Working in the fashion industry, we’re more aware than anyone of the impact our industry makes.
On one hand, we’re incredibly proud of our status as a renowned Australian business, employing some of the most talented designers, artisans, creatives + seamstresses in the world.
On the other, we understand that swimwear hasn’t always had the best track record when it comes to sustainability (which is part of why we’re putting such an emphasis on using recycled fibres).
What’s more, the fashion industry consumes about 93 billion cubic metres of water every year for production alone. + it doesn’t help that most of the water used is left contaminated by toxic chemicals, making fashion industry wastewater near impossible to recycle.
The numbers are grim + the future? Even grimmer.
So we decided to step up.
Call us dreamers. Or optimists. We know change isn’t impossible, + we’re more than ready to be a catalyst.
We’re bond-eye; a brand fuelled by a passion for nature + a strong belief in the strength of the collective. We want our customers to get out there + experience the sand, surf, + sea to the fullest. But that can’t happen if our seas + shores are completely choked by rubbish in the next thirty or forty years.
So we’re taking the road less-travelled (but slowly becoming more accessible); regenerated fibres.
Here’s why bond-eye’s core line is crafted from recycled materials—with a view to expanding this as time goes on.
OUR REASONS
(aka our sustainability story, circa 2018)
In 2018, bond-eye began its sustainability journey.
We knew we wanted to produce eco-friendly swimwear, + we knew that recycling was a good place to start. In order to lessen post or pre-consumer textile waste, our pieces had to be either made from recycled materials or made from materials that could be recycled.
We settled on the former.
The goal has always been to balance your happiness + satisfaction with minimal environmental impact. As you know, bond-eye was inspired by the raw, unfiltered beauty of the Australian landscape. Our commitment to capturing the allure of the ocean + the spirit of summer + salt-mist days in fresh, unique, inclusive swimwear is poured into every painstakingly hand-crafted piece.
We wanted to release swimsuits that people could feel comfortable + confident in, but we wanted to do so responsibly.
Thus, our bond-eye eco swim line was born.
Every piece of the bond-eye eco swim collection is made of Q-NOVA fabric by Fulgar, which is an environmentally-sustainable nylon 6.6 fibre obtained from regenerated raw materials + meets given traceability requirements.
But that’s not the only eco-friendly aspect of this line.
Every piece of the bond-eye eco swim collection is made of Q-NOVA fabric by Fulgar, which is an environmentally-sustainable nylon 6.6 fibre obtained from regenerated raw materials + meets given traceability requirements.
But that’s not the only eco-friendly aspect of this line.
Solar-Powered Swimsuit Production.
bond-eye artisans use solar energy to power our patented hand-dye process in Australia. This collaborative, low-consumption approach has allowed us to experiment with new colouring techniques + create complementary colour combinations to ensure bond-eye swim remains stylish + fashionable.
Small Steps, Big Changes.
We’re hands-on. We like to be involved. So we’ve zeroed in on every link in our production chain to be eco-friendly whenever + wherever possible.
Aside from solar-powered clothes colouring, we’ve optimised our sampling, local manufacturing, packing, shipping, + transporting procedures for minimal environmental impact (as air freight emits approximately 30 times more carbon than sea freight).
For instance, all our orders are cut + packed by hand to reduce automated machine/tech waste. All our sampling is done with deadstock fabric so none of our fabric goes to waste or is destroyed. We even use smaller pieces that aren’t suitable for bulk production for sampling, or to make limited edition gift bags.
+ anything left + is unable to re-sold goes to Upparel to be recycled (more on this soon).
All bond-eye eco swim items are genuinely seasonal – + limited! – to avoid having a stock surplus (+, by extension, more pre-consumer textile waste).
It’s The Little Things.
bond-eye eco swim products aren’t the only sustainable items we put out. We’re equally committed to our sustainable packaging. All bond-eye tags, labels, + trims are made from recycled materials.
Even our mailer bags are fully biodegradable + compostable + all our bond-eye garment bags are made from biodegradable plant-based materials. + all our production samples are cleaned + gifted or reused as much as possible before being donated or recycled via UPPAREL.
+ speaking of which…
It’s The Little Things.
bond-eye eco swim products aren’t the only sustainable items we put out. We’re equally committed to our sustainable packaging. All bond-eye tags, labels, + trims are made from recycled materials.
Even our mailer bags are fully biodegradable + compostable + all our bond-eye garment bags are made from biodegradable plant-based materials. + all our production samples are cleaned + gifted or reused as much as possible before being donated or recycled via UPPAREL.
+ speaking of which…
UPPAREL is Australia + New Zealand’s most trusted, transparent, + rewarded textile recovery + textile waste recycling company. They reimagine the lives of unwanted textiles by reusing + transforming them into useful products.
In 2021, we prevented more than 12, 145 kg of textiles from being sent to landfill. As you can imagine, this has also significantly reduced the potential greenhouse gasses polluting our atmosphere—42,507.5KG to be exact!
Our customers can even join us on this mission by recycling their swim at the end of its life by sending it back to us to deliver to Upparel.
We’ve also partnered with i=Change since 2018. They are a global platform + unique tech solution that, simply put, “makes it simple for retailers to give back.” With their help, bond-eye has donated over $33,000 ($1 from every sale) to three different charities focused on environmental issues, women’s well-being, + child welfare.
In 2021, we prevented more than 12, 145 kg of textiles from being sent to landfill. As you can imagine, this has also significantly reduced the potential greenhouse gasses polluting our atmosphere—42,507.5KG to be exact!
Our customers can even join us on this mission by recycling their swim at the end of its life by sending it back to us to deliver to Upparel.
We’ve also partnered with i=Change since 2018. They are a global platform + unique tech solution that, simply put, “makes it simple for retailers to give back.” With their help, bond-eye has donated over $33,000 ($1 from every sale) to three different charities focused on environmental issues, women’s well-being, + child welfare.
bond-eye has recently developed an icon for our official website:
Creating this icon + releasing it as the official emblem for bond-eye’s eco swim line marks a huge milestone for us in our growth as a swimwear company.
This icon is our promise that the product you’re buying is recycled; made from 55% regenerated nylon derived from pre-consumer waste. It’s the product of our conscious efforts for a cleaner, more sustainable fashion future, built with responsible stewardship in mind.
When you see this icon, it means we are consistently striving for a new norm; setting a precedent in the industry that style, quality, + ecologically sound manufacturing need not be mutually exclusive.
