10 top brands for sustainable golf clothing

The spotlight is turning on the sportswear industry to become more sustainable, and golf apparel needs to change, too. While many eco-friendly sportswear brands exist, where can golfers find sustainable golf clothing?

Our list gives you the top brands to look out for and all the details on how they're committed to a more sustainable sportswear future.

1) Radmor

Sustainability is woven into every garment from Radmor. The brand believes that if golfers are to continue enjoying the sport in beautiful natural landscapes, it's their responsibility to care for the planet.

While the brand invests heavily in responsibly sourced and organic cotton, it acknowledges that synthetic fibres have their place, particularly in sportswear. That's why it opts for certified recycled polyester made from plastic bottles or recycled nylon from fishing nets. Biodegradable cellulose fibres are also a focus in reducing garment waste.

Along with intelligent designs built to last, Radmor takes extra eco-friendly steps, such as eliminating all single-use plastics and investing in biodegradable and compostable swing tags, recyclable packaging and labels and trims made from recycled materials.

2) Galvin Green

Galvin Green clearly invests heavily in its sustainability commitments, as demonstrated by the fact that more than 80% of the brand's products are sustainable.

"Sustainability isn't just a recent endeavour, but a long-standing commitment that's been integral to our premium golf apparel brand for over thirty years."

The brand uses historical data and trends to ensure no over-ordering, leading to less textile waste heading to landfills. Many products have Bluesign and OEKO-TEX certifications, and garments are manufactured using recycled materials and fabric waste.

3) OCEANTEE

OCEANTEE sponsors many tours to raise awareness of sustainability in the golf industry. The brand is committed to reducing the use of plastics and unsustainable materials in the sport.

There are t-shirts made from certified sustainable materials, caps made from upcycled ocean waste and a significant focus on TENCEL, an innovative material made from wood pulp and cotton scraps.

Traceability is also a key focus, with QR codes on all garments for buyers to trace the origin. To further cement OCEANTEE's eco-friendly commitment, it received a Global Good Award in 2021, one of the highest accolades in sustainability.

4) Reflo

Reflo's mission is to become the world's most sustainable sportswear brand. Specialising in sustainable, premium and technical sportswear, Reflo is sustainable golf clothing at its best.

The brand maintains close relationships with suppliers to monitor sustainability throughout the supply chain and ensure they don't create endless products, leading to less waste heading to landfills.

In addition to the sustainable materials, Reflo is clear about its commitment to circularity. The brand works alongside its recycling partner, Circular Textiles Foundation, to recycle garments through its Reloop scheme. Reloop garments use recycled materials that are inspected, shredded, melted, filtrated, pelletised and transformed into new mono-fibre garments, meaning 100% of the product is made from one form of recycled material.

5) Nike

Nike is a sportswear brand loved throughout all sports, and golf is no exception. The brand has made impressive strides in its sustainable strategies in recent years, investing heavily in improving its carbon footprint.

Nike's sustainable initiatives cover many areas, from switching to SF6 gas in its Air Max to nitrogen and the recycled Space Hippie trainers to recycling programmes and eco-friendly materials such as Flyknit and Flyleather.

Take a look at our blog for a deep dive into Nike's sustainability strategies.

6) Linksoul

Linksoul aims to create, sell and participate as socially and environmentally responsibly as possible. Its sustainable gold clothing is made from eco-friendly materials such as recycled polyester, coconuts, and upcycled oyster shells — yes, you read that right.

Recycled oyster shells and plastic bottles are transformed into a yarn that Linksoul calls ‘Pacific sea wool' for sustainable golf polos. Organic cotton and recycled polyester are also commonplace in Linksoul's clothing lineup.

7) Definite Articles

Definite Articles acknowledges and addresses one of the biggest problems in sportswear — the plastic problem. Traditional sportswear and performance garments are made from innovative fabrics that often shed plastic fibres when washed and take thousands of years to biodegrade.

That's why the brand is introducing the world's first biodegradable performance wear. How? It has partnered with experts in the field to create innovative materials that solve the plastic problem.

Definite Articles is a certified B-Corp, its supply chain falls entirely in the Americas, reducing logistics emissions, 2% of annual revenue supports nonprofits and is part of the One Tree Planted scheme.

8) Travis Mathew

Travis Mathew has developed an entire eco collection to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability. The garments in the range feature at least 30% recycled material while still upholding the performance needed for golf wear.

During a set period, 100% of the profits generated from the collection were donated to The SurfRider Foundation to help protect the oceans from plastic and chemical waste.

9) Ocean Meets Green

Arguably one of the most sustainable golf clothing brands, Ocean Meets Green is taking its commitment to sustainability one step further. The small brand is pushing for a more transparent and sustainable clothing industry, starting with golfwear.

The brand invests in eco-friendly materials such as ECONYL, made from ocean waste. Buttons are made from the corozo nut, and all mailer bags, shipping labels and packaging materials are made from 100% compostable and recyclable materials.

All the products are manufactured in Poland, further reducing the brand's sourcing carbon footprint.

10) Adidas

Last on the list is one of the most famous golf clothing brands — Adidas. The environmental impact of the brand has improved dramatically in recent years and it has set some impressive targets to achieve, including:

• Nine out of 10 Adidas articles will be sustainable by 2025.
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions per product by 15% by 2025.
• Be climate-neutral by 2050.

It already uses 100% recycled polyester and 100% of Adidas cotton is backed by the Better Cotton Initiative.

Find out more about Adidas' sustainability initiatives here.

Sustainable sportswear — Is it possible?

As brands become increasingly eco-conscious, the sportswear industry needs to keep up. To find out more about sustainability in sportswear, the brands leading the way and the materials to invest in, head over to our sportswear hub.