What 'recycled fabric' actually means — and what it doesn't
3 June 2026 · by Ander Swim
Most swimwear labelled 'recycled' is recycled in part, made in full from plastic. Here's what's real, what's marketing, and what we actually use.
'Recycled' is the most overused word in swimwear right now. Almost every brand claims it; very few mean the same thing by it. Here's what's behind the label.
rPET vs ECONYL — the two real options
rPET is recycled polyester, usually from plastic bottles. ECONYL is recycled nylon, made from discarded fishing nets and post-industrial nylon waste. Both keep plastic out of landfill. Both still shed microplastics when you wash them — no recycled synthetic fixes that, and any brand claiming otherwise is lying.
What 'X% recycled' actually counts
The percentage on the label refers to the main fabric body — usually the nylon or polyester face. It rarely includes the elastane (the stretchy 15–20% that makes swim swim) because there's no scaled recycled elastane on the market yet. A '78% recycled' swim is still ~20% virgin elastane.
The dye question nobody asks
Dyeing accounts for a huge share of swimwear's water footprint, and most recycled-fabric brands dye conventionally anyway. Recycled fibre + conventional dye is still better than virgin + conventional — but it isn't the whole story. Ask what kind of dye process the fabric goes through, not just where the fibre came from.
What we use, and where the trade-offs are
Our main bodies are ECONYL — recycled nylon from end-of-life fishing nets. We pair it with the lowest-elastane spec that still gives the cheeky and thong cuts the lift they need (everything below ~15% elastane stops holding shape after a season). It's not a perfect fabric. It's the best version of an imperfect one.
What you can do
Wash on a microplastic-catching bag if you can, rinse after every wear, and keep your suits in rotation so each lives longer — read our care guide on how to make your swim last. The most sustainable suit is the one you wear for five summers instead of one.
The honest version
Recycled doesn't mean compostable. It doesn't mean circular. It means the fibre had a previous life. That's a start, not the finish line — and we'd rather say so than wrap it in a green leaf logo.