Kids Swimwear

🌎 💚 The fashion industry is the third most polluting industry in the world. 

On this page, you will learn what to avoid and how to find the most environmentally responsible swimwear brands on the market.

Conventional Kids Swimwear

Avoid conventional swimwear for kids made with plastic, synthetic materials that are petroleum-derived. They are new nylon, polyester.

Conventional swimwear is a surprising source of microplastics. If you have sensitive skin, synthetic blends can be more irritating than natural fibers, especially when wet and rubbed for long periods.

❌ Synthetic plastic: Nylon-spandex and polyester-spandex blends are the main materials in conventional swimwear. They shed microplastics into oceans and humans  creating microplastics which then get our skin, or inhalation and by getting into our food chain once they enter our waterways during washing. 

❌ PFAS exposure: If a suit is treated for water repellency or stain resistance, it may include PFAS, which do not break down easily and can spread through water and air.

❌ Polyester/nylon blends: common in mainstream swimsuits; they are plastic-based and shed microfibers during wear and washing.

❌ Dyes and finishes: some swimsuits may contain trace metals, formaldehyde, aromatic amines, or other textile chemicals, depending on manufacturing and testing.

❌ Azo dyes: can be used in swimwear, mainly for color and prints, especially in dyed textile components that sit against skin.

❌ Heavy metals may enter through colored dyes, metal-based pigments, or contamination during production of synthetic fabrics like nylon or polyester.

Greenwashing Kids Swimwear

Avoid Greenwashing kid’s swimwear made by brands that pretends to be green, sustainable, and responsible when they are not. They may still use polluting materials and controversial processes or manufacturing.

They use misleading marketing claims to motivate you to sell their products. They may still use polluting practices, polluting materials, controversial processes, or unkown manufactory protocols.

❌ Unproven claims: “eco-friendly,” “conscious,” or “sustainable” without specifics on materials, supply chain, or impact or certifications 

Sustainable Swimwear 

The Best  swimwear are made with plastic-free, natural fabric, biodegradable materials with increased the durability of the textiles, to cut the microplastic pollution.

🍃Responsible brands choose sustainable and better materials. They use recycled materials versus making new ones. They use available resources while cleaning the oceans. They used sustainable materials and practices such as:

 

✅ GOTS Certified Organic Cotton: Certified Organic cotton is processed using Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) approved inks and dyes, which are free from chlorine bleach, toxic heavy metals, formaldehyde, and aromatic solvents. This process is free from harmful substances and ensures sustainable use and treatment of water. GOTS approves fabric washes such as organic cotton garments from lightweight jerseys to denim.

 

GOTS seal Certified Organic logo

 

✅ OEKO-TEX®Certified: certified to meet the global Oeko-Tex standard for safe textiles. OEKO‑TEX®‑certified swimwear means the fabric has been independently tested and verified to be free from a long list of harmful substances (such as heavy metals, formaldehyde, carcinogenic dyes, and allergenic colorants), making it safer for skin contact and environmental health.

 

OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 logo

 

✅  Seaweed Cotton ~ SeaCell™ fabrics: This cutting-edge fabric is produced exclusively from sustainable raw materials – wood and seaweed – using methods that save both energy and resources and are carbon neutral and completely biodegradable. Production takes place in a closed loop with no chemicals released as waste. Harvesting of the seaweed is a gentle, selective, and, most importantly, sustainable process. It removes only the part of the seaweed that is able to regenerate. The seaweed is entirely untreated and all its ecological value is retained.

 

✅ ECONYL® regenerated nylon: ECONYL®, manufactured in Italy is made out of 100% regenerated nylon -which means that no virgin materials are used in its production. It rescues waste from oceans and landfills like ghost fishing nets, carpet fluff, and fabric scraps. It reduces the global warming impact by up to 80% when compared to nylon made from oil. 

 

Econyl Organic Swimwear

✅ Recycled Polyester: made with post-consumer material such as plastic bottles and fishing nets .

​Sustainable Swimwear Care

  • Rinse in cold water to shed fewer microfibers and wash with an organic laundry detergent.
  • Place in the GUPPYFRIEND microfilter wash bag to protect your suit and keep any microfibers from entering the waterways. Or use a washer filter. 
  • Skip the dryer (and the greenhouse gas emissions). Avoid direct sunlight and lay flat in a cool, dry place.

The Best Organic Kids Swimwear Brands

 

Shop with my links to support my research 💖🐠 🐙 🐢

baby swim men swim swimwear baby sun cream wear baby
Bermies organic swimwear for kids and adults

15% off code: PRETTYRGANICGIRL

Quince logo
Pure Earth Collection logo