyclable elastoester polymers — a direct answer to the environmental problems posed by traditional elastane, which is petroleum-based and neither recyclable nor biodegradable. The material debuted in the Vanish Pro Training Tee in May 2024, and the brand has committed to replacing 75 percent of its spandex with Neolast by 2030.
Last year brought another notable move: Under Armour and sustainable design company Unless unveiled a regenerative activewear collection at Milan Design Week, featuring plant-based hoodies, T-shirts, and shorts designed to decompose safely at end of life. It is a genuine step for a brand that has historically lagged on environmental commitments.
The challenge is that sustainability initiatives, however promising, take years to embed meaningfully across a supply chain — and Under Armour’s core identity is still being redefined. For shoppers who want performance gear with an established eco track record right now, the U.S. market has no shortage of options. Several of the labels below have been building their sustainability infrastructure since before it was a selling point, and their products hold up well against anything Under Armour currently offers.
Alternatives to Under Armour: Athletic brands with eco credentials
From recycled fishing nets to vegetable-dyed cotton, these alternatives to Under Armour are raising the standard for what workout gear can — and should — be made of.
Patagonia
The Ventura, California-based brand remains the clearest benchmark for sustainability in performance wear: 85 percent recycled materials across key product categories, a fully published supplier list, Fair Trade Certified sewing at scale, and a long-standing practice of channeling a percentage of revenue directly into environmental activism. No other athletic brand has moved the needle as consistently or for as long.
Vuori
Founded in Encinitas, California, Vuori has built a following for performance pieces that transition from gym to daily life without compromise. The brand manufactures from regenerative organic cotton and recycled nylon, and holds carbon-neutral certification — placing it among the growing cohort of fashion companies that had achieved that status by 2025.
Athleta
San Francisco-based Athleta has been a certified B Corp since 2018, meeting rigorous standards across environmental and social performance. Over 70 percent of its fabrics come from recycled or renewable sources, including recycled nylon, Tencel, and organic cotton, and more than 60 percent of its production volume is Fair Trade Certified. Beginning in 2026, the brand plans to integrate Ambercycle’s Cycora regenerated polyester into its product lines.
Prana
Carlsbad, California-based Prana has been in the sustainable apparel business since the early 1990s, when its founders built the brand around the explicit goal of responsible manufacturing. Today, it sources 100 percent sustainable fibers, ships in 100 percent plastic-free packaging, and has the majority of its sewing factories Fair Trade Certified, with a goal of reaching 100 percent by 2028.
Mate the Label
Los Angeles-based Mate the Label makes its case on transparency: everything is cut, sewn, dyed, and shipped from L.A., using GOTS-certified organic cotton and nontoxic dyes, all in plastic-free packaging. The brand holds Climate Neutral certification and is a founding member of the California Cotton and Climate Coalition, a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on growing climate-beneficial cotton across the state.
Groceries Apparel
Vernon, California-based Groceries Apparel makes GOTS-certified organic cotton activewear and dyes each piece in-house using upcycled fruit and vegetable scraps: avocado pits, used coffee grounds, and food waste sourced from local Los Angeles grocers and restaurants. [Eco-Stylist] The entire production process — dyeing, cutting, sewing — happens under one roof, keeping the supply chain both short and traceable.
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