It has been almost impossible to find sustainable swimsuits made without synthetic fiber (if you are unfamiliar, these fibers are petrochemical-based and do not biodegrade like natural fibers). Micro-plastics are still an issue in ethical swimwear, BUT brands are working to make sure not to use virgin synthetics. Instead, these brands are taking post-consumer waste like plastic bottles and fishing nets and creating new performance fabrics that work just as well as any other bathing suit you find.

ECONYL® and REPREVE are going to the most popular swimwear fabrics you find in this post. Econyl is a 100% recycled and recyclable fiber and is the most common type of recycled nylon we can find. It is made from pre-consumer (fabric scraps) and post-consumer waste (fishing nets, old carpets...). Econyl received certification from Oeko-Tex Standard 100. It guarantees that the material does not contain any harmful products to our health. Repreve is another synthetic fabric, but a recycled polyester rather than nylon. It is the world's number one brand of recycled performance fiber and is made from post-consumer plastic bottles and pre-consumer waste. Besides these two popular choices, you can also find EcoRib (a stretch-ribbed fabric made from nylon fiber scraps) and Bio-Nylon (a biodegradable plant-based fiber).