Your Guide to Sustainable Swimwear: 9 Shopping Tips

First, Decide What’s Important

Before you start your search, make a list of what is most important to you in a swimsuit. Do you want to prioritize upcycled materials or organic fabrics? Do you have a specific style in mind or a company you want to research first?

Knowing what you value the most can help you know where to begin, saving you time and stress while shopping.

Shop Your Own Closet

Good news for your wallet: The most sustainable swimsuit is the one you already own. If you have a few items hidden away that you haven’t worn in a while or at all, now is the time to pull them out.

The Clean Clothes Campaign claims that 100 billion garments are produced each year, and most are eventually thrown away. If you already own a swimsuit in good condition and don’t have a strong reason to discard it, get some use out of it on your next trip to the beach or pool.

Look for Natural Fibers

While the vast majority of swimsuit brands use some amount of synthetic fibers in their suits, there are a few options for all-natural-fiber swimwear.

Brands such as Rawganique and Akoia Swim make suits made exclusively from hemp and cotton. Vitamin A has options featuring Biosculpt, an innovative plant-based material. And Slo Active and Patagonia use Yulex, a plant-based rubber that is taking the place of neoprene.

Shop Secondhand

We know what you’re thinking: For a bathing suit!?

While thrift stores may not seem like the most ideal place to get swimwear, shopping secondhand remains one of the most sustainable ways to shop. Small local thrift stores and consignment shops are great options, and shopping online apps such as Mercado, Depop, and Poshmark make it even easier to streamline your search. You may just find a suit with the tags still on it.

Watch Out for Greenwashing Brands

Greenwashing is a term used when companies label their products and practices as eco-friendly without taking actual steps toward implementing sustainability measures. It’s sometimes difficult to tell which companies are greenwashing and which maintain truly ethical practices.

Here’s a tip: If clothing labeled “sustainable” (or another “green” term) is only a portion of the brand’s products, chances are the brand is greenwashing. This is a sign that sustainability isn’t a primary focus of the brand, and they are simply trying to ride the eco-conscious trend.

Buy A Microfiber Filter

Many swimsuits contain at least some synthetic fabric that provides added stretch. Fortunately, some brands use recycled water bottles or fishing nets to achieve that stretch and texture. There is also econyl, a popular regenerated fiber treasured for its recyclability and low emission production processes.

Even with these more eco-friendly options, synthetic fabrics are known as a source of microplastics that end up in waterways. Some of this can be mitigated by using a filter on your washing machine, like the one sold by Girlfriend Collectiveor a laundry bag such as the guppyfriend.

Choose Small Businesses

Small businesses have much less impact on the climate because they produce fewer goods. For smaller brands that have an online platform, consider doing a hashtag search on Instagram or on another small-business shopping site like Etsy.

Seek Brand Transparency

Transparency about products and company practices sets sustainable brands apart. While companies have to include the production location and materials used on the garment tag, you may have more questions about the factory that produced the swimsuit, the manufacturer of the fabric, or the types of dyes used.