I f your summer holiday is beckoning, you may have swimwear on your mind. And if you want to get some new gear with your responsible hat on, you may feel out of your depth. Swimwear needs to work hard, stretching to fit us and our movements, while withstanding tough environments like salt water, sunlight and chlorine. This generally means our bathers will be made from a human-made, petroleum-based fibre like nylon or polyester, but are there more environmentally friendly options out there?
“Better [swimwear] should first and foremost mean longer lasting and higher quality,” says Helen Lofts, a circular economy advocate and founder of the swimwear brand Davy J. “Nylon and polyester fibres are incredibly hard-wearing and robust but the elastane they’re woven with to form a stretch fabric is often not. The quality and density of the fibre weave within the fabric will determine how robust they are.” This means cheap, thinner swimsuits will start to go see-through and degrade much quicker than those with quality lining and a tighter weave.
There are, however, a host of recycled synthetic fabrics being widely used by swimwear brands that can achieve this quality with a lower environmental impact than traditional materials. Look out for brand names such as Repreve, Econyl, NetPlus and Evo. These are made from recycled materials, bio-based castor beans or plastic waste, such as fishing nets,as well as having the Oeko-Tex certification, which means the fabric has been tested for harmful substances and found to be below specific levels. Swimwear is also becoming more circular, with many brands and platforms offering to recycle your old swimwear, such as the clothing reuse and recycling platform Reskinned.
“Swimwear is typically made from nylon, polyester and elastane, often blended together in ways that make recycling difficult,” says its co-founder Ross Barry. “However companies like Epoch Biodesign are developing new approaches to nylon recycling, while others – such as Syre, Re&Up and Worn Again – are working to scale textile-to-textile recycling for polyester.”
The brands featured here were chosen for their use of recycled and alternative materials, as well as initiatives such as repair and take-back schemes. I’ve also tested swimwear from some of these brands myself over the years, while friends and family are fans of others.
In short, by expanding your search to more niche brands (often, but not always, those geared towards cold-water swimming), caring for your swimwear and eventually recycling it, you can enjoy the benefits that the beach brings while helping to reduce its environmental impact.
The bestresponsibleswimwear
‘After a year of regular sea swimming, it still looks almost brand new’: the Wallien Yemaya one-piece swimsuit.
Best for regular use:
Wallien Yemaya one-piece swimsuit
Wallien
Yemaya one-piece sleeveless swimsuit
£119
£119 at Wallien This swimsuit from Wallien is my personal favourite. I live close to the sea and wear it a couple of times a week to swim. The zip design makes it really easy to take off quickly during the colder months. This suit comes with the bonus of being chlorine-proof, and has up to UPF50+ sun protection. Even with frequent use, it still looks brand new after a year, and I don’t anticipate having to replace it for a long time.
Made****from: Econyl and elastane
Wallien
Yemaya one-piece sleeveless swimsuit
£119
Best for great coverage:
Junk LDN Sydney bikini
Junk LDN
Sydney bikini in chili
from £50
Top
£55 at Junk LDN Briefs
£50 at Junk LDN Junk LDN is great for the bright, fun bikinis you might pack for a beach holiday. Designed with fuller figures in mind, this bikini top is A-J cup friendly and features toggles for adjusting cup coverage.
Made****from: (top and bottoms) Reclaim Prime (recycled nylon) and elastane (Certified by: Oeko-Tex, GRS)
Junk LDN
Sydney bikini in chili
from £50
Best for watersports:
Finisterre Senara V-neck swimsuit
Finisterre
Senara V-neck swimsuit
£90
£90 at Finisterre For the more active beachgoer, this swimsuit from Finisterre is designed to give support and freedom of movement. “We use Econyl because it’s soft and silky against the skin,” says Finisterre’s senior product designer Joanna Bury. “It’s made from discarded fishing waste along with other waste. This reduces the amount of energy and water consumption by 60%.”
Made****from: Econyl and elastane
Finisterre
Senara V-neck swimsuit
£90
Best for innovation:
Davy J Statement cut-out swimsuit
Davy J
Statement cut-out swimsuit
£140
£140 at Davy J According to Davy J, its fabric mill uses solely renewable energy, produces its own electricity, recycles 83% of its water and 99% of its production waste. I love the knockout Statement cut-out swimsuit, which is made using a 100% regenerated nylon (Econyl) and elastane and has a deep plunge neckline, designed so it can be worn as a body with jeans too.
Made****from: Econyl and elastane
Davy J
Statement cut-out swimsuit
£140
Best for sustainable shorts:
Passenger Drifter swim shorts
Passenger
Drifter swim lined shorts
£44.95
£44.95 at Passenger The recycled nylon used in Passenger’s swimming shorts is made from discarded nets, which are sourced directly from fishing communities before they can damage the delicate ecosystems they might otherwise end up in. The fabric is blended with elastane. They’re available in five colours, including this natty retro orange.
