Our roadmap to the lowest possible impact on nature.
Vision
We are always looking out for new innovative materials that are ideally based on natural resources or at least don’t use any virgin oil-based resources. We hope to produce products with the lowest possible impact on nature that are still high performance and let you enjoy surfing.
When developing new products, selecting materials or purchasing packaging materials, we always follow our 3R principles. We encourage you to do the same. →
Reduce
Reduce your carbon footprint. Try buying sustainable options. Start the circle.
Reuse
Reuse your clothes. Favor durability over fast fashion. Be the circle.
Recycle
Recycle your products. Choose fibers made from waste. Close the circle.
Materialien
Our surf bikinis and swimsuits as well as our active- & yoga-wear require the highest quality and performance material. In the water, it should feel like a second skin, and back on the beach, it needs to dry quickly. Giving your body the full freedom to stretch and move requires immense elasticity. With this in mind, we chose the best fabrics with the lowest environmental footprint – recycled yarns sourced in Europe.
Fabrics with Recycled Polyamide
Our uni-colored fabrics are made of recycled polyamide, also known as Nylon. We use a regenerated polyamide from industrial waste called Econyl®. The global warming impact of using Econyl® is 80% lower compared to nylon produced from virgin oil. After being mixed with elastane it is woven into a very high-performance fabric that suits perfectly for our surf bikinis and yoga leggings.
Opportunity
By working with Econyl®, we relinquish using virgin nylon, and therewith no new oil resources are needed. Technically, Econyl enables a fiber-to-fiber production that allows the yarn to be recycled over and over again. In this way, our products would not be wasted after being worn out.
Challenge
Technologies to split elastane from polyamide through chemical recycling have not been developed yet. This is why our surf bikinis and active-wear can’t close the loop for a circular economy at the moment. We actively follow the developments in recycling technologies and hope to provide you with a fully sustainable solution.
Fabrics with Recycled Polyester
For our print designs, we use recycled polyester made of former plastic bottles. Recycled polyester is almost the same as virgin polyester in terms of quality, but its production requires about 60 percent less energy compared to virgin polyester. Similarly, the polyester material needs to be woven with elastane to turn into a high-performance swim- and activewear fabric.
Opportunity
By using recycled polyester we can lower the environmental footprint and reuse waste material that could have else contaminated landfills and oceans. Polyester has a similar quality to Econyl®, as it shows potential for an endless circle of recycling.
Challenge
Our fabrics do not allow the usage of 100% recycled polyester fibers yet. As it does not offer the required quality as virgin polyester for our high-performance surf bikinis, it still needs to be mixed with a small amount of virgin fibers. We are continuously exploring ways to increase the amount of recycled material, as well as following the latest science on technologies to separate elastane from polyester that currently do not exist.
Microplastic Pollution
Recycled or not – synthetic fabrics will somehow always have an impact on our environment. When washing synthetic materials, abrasion creates microplastics, which are released into nature via wastewater. In order to prevent this, the washing water would have to be filtered, which is not yet done by any washing machine.
We recommend to use the Guppyfriend washing bag to prevent microfibers from entering into the sanitation and from there into rivers and oceans. It also protects your garments so they last longer through less abrasion.
Animal Protection
Up until 2020, we were using leather tags for the branding of the products of our signatures collections. With the branding update in 2021, we are completely eliminating the use of leather. Additionally, we will have a closer look at our supply chain in order to figure out if there are any components using animal products, e.g. in glue or dye. If possible we will substitute these products or mark them for full transparency.
Routes of Transportation
In 2018 we decided to move our production from Indonesia to Europe in order to bring it closer to where we source our fabrics and therewith get rid of unnecessary circles of transportation. Our products are now made in Portugal by a small family business under fair working conditions. All our materials are sourced in Europe.
Plastic Free Shipping
Packaging
We ship our beloved surf bikinis and our yoga and activewear in cardboard boxes or in envelopes and shipping bags made from a blend of recycled paper and grass. All shipping packaging can be fully recycled.
Cotton Bags
In order to protect the products during shipping we put them in cotton bags. The cotton bags are made from 100% organic cotton in Portugal and fulfill our high ecological standards. Also, the bags are meant to be used for all kinds of things. Next to storing your surf bikini you can also use them for jewelry or even charging cables.
Packing Slips
So far we print our packing slips on 100% recycled paper. Therefore we use printing paper from Steinbeis which is certified by Blauer Engel, the highest and strictest certification in the paper industry. We are working on a solution where we won’t need paper packing slips and return notes anymore. We plan to make it happen this year (2021) already.
Hangtags
All of our tags — the piece of paper attached to each product — are made in Berlin at Druckerei Arnold by printing with ecological ink on 100% recycled paper from Germany.
