The search for sustainable materials

The first step in starting the process of creating swimwear was to find the most sustainable material available to the market. From what we have learned sustainability can be defined as "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs"(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987). 
Due to the fact swimsuits are made out of synthetic materials we began to research nylon suppliers. We found two main suppliers of recycled nylon. The first was Teijn, a Japanese company creating new fibers from recycled PET. The second was Econyl an Italian company that recycled old fishnets, carpets and other textiles and created new nylon fiber by removing the nylon 6 from the used products. As we began to look further into the Econyl website we could see many find out how this fiber is actually produced and turned into fabric. According to the website reputable brands such as Adidas and La Perla were already beginning to source from them. The company's website claimed that nylon 6 can be re-recycled many times without losing any quality. Due to the fact they were creating this fiber in Europe we found it to be the best choice for our company. 
The next question for us was if we could purchase recycled material and then offer to take back swimsuits. Both companies claim on their websites that the technology could actually be implemented in a small company such as ours to create a full circular economy. This for us would mean that our products can be re-recycled into new fibers.

//Iuliia & Alicia