Sustainability is very important when you're trying to make good swimwear but what is good swimwear? That's the question we asked ourselves. What does good actually mean?
Sustainability
SUSTAINABILITY
To be truly good it needs to look nice and be of high quality and sustainable fabrics but most importantly it needs to be morally and ethically right. This is about the business as a whole - every business process - not just using some recycled fabrics.
We want our swimwear and our business to be environmentally and socially positive.
Following the lead of Patagonia we are members of the 1% for the Planet foundation. All members must donate 1% of annual sales to charities vetted by the organisation.
Crouching Figure of Atlas
OUR VALUES
When you wear one of our swimsuits you can be confident that you have contributed to lower carbon emissions and supported local communities. With your help we are committed to measure, reduce and offset our footprint to create better products for people and the environment. To create a positive social and environmental impact with every garment sold.
RAW MATERIALS
Our product carbon footprint starts with the choice of our raw materials. We source as close to home as possible, use sustainable materials where we can, and choose ethical suppliers we trust.
While things need to be close by they also need to be good quality. The best quality swimwear fabric we could find is produced in Italy from a mill committed to environmental sustainability throughout the production chain. It uses green energy throughout, re-uses rain water and cleans waste water before sending it back to the plant.
All our fabrics are Oeko-Tex certified. This regulates the use of harmful substances in textile production.
Our threads come from a shop at the end of our road that opened in 1906 and is still family run. We are currently investigating switching to recycled threads.
MANUFACTURING
We are one of the only swimwear companies in the world who make their own swimwear. We design and we make.
Manufacturing ourselves means we have greater control of our impact and helps us calculate our carbon emissions more accurately.
The studio runs on 100% renewable electricity and 100% carbon neutral gas lowering our carbon impact by 3.5 tonnes of CO2 a year.
The sewing machines all run on energy-saving motors which are 75% more efficient than most old style clutch motors.
We switched all our light bulbs to low-energy and make sure we (mostly!) switch our lamps and machines off when not in use.
"Sustainability is much more
than just using
recycled fabrics."
PACKAGING
Our paper is either recycled or made from FSC sustainable sources. Minimal printing and finishing means it's all recyclable or biodegradable.
Apart from the boxes we make the bulk of our packaging in-house. This again means less waste as we make to order and we can also control the processes to make sure they're as green as possible.
We don't use any single-use plastic during manufacturing.
With every purchase we give you a free gift box sturdy enough to be reused for storage and a free bag to protect wet garments post-swim which is made from resilient workwear fabric from a 125 year old UK textile maker.
WASTE
No seasonal collections and making to order means less waste. Just good designs when it feels right at a fair transparent price - with no middle-men, wholesalers or distributors to appease and no excess stock being sent to landfill or burned increasing pollution.
All our fabric scraps are currently sent to First Mile for recycling. But as production grows and we have more time (the dream!) we plan to give them a second life as filling for pet beds - swimsuits for you, bed for your furry friend!
The suits we make are designed to last as long as possible in the swimming pool - both fabric qualities and construction. The longer things last - the less waste.
COMMUNITY
When you support us you're also supporting a community of local makers, shops and suppliers including some of the oldest manufacturers in the UK.
You are helping our small contribution to the regeneration of the UK garment industry by training people in the skills needed to sew and manufacture. In the early 1900s one third of Hackney was employed in the clothing industry.
"When you buy a swimsuit from us
you're also supporting
the oldest box maker in the uk,
the oldest family run sewing shop,
the oldest paper mill."
We are proud members of the East End Trades Guild.
The Guild is an alliance of 300 small businesses and self-employed offering goods and services in around East London, sustaining relationships and making our streets better places to be.
Read more on their website here.
POST-PURCHASE
Much of the environmental impact of a garment comes from post-purchase consumer use. We recommend washing your swimsuit in cool water in the shower post-swim.
Our swimsuits are built to last but if any faults do occur you can return your item to us for a free repair - it deserves a second chance!
We are currently investigating the viability of using returned swimsuits to recycle or upcycle.