Tai Swim Co's Commitment

Tai Swim Co is a small-batch, designer swimwear brand that is committed to implementing ethical, sustainable & socially impactful practices into our company. That being said, having a brand & producing anything at all is inherently, not sustainable. Having a transparent relationship with our customers has been our motive since the beginning & it is what makes us stand out from the rest.

Making something that doesn't need to be made goes against the very definition of environmental care & we understand this deeply. That is why every effort counts toward making our company the most environmentally friendly & ethically responsible as possible. Check out some of the projects that we are the most proud of - from 100% recycled fabrics to a vegan company lifestyle.

Swimwear

• Our swimwear is made from plastic bottles using Repreve & Carvico Vita fabric (85% recycled nylon, 15% spandex) certified by Oeko-Tex, GRS & SCS
• We feature non-complicated patterns & cuts to utilize every scrap of fabric that we produce
• Our swimwear features no hardware & instead uses long strings to adjust fit. Hardware made of plastic or metal does not need to be on swimwear, therefore we don't include it
• Our recycled plastic hygienic liners feature non-toxic adhesive to stick to our bikini bottoms
• We source sustainable materials such as recycled polyester, organic cotton, & bamboo for our other products that aren't bikinis
• To extend the lifespan of our products, we make swimwear that is built to last & not contribute to planned obsolescence

Accessories

• Accessories like scrunchies, headbands & face masks are sewn from scrap materials that are left over from swimwear production
• Waterproof totes & mini bags are made from Tyvek, which is a #2 plastic & can be recycled back into a usable material. Check out our Tyvek Blog Post for more recycling information
• Our Bali Straw Sun Visors are handmade from dried banana leaves & can be composted once the stretchy back-strap is removed

Tags

• Hang tags are produced from recycled paper & are in their second stage of life when on Tai Swim Co products
• Some of our accessories do not require tags & to eliminate unnecessary waste, we do not use them on everything
• The size labels seen on our swimwear use eco-heat-transfer technology which uses less water than fabric tag production & reduces labor hours by avoiding sewing time

Shipping Materials

• Our cardboard boxes & paper shipping mailers are made from recycled paper materials
• Our soft poly-mailers are 100% biodegradable, made from corn & other plants
• We use water-based shipping tape & recycled honeycomb paper-packaging wrap to ship larger orders

Product Delivery

• Local web orders & wholesale orders are occasionally delivered by bicycle or by walking to eliminate unnecessary shipping pollution caused by air & car travel
• We work with local retailers in Hawai'i to shorten our supply chain & minimize transportation emissions when delivering product to our island vendors

Manufacturing

• We have been working with our family owned manufactures for 5+ years
• Our family owned manufacturers in Canggu, Indonesia & Panyu, PRC are small teams of less than 15 middle-aged adult men & women
• Use digital printing methods that require less water & produce less waste
• Our shipments from our manufacturers are prepped, packed & delivered using as little unnecessary packaging materials as possible (i.e, no individual bags for each item, tying together styles with extra string, etc)
• Our manufacturing process is designed to minimize water usage & waste from the beginning to the end of production
• We use natural & low-impact dyes to minimize harm to the environment
• We use renewable energy sources like solar/wind power to reduce our carbon footprint in our home office & manufacturing facility

Brand Lifestyle

• Tai & her family are plant-based, plastic-free & zero waste
• Our retailers actively host beach cleanups, feature zero-waste lifestyles & embrace the ideals of leaving no trace on this earth
• Supporting Native Hawaiians, local artists & Hawai'i based businesses are a daily occurrence for our team
• Owner & founder Tai purchases her favorite home decor items, jewelry, accessories & cleaning supplies from local businesses in Hawai'i, most often handmade by her friends
• We partner with organizations that work to protect our oceans & promote sustainability
• We continuously strive to improve our manufacturing practices, brand lifestyle & do as much as we can to reduce our environmental impact