Made****from: NetPlus and elastane; (pocket lining: polyester)
Passenger
Drifter swim lined shorts
£44.95
Best for chic bikinis:
Kōraru Bellina bikini
Kōraru
Bellina halter bikini top and high-waist bottoms
from £62
Top
£62 at Kōraru Bottoms
£62 at Kōraru There’s a timeless Riviera vibe to Kōraru, which focuses on upcycling end-of-roll fabrics from fashion houses close to its London manufacturer. The brand also donates $5 from every set or one-piece sold to the Coral Reef Alliance, which works with communities around the world to help acclimatise coral reefs to rising ocean temperatures.
Made****from: polyamide and elastane (end-of-roll fabrics)
Kōraru
Bellina halter bikini top and high-waist bottoms
from £62
Made of Water
Classic one-piece swimsuit
£85
£85 at Made of Water This Cornish-founded brand was born out of a love for cold-water swimming, and the connection with the wild that this brings to many. The website also offers a collection of swimwear from other brands, and you can search by fibres, such as Econyl and Repreve.
Made****from: Econyl and elastane
Made of Water
Classic one-piece swimsuit
£85
Best for bright briefs:
Budgy Smuggler Pink Pineapples trunks
Budgy Smuggler
Pink Pineapples trunks
£39.99
£39.99 at Budgy Smuggler For the beach peacocks out there, whimsical Australian brand Budgy Smuggler offers recycled tighties in a huge range of look-at-me prints. All can be customised with anything from logos to family photos.
Made****from: recycled polyester (GRS certified) and elastane
Budgy Smuggler
Pink Pineapples trunks
£39.99
Best for the local swim club:
Batoko Camo swimsuit
Batoko
Camo swimsuit
£60
£60 at Batoko You’d be hard-pushed to join a cold-water swimming group and not come across one of Batoko’s eye-catching swimsuits (a swimmer in my own group has the lobster print). They’re designed for supportive swimming without underwiring or cups, thanks to thick, lined fabric and a high-back design. There’s a decent size range, up to 3XL (equivalent to UK dress size 24-26), and everything is digitally printed, which is less wasteful as it can be used for smaller batches than traditional fabric or screen printing.
Made****from: recycled polyester (GRS certified) and elastane
Batoko
Camo swimsuit
£60
Best for time-of-the-month swims:
Modibodi high-waist bikini brief
Modibodi
High waist bikini brief
£31.99
£31.99 at Modibodi An incredibly handy addition to my swimwear repertoire has been these bikini briefs from period underwear specialists Modibodi. Made from part-recycled materials, they’re designed to give you confidence on the beach and in the water, even on heavy days (Modibodi says their high absorbency means they hold the equivalent of 10 tampons).
Made****from: recycled nylon and elastane (polyester gusset)
Modibodi
High waist bikini brief
£31.99
For more, read our guide to the best period pants
What you need to know
Swimwear care
-
R****inse it. Regardless of where you swim, taking care of your swimwear once you’re out of the water is key to making it last longer, since chlorine and seawater accelerate the degradation of the fabric. “Rinse in fresh water after every use. No exceptions!” says Davy J’s Helen Lofts. “If used in chlorine, put it on a 30C hand-wash cycle with a mild hand-wash detergent.” On holiday, simply hand wash in the sink (I do this with a little shampoo).
-
D****ry out of sunlight. All of the experts I spoke to for this article agreed that as tempting as it may be during the summer months, don’t dry your swimwear in direct sunlight. “Otherwise all those beautiful bright colours and prints that we love will start to fade and get sun-bleached,” says Finisterre’s Joanna Bury.
-
F****ix it. Just need a strap reattached or a seam sewn up? Find a local mender or crafty relative to help, or enlist the skills of a sewer from an app like The Seam.
Old swimwear solutions
-
Pass it on. Swimwear in good condition can be donated or sold to keep it in circulation. “Swimwear is typically designed and manufactured to a very high standard – after all, no one wants a wardrobe malfunction at the beach,” continues Reskinned’s Ross Barry. “In reality, though, most people aren’t Olympic swimmers or champion sandcastle builders, so swimwear often sees relatively light use before being returned to us for the same reasons as other garments: it no longer fits, suits their style, or they simply want a change.”
-
R****ecycle it. Barry explains that wherever possible, Reskinned prioritises reuse. If this isn’t possible, items are directed into the feedstock streams of emerging textile-to-textile recycling solutions, or are mechanically recycled and blended with other materials, allowing them to be repurposed as filling for interior products, such as cushions, stools, and animal beds. Some of the brands featured here – Finisterre, Davy J and Kōraru – also accept back their own worn-out swimwear.
So when the time comes that there’s really no option other than to upgrade your favourite swimsuit, bikini or trunks, there are better solutions than sending your old ones to landfill, and plenty of more responsible brands to buy your new gear from, too.
For more, read how to make your clothes last longer and the best sunglasses with UV protection