Reduce your carbon footprint in the sand with Eco Swim! #fitness friday @ECO_SWIM

Eco Swim ranked in the top 1% for sustainability by a leading global retailer and employs a full-time Director of Sustainability.  They also give back to the community by regularly conducting beach and waterway cleanups in areas of need. Their vision is to be the most sustainable swimwear manufacturer on the planet.  So, what is Eco Swim doing to reduce their impact on the environment?  The list is long!

• They are made in the USA, which reduces the use of fossil fuels up to 96.9%
• They save trees with their hang tags. Each one is made of recycled materials and is FSC certified.
• They are exploring eco friendly methods for garment labels including the use of recycled
  materials, as well as tagless labels.
•  All their linings are made of recycled fabric derived from post consumer waste, such as recycled water bottles and plastic bags (but you would certainly never know by the feel of it!)
• Many of the elastics use recycled components (they are working to have all elastics made
  this way)  The raw rubber in the elastic uses Dry Natural Rubber (DNR) which is
  sustainable and less allergenic than alternative rubber.
• The fabrics are made from recycled nylon, polyester and cotton. 
• The facility that dyes the material is the newest swimsuit fabric dye-house in North America and uses state of the art machinery resulting in less energy consumption than old fashioned dying machines. They also follow strict Oeko-Tex ecological standards, which ensures the dyes are safe by limiting the use of harmful substances.
• The plastic packaging is 100% recyclable and their hangers are made from recycled materials.
• All zippers are made from recycled materials, grommets and snaps are recyclable and drawstrings are organic cotton.
• Bra cups made from Eco Cell foam, a biodegradable material made from plant oils and
  recylced materials.

So, now that you are familiar with Eco Swim’s desire to create a greener bathing suit, what about how they LOOK?  Here is a video of one of their photo shoots to show off a few of their styles:

Eco Swim offers a number of different styles, from conservative one piece suits to flashy bikinis.  They also offer several varieties of cargo shorts to wear with your suit if you are as hesitant to flash your almost 40 and showing it body like I am!    I absolutely LOVED the description in their media portfolio of the Eco Swim consumer…this is SO me!

That statement says it all about these suits…quality and style paired with sustainability!

SO, my opinion of the suit I chose?  I chose the EcoMarine with High Neck Racer top (shown above).  What I absolutely LOVE about the suits at Eco Swim is that you can size the tops and bottoms separately.  This is a serious problem for me when I try and find a bathing suit because (unfortunately) I was blessed with a lot less on the top than I was on the bottom! Most suits when I try them on are either way too tight in the rear end or falling off the top of me.  I was nervous about finding a size online that fit me properly but the sizing chart they offered ensured it was spot on perfect when it got here and I tried it on! 

The first thing I noticed about the suit itself was how sturdy the material and seams are.  This is a very well made suit and you will not be seeing skin or anything else through it when you get wet.  The decorative grommets on the top piece are very secure and give the piece a little bit of a hip flair to it.  The bottoms are a boy short cut that is sexy but doesn’t leave my backside hanging out of it!

I also received a pair of black cargo shorts to go with the suit.  I always feel awkward parading around the pool deck in just a suit so I like to have a pair of shorts to put on over it.  If you don’t wear something lightweight and breathable, though, your shorts end up staying rather wet and uncomfortable.  These shorts have a wide waistband with a drawstring on them to make getting them on over a wet suit easier.  They have pockets, are very stylish, and the material is very light. 

Overall, I am very impressed with all the pieces that I was sent.  I am looking forward to swim season now and I think I will be happy to show off my new suit. Now, losing a couple of pounds before summer might be nice but at least the suit will look good!

 

If you want to learn more about Eco Swim you can check out their blog or follow them on Facebook or Twitter!

Disclaimer: As per FTC guidelines, I received the swimsuit mentioned above in exchange for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone.

If you want to learn a few tips to have your body swimsuit ready by summer, stop back next week for my next Fitness Friday post!