Meet Linea Aqua—our WaterNeutral®-certified swimwear factory. They’re far from a small facility, but their expertise and unwavering commitment to social and environmental causes have marked them as one of the leading sustainable swimwear manufacturers in the world.
To produce this summer’s swim collection, we sought a way to help clean our waters, not pollute them. There was one factory that resonated with us: Linea Aqua. They reuse and recycle 75% of the water they use back into the factory, offset their carbon footprint, and rely on regenerated plastics to create premium swimwear.
How We Found Them
We were led to this factory through Linea Aqua’s sister company, MAS Intimates (who, coincidentally, makes our underwear). With their renowned expertise in garment construction, testing, and fit (hello, 2004 Olympics swimwear manufacturer), we knew we were at the right spot.
The Material
Our swim collection is made from 13,768 pounds of recycled plastic. Each swimsuit is comprised of 82% ECONYL® regenerated nylon. Linea Aqua teams up with a pioneering company called Aquafil who collects plastic items from around the world to sort, clean, and recover as much nylon from them as possible. Then, their team purifies and regenerates that waste to create ECONYL®. This newly regenerated nylon is spun into yarn and sent to our partner mill in Lombardy, Italy, to be knitted together with elastane (for added comfort and stretch). This results in the highest quality swimwear fabric. The best part? ECONYL® yarn is better in terms of climate change. It reduces the global warming impact by up to 90% (compared to virgin nylon).
About The Factory
Since 2001, Linea Aqua has placed a heavy emphasis on sustainability. The result: They’ve been awarded a plethora of environmental recognition, including CarbonConscious, WaterConscious, and WasteConscious certifications from the Sustainable Future Group. To receive these certifications, Linea Aqua adheres to a stringent protocol that measures the factory’s greenhouse gas emissions, waste generation, water consumption and waste, and their environmental impact plan. And it doesn’t stop there. The factory became the first WaterNeutral®-certified apparel manufacturing facility in the world. They systematically monitor, reuse, and recycle their water back into the factory. So, what’s next for them? Their goal is to reduce their water consumption by 75% before 2025.
