With summer approaching quickly, you’re probably already thinking about getting swimwear for the warmer weather. While the most sustainable option for buying anything is to get it second-hand, swimsuits are not usually something you want to buy used.
Whether you’re going to the pool or the beach, swimming or surfing, these sustainable brands have everything you need for a fun and eco-friendly summer.
What Makes Them Sustainable: Patagonia has complete transparency with all of their clothes, telling you exactly where and how each product is made.
The majority of their items are made with recycled materials, and they also make it easy to see which products are Fair Trade Certified. Patagonia also goes beyond their products and contributes to many environmental projects such as 1% for the planet.
Products: Patagonia has one of the most broad selections on this list with swimsuits for men and women, as well as specialty suits for sports like swimming and surfing.
Price: Women’s swimsuits are around $150 and men’s shorts range from $55-$179. They also have a used gear section that has gently used items at a discounted price.
What Makes Them Sustainable: Andie’s swimsuits have an eco fabric option, which is a sustainable alternative to their other materials. Its made from recycled polyester milled from post-consumer plastic bottles and is 87% recycled polyester and 13% spandex.
Their manufacturers also use fair and ethical labor practices and they ensure this by conducting several annual inspections.
Products: Andie has women’s one pieces, bikinis, and maternity swim apparel. They also offer kids swimsuits for boys and girls.
Price: One pieces are $95, tops are $50, and bottoms are $45. Kids products range in price but are around $45 per suit
What Makes Them Sustainable: Summersalt’s swimsuits are made from 78% recycled polyamide. The materials for the fabrics are sourced from post-consumer materials and nylon waste, such as old fishing nets that litter the ocean.
Their packaging is also made from recycled materials and their factories have several environmental and social responsibility certifications such as the Global Organic Textiles Standard (GOTS) and the Global Recycled Standard (GRS).
Products: Summersalt has women’s one pieces, bikinis, maternity swimsuits, and cover-ups. They also have boys and girls swimsuits.
Price: Bottoms start at $45, tops are $50-$65, and one pieces are $95. Kids swim products are about $50 per suit
What Makes Them Sustainable: Athleta is a certified B Corporation which means they’re dedicated to transparency and responsible social and environmental practices.
Right now 71% of their materials are made with sustainable fibers and 74% of waste from packaging has been diverted from landfills. Their swimsuits are also made from recycled nylon.
Products: Athleta has several styles of women’s bikinis and one pieces, as well as cover-ups and girls swimsuits.
Price: Women’s swimwear is $44-$129 and girls swimwear is $28-$56.
What Makes Them Sustainable: Madewell’s swimsuits are made from 80% pre-consumer recycled nylon waste, sourced from materials like fishing nets, fabric scraps, or carpet.
They also ensure that fair and ethical labor practices are used in their manufacturing process, have made commitments to animal welfare, and highlight black-owned businesses on their website.
Products: Madewell has women’s one pieces, bikinis, and cover-ups.
Price: One pieces range from $69-$275, bottoms are $35-$135, and tops are $45-$158.
What Makes Them Sustainable: Reformation swimsuits are made with regenerated nylon sourced from nylon waste rescued from oceans and landfills like fishing nets, carpet fluff, and fabric scraps. They’re also a 100% carbon neutral company, and even plan to be climate positive by 2025.
Each of their products has a sustainability impact section that tells you about it’s water and carbon dioxide savings as well as where the item was manufactured, and their packaging is recycled and biodegradable which means it can break down in landfills.
Products: Reformation has women’s one pieces and bikinis.
Price: One pieces are $98, tops are $68-$78, and bottoms are $58-$78.
What Makes Them Sustainable: Girlfriend Collective uses recycled fishing nets to manufacture their swimsuits, packaging is 100% recycled and recyclable, and they also visit their factories to make sure that ethical practices are being used.
Apart from their sustainability efforts, the Girlfriend Collective models are diverse and unedited. The models’ diversity seems intentional rather than companies that use tokenism to give the illusion of equality.
Products: Girlfriend just introduced their swimsuits so I expect they’ll have a wider range of products in the future, but they currently have bikinis and one pieces.
Price: Tops are $48, bottoms are $38, and one pieces are $78.
What Makes Them Sustainable: The nylon and polyester lining in Boden’s swimsuits are made from recycled materials and their packaging is made entirely from recycled materials and can be recycled as well.
They also partner with several organizations that focus on issues like educating women and restoring deforested land in Brazil.
Products: Boden has swimwear for women, men, children, and infants.
Price: Women’s swimsuits are around $100, men’s swim trunks are $60 and children’s swim apparel ranges from $18-$50.
What Makes Them Sustainable: Prana’s swimsuits are made from a regenerated nylon blend and are manufactured in a Fair Trade certified factory. Most of their packaging is made from recycled materials, and starting this fall, 100% of packaging will be plastic-free.
They also work with organizations that help fight plastic pollution globally, protect forests and animals, and bring outdoor activities to kids in under-resourced communities.
Products: Prana has women’s one pieces and bikinis as well as men’s swim trunks.
Price: Women’s swimsuits range from $100-$150 and men’s swim trunks are $60.
I hope this list gave you some ideas of where you can find sustainable swimwear options for the whole family, and if you try out any of these brands let me know which is your favorite in the comments. Thank you for reading, have a lovely day!
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