What Makes Swimwear Sustainable?

Sustainable swimwear is made from eco-friendly materials such as recycled nylon or polyester, organic cotton, or plant-based fibres like bamboo or hemp. It also involves ethical manufacturing practices, such as fair wages and safe working conditions for workers. Additionally, sustainable swimwear brands often prioritize reducing waste and minimising their carbon footprint throughout the production process.

Read on to see how Tide + Seek aims to be as sustainable as possible.

Our Manufacturing

During the early stages of Tide + Seek, we spent three months in Bali visiting different swimwear factories. We wanted to work with a manufacturer that had good working conditions for their employees and we wanted to see it with our own eyes.

We wanted a factory that valued their staff and had a enjoyable work environment - finally we found one which ticked all the boxes! The factory we make our swimwear with was awarded a tax-free licence by the Indonesian Government as a reward for being the only factory to follow all of the Indonesian Manpower regulations on the treatment of staff, waste disposal & water treatment.

 Treatment of Employees:

- All of the factory's employees are paid well over the minimum wage & receive 13 months salary a year; the extra month paid when they take their yearly leave.

- They provide free medical insurance covering doctors’ fees, prescribed medication & hospitalisation to each employee, their spouse & up to three children. Every lunchtime, they provide one freshly cooked healthy meal.

- Overtime is up to the individual’s choice to work or not. They pay double wages for the first 1.5 hours & three times for additional hours worked.

- Their facility is fully air-conditioned on par with any western establishment.

Our Fabrics

All our swimwear and active wear is made using REPREVE; a fabric made from 100% recycled ocean-bound plastic bottles. Unlike virgin fibre, making REPREVE emits less greenhouse gases, conserves water and energy in the process.

 Fun Fact: 1 swimsuit is made from 5 recycled plastic bottles whilst our gorgeous yoga surf leggings use 25 bottles! How amazing is that! REPREVE themselves have just celebrated recycling over 30 billion bottles.

 As for the vibrant lining of our swimwear, this fabric is Carvico Vita. An Italian fabric company making sustainable techno-fabric, made of an ECONYL® regenerated Nylon that turns waste problems into fashion. On top of that all our patterns are digitally printed onto the fabric using less water used and creating less waste.

How Is REPREVE Made?

The step-by-step process from plastic bottle to swimwear fabric.

1. Recycled bottles - The recycled bottles are collected, cleaned and broken down into little flakes.

2. Plastic Chips - The broken down pieces are then grounded, melted and turned into REPREVE CHIPS.

3. Fiber - The chips are then melted extruded into REPREVE recycled fiber.

4. The Fabric - The REPREVE recycled fiber made from the recycled plastic fibers, this is how eco-friendly TIDE + SEEK products are made.

Our Packaging

We only use biodegradable postage bags to ship all of our orders. To keep all of our swimwear separated and clean each item is folded into a "I'm Not Plastic" polybag by Avani Eco. The polybags are environmentally friendly compostable bio-cassava bags. These bio-based alternative bags will become fertiliser for your plants if you pop them in your home compost.

Not to mention if a customer for some reason needs to send back one of our products then instead of using another shipping bag, the extra glue line on the one we sent to you enables the customer to reuse the bags.

 We also send our swimwear out in another eco protective layer, our turquoise cotton bags. These can be used in many ways: perfect to keep your swimwear protected whilst in transit too. 

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