What Is ECONYL? Recycled Nylon Swimwear Explained

Every swimwear brand now claims to be sustainable. Most of those claims don't survive a direct question about what the fabric actually is, where it came from, or what happens to it at the end of its life.

ECONYL® is one of the few materials in this category with a verifiable answer. Here's what it is, how it's made, where it genuinely beats the alternatives, and where the marketing runs ahead of the facts.

The Short Answer

ECONYL® is regenerated nylon. It's made by the Italian company Aquafil from nylon waste — discarded fishing nets, carpet fibre, fabric scraps and industrial plastic — that would otherwise be landfilled or left in the ocean.

The waste is broken down chemically to the level of its building blocks, then rebuilt into new nylon yarn. The important part: the result is chemically identical to nylon made from crude oil. Not a downgrade, not a blend, not "partly recycled." The same material, made from waste instead of petroleum.

How it's Actually Made

Four stages, simplified:

1. Collection. Nylon waste is gathered from fishing nets recovered from oceans and fish farms, carpet destined for landfill, and industrial nylon offcuts.
2. Cleaning and sorting. Waste is stripped of contaminants and separated by nylon type. This is the labour-intensive part and one reason the material costs more.
3. Depolymerisation. The nylon is chemically broken down to caprolactam, the monomer that nylon 6 is built from. This is what separates ECONYL from mechanical recycling, which shreds and melts and loses quality each time.
4. Repolymerisation and spinning. The recovered caprolactam is rebuilt into new nylon polymer and spun into yarn.

Because stage 3 works at a molecular level, the output doesn't degrade. The same material can go through the process again. Mechanically recycled fibres can't say that — each cycle shortens the polymer chains and weakens the fibre.

Why Swimwear Brands Use It

It performs. Nylon is the better swimwear fibre regardless of source: softer than polyester, stronger, better stretch recovery, better drape. ECONYL gives you that without the petroleum.

It's chlorine and UV resistant. Not indestructible, but it holds shape and colour through pool and sea exposure better than cheaper alternatives. This matters more than it sounds, because a suit that keeps its recovery for three years is more sustainable than any fabric claim on a suit that goes slack in one season.

It's traceable. Aquafil publishes its supply chain and the material is third-party certified. Compare that to "made from recycled materials" with no percentage, no source and no certification, which is what most of the market offers.

It can be recycled again. In theory infinitely. See the honest limits section below for the caveat.

We use ECONYL across our long sleeve swimwear, one piece swimsuits and bikinis, blended with Lycra for stretch.

ECONYL vs Recycled Polyester vs Virgin Nylon

The honest comparison: recycled polyester is cheaper and slightly more chlorine-resistant, which is why competitive swimwear often uses it. ECONYL feels better, drapes better and can be recycled repeatedly without loss. Neither solves microplastics.

If you swim in chlorinated pools five days a week, recycled polyester is a defensible choice. For sea, surf and general wear, regenerated nylon is the better fabric.

The Honest Limits

This is the section most brands skip, so here it is.

ECONYL still sheds microplastics. Every synthetic fabric does, recycled or not. Washing releases microfibres into water systems. A Guppyfriend-style wash bag reduces this, and washing swimwear rarely (rinsing in cold water instead) reduces it further. Recycled origin does not make a synthetic fibre biodegradable.

"Infinitely recyclable" is true in theory, not in practice. The technology allows it. The collection infrastructure to get your worn swimsuit back to Aquafil mostly doesn't exist yet. In reality most swimwear, ECONYL or otherwise, ends up in landfill. Anyone claiming otherwise is overselling.

It's still an industrial process. Depolymerisation requires energy. ECONYL's footprint is meaningfully lower than virgin nylon — Aquafil reports significant reductions in global warming impact versus oil-based nylon — but it isn't zero.

The blend matters. Swimwear is never 100% ECONYL. It needs elastane for stretch, typically 15–25%. That elastane is virgin, petroleum-based, and it complicates recycling. Any brand quoting a pure ECONYL percentage without mentioning the elastane content is telling you half the story.

The most sustainable swimsuit is the one you don't replace. Fabric choice matters less than how long the garment lasts and how often you buy. This is why we make in small batches rather than seasonal volume, and why we build pieces to be worn hard. More in our sustainability notes.

How to Make ECONYL Swimwear Last

The environmental case only holds if the suit lasts. Three things kill it:

Heat. Never machine wash, never tumble dry, never leave it on a hot surface. Heat destroys the elastane before it touches the nylon.

UV. Dry in shade, not direct sun. Sunlight degrades elastic fibres faster than salt water does.

Chemicals. Rinse in cold fresh water immediately after chlorine or salt. Keep chemical sunscreen off the fabric where you can — it stains and it degrades elastane.

Do those three things and a good suit holds its shape for years rather than a season.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ECONYL made from?
Nylon waste: fishing nets recovered from oceans and aquaculture, old carpet, fabric scraps and industrial plastic. It's broken down chemically and rebuilt into new nylon yarn.

Is ECONYL better than recycled polyester?
For feel, drape and repeat recyclability, yes. For chlorine resistance and price, recycled polyester has the edge. For sea and surf use, ECONYL is the better fabric.

Is ECONYL actually sustainable?
It's a genuine improvement over virgin nylon: waste-derived, lower carbon footprint, chemically recyclable. But it still sheds microplastics, still needs energy to produce, and is always blended with virgin elastane. It's better, not perfect, and any brand claiming perfect is overselling.

Does ECONYL swimwear last longer?
The fibre has excellent stretch recovery and good chlorine and UV resistance, so a well-made ECONYL suit typically outlasts cheap polyester. How you care for it matters as much as the fabric.

Is ECONYL the same as nylon?
Chemically, yes. Nylon 6 made from recovered waste rather than crude oil. It performs identically because it is the same polymer.

Does ECONYL shed microplastics?
Yes. All synthetic fabrics do. Recycled origin doesn't change that. A wash bag helps, and rinsing in cold water rather than machine washing helps more.

Can you recycle ECONYL swimwear?
The fibre can be chemically regenerated indefinitely. In practice, take-back infrastructure for consumer swimwear is limited, so most garments don't make it back into the loop.

Bottom Line:

ECONYL is regenerated nylon made from waste, chemically identical to virgin nylon, with a meaningfully lower footprint and the ability to be recycled again. It's the best mainstream option for swimwear fabric right now. It is not microplastic-free and it is not a solution on its own.

Makara Wear is handmade in Bali in small batches from ECONYL® regenerated nylon and deadstock fabric, by fair-paid makers. See the long sleeve collection, the best sellers, or if you're deciding what to buy, our guide to one piece vs bikini.