Recycled Ocean Plastics

The oceans of the world are the unhappy home to around 640,000 tons of discarded nylon fishing nets. Not only is nylon non-biodegradable, the process of manufacturing it is also highly polluting. This is one of the reasons we're passionate about continuing our work with ECONYL®. They have invented a way of converting discarded fishing nets and other waste material into a high-performance fabric, helping us to close the loop and turn a plastic problem into fabric solutions. 

ECONYL® regenerates global nylon waste by collecting it from landfills and oceans and then turning it back into a usable fabric. It has the same performance as brand new nylon and can be recycled, recreated and remoulded infinite times. From old carpets to discarded fishing nets, it's a way of dealing with ocean pollution, repurposing it and eliminating the process of creating new and potentially harmful materials.

Econyl fibre is made from 100% recycled materials, composed from 50% pre-consumer waste and 50% post-consumer waste, specifically fishing nets and carpet flooring. The chemical plant's waste mix varies based on price, quality, and availability, but post-consumer waste always makes up at least 50%. On average, post-consumer waste is split evenly between fishnets and carpet.

1. Nylon 6 waste is collected from all over the world and sent to the ECONYL® waste treatment centre in Ajdovščina, Slovenia where the different types of waste are cleaned and sorted to recover as much of the nylon as possible.

2. The waste undergoes a regeneration and purification process, resulting in a recycled nylon of exactly the same quality as virgin nylon.

3. The ECONYL® regenerated nylon is then transformed into new high performance textile yarns, which we then use in our swimwear and jackets.

Per tonne, ECONYL® saves:

- 7 barrels of crude oil

- 5.7 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions

As well as being a solution on waste ECONYL® reduces the global warming impact of using nylon by up to 80% compared with the material from oil.

Not only is ECONYL a beautifully crafted sustainable solution to ocean waste, it makes phenomenal, high-performance swimwear too:

1. Extremely smooth - allowing for a streamlined shape and fit
2. Durable and hardwearing
3. Flexible and allows a full range of movement

Much of the world's plastic waste ends up in our ocean, and right now it’s one of the biggest threats our marine environments face. That’s why we’re working with SEAQUAL®; an innovative company working with local communities to improve their waste management and recycling infrastructure, in an effort to tackle marine plastic pollution.

SEAQUAL® YARN is a high quality 100% post-consumer recycled polyester yarn that contains approximately 10% SEAQUAL marine plastic (from plastic marine litter), the remaining 90% is post-consumer PET from land sources. Together, we’re proud to be turning plastic pollution into fabric solutions.

The production of SEAQUAL® starts with ocean clean-ups, where all types of marine litter are collected: plastic, metal, glass and rubber. The plastic portion of these collections is then cleaned and transformed into new, sustainable products - from swimwear to shoes. SEAQUAL® pass on non-plastic materials to their recycling partners.

Today, all transformation of marine plastic by SEAQUAL INITIATIVE takes place in Europe. This marine plastic has been retrieved by ocean clean-ups in Europe, the Mediterranean and the west coast of Africa.

Many of our innovative swimwear pieces benefit from the performance qualities of SEAQUAL:

1. Quick drying - so perfect for swimwear
2. Offers SPF protection (50+)
3. Lightweight and flexible

- Rinse After Use
- Wash Inside Out
- Machine Wash Cold
- Gentle Cycle
- Do Not Use Fabric Conditioner
- Do Not Bleach
- Do Not Wring
- Do Not Tumble Dry
- Line Dry Avoiding Direct Sunlight
- Do Not Iron
- Do Not Dry Clean