Why we exist

Most sports gear doesn’t tell you what it’s made of.

You’d think finding vegan kit would be easy. Then you start looking.

• That “all-weather” golf glove? It probably has a leather palm.
• Plenty of surf wax contains beeswax.
• Premium tennis strings can be natural gut, made from cow intestine. And the felt on most tennis balls contains wool.
• Classic climbing and skate shoes are often suede.
• Some of the most popular hiking shoes use pig suede uppers.
• Football boots can be kangaroo leather, and official basketballs are often real leather.
• Ski jackets are packed with down, and nearly every ski sock is merino wool.

Navigating these hidden animal products is a nightmare when browsing items, so we’ve done the hard bit for you.

Vegan sports gear all in one place.

Vegan Athlete lists leather-free, wool-free, down-free sports gear, sorted by sport, from running and climbing to golf, surfing and the gym.