JOLYN x SURFRIDER // 🌊 Collaborate to Protect
- written by our sisters in the U.S. and reposted from jolyn.com
This month JOLYN, in partnership with the Surfrider Foundation, is proud to announce the release of our first-ever swimsuit created with fabric made from upcycled single-use plastic water bottles. YAY!!!
You probably have a few thoughts running through your head, like I did. First and foremost, OMG that's so cool! Followed up quickly with a heyyy, how does the process from recycling bin to swimsuit work? Does JOLYN make the fabric themselves? Where are the bottles sourced from? What the heck does Surfrider do when they're not organizing beach cleanups?
WHAT 👏 DOES 👏 IT 👏 ALL 👏 MEAN?!?!
Let me lay down some facts for you so you can be as stoked as we are on this suit and the impact it has on:
A) Reducing virgin plastic production
B) Protecting and preserving our ocean, waves and beaches &
C) How it feels on your bod!
We've all heard the story of Rumpelstiltskin and how he could spin straw into gold. That's basically what our factory is doing with used water bottles and our recycled water bottle fabric. It all starts with a recycling plant where they separate out bottles labeled with a #1 (a PET plastic) on the bottom, wash them real good, and chop them into little tiny bits. From there the tiny bits are melted into even tinier balls, and those balls are melted into a plasma, that is finally stretched into strong fibres, that are then knit into recycled polyester swim fabric! So I hope that better explains how we go from a literal plastic bottle to JOLYN Swimsuit.
Sooo, how does this relate to our partnership with the Surfrider Foundation? Surfrider's mission is to protect and enjoy our ocean, waves, and beaches from the local to the national level through a powerful volunteer network. JOLYN values swimming in said oceans, beaches & waves. Together, we make a great team.
Throughout the U.S., local Surfrider chapters organize beach cleanups, test water quality to make sure it is safe to swim and raise awareness around threats to our coastline, all while fighting for a policy that will result in lasting protection. Regionally and nationally, they relentlessly raise awareness, fight for, and protect our beloved ocean by basically being the Leslie Knope of environmental warriors. They spearhead policy campaigns to ban single-use plastic, protect our ocean from the harmful effects of climate change and so much more!
Circling back to our new recycled suit and how it fits in. When single-use plastic bottles that might have otherwise ended up in the natural environment are recycled into fabrics, and ultimately into your swimsuit, guess where those water bottles are not going? To the beach! Floating in the ocean! Becoming a snack to a marine critter! The less virgin plastic produced, and the more we can prevent from ending up disposed of incorrectly, the less there is polluting our ocean and coasts. Do ya feel me?!
Now that class is over and you're pretty pumped on all this new intel, you probably want to know how a recycled water bottle swimsuit feels on your bod. The short answer?
You'll feel twice as nice while wearing our Surf rider suit, literally and figuratively. The literal, recycled polyester is both soft and durable, wicks your sweat, and fights stink. The figurative? You just saved some garbage from polluting our ocean, you enviro hero you.
SHOP THE JOLYN x Surfrider Foundation COLLAB >>
SOURCES:
Earth Hero - earthhero.com/whats-the-deal-with-rpet/
(How polyester is made PET PLastic is highly recyclable and when remelted is called rPET)
