Sustainability & Impact

Sustainable Materials 

Each suit is made out of ECONYL® yarn made in Italy, a 100% regenerated nylon fiber made from nylon waste which would otherwise pollute the Earth, such as, fishing nets, carpet flooring, and industrial plastics which, through a radical regeneration and purification process are recycled right back to its original purity. We also use Repreve®, which is polyester made out of recycled materials, including plastic bottles and other post consumer materials. We source these materials from California, North Carolina and New York. Materials are OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 Certified and provide UPF 50. Our fabrics are tested for harmful substances and meet internationally recognized safety standards. Each suit has 82% recycled or regenerated materials and 18% elastane- unfortunately, we have not found a suitable sustainable replacement for elastane but are actively searching for a more sustainable, potentially biodegradable, option. 

Looking towards the future, we are researching bio-based blends and working on incorporating a new fabric called Amni Eco Soul, produced by the Brazilian company, FULGAR®, and is a newer biodegradable yarn that will compost in the right conditions (e.g. a landfill, in anaerobic conditions) within 5 years and would allow us to truly close the loop in more *circular!* fashion. 

 

Lower Impact Processes

Our fabrics are sourced from mills that implement water recycling and low-impact dye processes (DTG print/ the heat press process eliminates the need for water in the dyeing process and use of traditional dyes which may have toxic chemicals) to reduce excessive resources and water wasted in the typical process of dying and printing materials.

Our office headquarters use solar panels and manufacturers are implementing solar panels as well for renewable energy sources. 

We also love to collaborate with female artists to create unique, one-of-a-kind custom prints and designers that helps us design patterns to maximize fabric utilization to create less fabric waste.

 

Ethical Manufacturing

Most suits are handmade by freelancing seamstresses across the U.S. and a small, women owned local manufacturer in LA which we visit quarterly to ensure work conditions are optimal/ safe for everyone, wages are fair and well above minimum wage, workers are paid hourly (not by piece) with child care benefits, health benefits for FTE, and quality of work and working conditions can be monitored regularly.

We also work with with an ethical, low waste manufacturer in Bali that maintains certifications with OEKO-Tex 100, GRS, and GOTS and prioritizes their workers wellbeing with health incentives, receiving 3x minimum wage, time off and safe, comfortable working conditions which is certified by SA8000, an international certification standard for social accountability and labor rights, focusing on fair working conditions, safety, and ethical management systems. We are vehemently against child labor practices, forced labor, discrimination in the work place, and promote a safe and healthy working environment and right to collective bargaining in alignment with ILO standards.

We are in the midst of working on moving all production to the U.S. to reduce our carbon footprint and keep things closer to home, but are taking time to do our due diligence and proper vetting of manufacturers/ their certifications prior to finalizing these changes. 

 

Creative Use of Fabric Waste 

Small batch production is part of what we do to keep material waste to a minimum, using scraps for scrunchies and sometimes to patch up old swim. Returns are donated to charity or to non profit organization that provide free surf lessons, such as, Los Courage Camps in LA or La Rubeya Group in Montauk.

We work with designers to create patterns that strategically fit as much design onto yardage as possible to reduce fabric waste/ off cuts. We prioritize slow fashion, designing swimsuits in classic styles to encourage people to wear it for years, instead of swapping it out every season. We want you to feel good in what you wear and for these pieces to last, be worn and loved for a long time!

We also use our fabric scraps to make cute earrings, scrunchies, stuffing dog beds, donate it to a local craft store for sewing classes, and sometimes use it to patch up old swimwear and give it new life so no scraps go to waste! 

Repair Program

We want you to be able to wear these suits for a long time, so if you break a strap, hardware snaps, or you need any other minor repair, we will give you a $10 store credit to get it fixed near you or you can send it back to us and we will repair it for you at our local seamstresses spot! Though we would prefer you do it close to home, to avoid the back and forth shipping (which would need more carbon offset!) 

Recycle Program

We would love to be able to close the loop and are currently searching for a way to close the loop or extend the life of old swimsuits (which is why we are looking at using a biodegradable fabric called Amni Soul Eco!), but until then, the best thing you can do is keep your swimsuit as long as possible and keep it out of the trash/ landfills.

We also offer Take Back Bags to make recycling clothing easy, incentivizing and rewarding! Another way to recycle your swim is to send it to Supercircle, which diverts your swimsuit from landfills by:

• Sorting & Assessment: The items are shipped to a warehouse where they are sorted by material and other factors to determine the best recycling route.
• Fiber-to-Fiber Recycling: Items that can be, such as 100% nylon or polyester blends, are turned into new yarn and textiles for new apparel, including new swimsuits.
• Downcycling: Items not suitable for fiber-to-fiber recycling (due to material blends or damage) are converted into other products through open-loop recycling, such as furniture batting, insulation, or padding.

Ultimately, as we all know, even though these are made of recycled plastics, plastic is still, well, plastic. It doesn't degrade and it will sit in the landfill for years and years, so we encourage you all to make the most use out of your swimsuit and if you are truly done with it, donate it (in gently loved conditions) to non profit donation centers or organizations like Bras For A Cause! Or take a page from our book, and find creative ways to repurpose it, like making hair ties, patching old swimsuits, or giving it to a friend who might enjoy it. 

 

Sustainable Care Instructions

The best way to wash your swimsuit would be to hand wash in cold water and dry in the shade, which not only saves water and energy, prevents more microplastic shedding in the water, but will extend the life of your swimsuit.

We also recommend getting a Guppyfriend bag, Coraball, or using a laundry bag if you do decide to wash your suit in the laundry to prevent the inevitable microshedding plastics from getting into the water ways. *Coraballs now available in our shop, woohoo!

 

Social and Environmental Impact

We offer carbon offsetting at checkout and donate a portion of profits (at least 3%) every quarter to Surfrider, Trees for the Future, local food banks, and Coral Gardeners, just to name a few of our favs, and are a member of 1% For The Planet. These programs help balance our carbon offsets, and Trees for the Future also helps farmers and their families plant herbs, fruits and vegetables that will help them thrive for a sustainable future for years to come. 

We have recently begun a partnership with Ecodrive in collaboration with 4ocean so that together we can clean up the oceans, with 1 purchase = 1 lb of ocean waste cleaned up via 4ocean. 

In the community, we organize beach clean up's with free surf lessons for inner city youth and surf/ swim pop ups for all with donation options in exchange for swimsuits (e.g. 5 canned goods= 1 swimsuit), organize food drives for local food banks, hosted clothing swaps on the beach, and have recently started work on a community garden in Long Beach where we will be offering free educational workshops for the community on healthy eating, mindfulness, mental health, land and ocean stewardship, composting, recycling, and more. 

If you're interested in learning about our impact report and methodology, you can find out more here.

Packaging

All of your orders come in recyclable or compostable packaging, with a thank you card made of recycled materials or made of a natural fiber seed paper, which you can plant into the ground and nurture into flowers or another plant! We try to avoid excessive bags, tags, and labels to reduce waste and because too many tags can be annoying AND wasteful! So you only have to deal with one hang tag per piece, which is also made of recycled materials.

Other Initiatives

We are working on switching all of our suits to using biodegradable materials for a circular initiative/ life for our products, providing educational workshops on sustainablity living and practices in the community (in person and online), and ensuring all of our business practices are in alignment to become a certified B Corp with the Green Business Bureau, including tracking our environmental impact report (which can be found here) and are working with community organizations on bringing more sustainable practices into homes and bringing at-risk youths to the ocean. Woohoo!