One brand that really impresses me is Walden Athletic. They are taking sustainability to a new level. If you’re very eco-aware, this is a brand you need to check out.

Here is a brief overview of the brand:

Each year humans discard over 8 million tons of plastic into the ocean.  The damage wrought on marine life is vast and varied, killing species at all levels of the food chain due to starvation, suffocation, poisoning, and entanglement in debris.  Because ecosystems are interconnected, this affects not only wildlife, but also vulnerable human communities.  The destruction is unsustainable and it’s time we put a stop to it.

At Walden Outdoor Athletic, we manufacture swimwear, activewear, and accessories using textiles produced from recycled plastics.  We aim to divert plastic waste from polluting waterways and instead use this material to produce durable and meaningful goods.  We believe there is power in community and that we must rally to make an impact.  We want you with us in this effort.

The skull and pine represented in our logo contrasts the transience of man against the longevity of nature.  Wear these emblems as a badge of honor and symbol of solidarity.  The time for action is now, let’s do it together.

We got to ask them a few questions:

So what made you start your own swimwear line? Also, why did you add in a sustainable element to the brand?

The idea to focus on sustainability and environmentalism actually preceded that of creating a swimwear line.  Our environment, especially the ocean, is in a precarious situation that many see as a make or break moment for the planet so it seems imperative to me that new products and services keep sustainability in mind.  I think this is the way of doing business in the future and that consumers will come to expect environmental responsibility in everything that they buy.

It wasn’t until around May of 2017 that we came up with the idea of doing swimwear.  One morning I was swimming on an island in Greece and began to notice that garbage washing in from the ocean was floating all around me.  After a couple days thinking about this and basically living in only a swimsuit it struck me that the exact garment I was wearing could be a way of addressing the problem.  I was familiar with fabric produced from recycled plastic but hadn’t seen any men’s swimwear made from it.  After a lot of searching we were fortunate enough to find a reputable supplier producing high quality (designed for competitive swimming) fabric from recycled PET.   After a couple months of patternmaking and testing fits we had our first samples for the Club Brief and Club Trunk.

What has the response to the line been from your customers? Are you finding guys are after recycled material? Who do you consider your customer? 

The response has been very encouraging! We have only been in business since March so we have a lot of work to do in really getting to know our customer and making sure he knows about our brand and what it stands for. From what we have seen so far though, the guys who are wearing Waldens are very engaged in problem solving, whether in social issues or environmental issues or politics and beyond. That’s something we absolutely love about our customers. Our hope is to build a real sense of community around the brand with lots of like-minded guys sporting the skull and pine. It’s what we mean when we say to wear our logo as a badge of honor and symbol of solidarity.

Check out the brand at the Walden Athletic site.