Australian swimwear company Zoggs launched a bathing suit line called Ecolast made from Econyl brand yarn manufactured using regenerated plastic waste. In addition, the company committed to switching to sustainable packaging across their product range by 2020.

Econyl yarn is made by Aquafil using a system that starts with waste like abandoned ghost fishing nets, fabric scraps, carpet, and industrial plastic that would otherwise end up in the landfill. This waste gets recycled into nylon thread that Aquafil says is exactly the same as virgin nylon.

“The yarn performs as well as any other nylon yarn manufactured using crude oil,” according to Zoggs. Their Ecolast swimwear fabric is made using 78% Econyl yarn and 22% Lycra Xtra Life. The Ecolast swimwear line represents around 40% of the company’s SS19 swimwear.

By 2020, Zoggs aims to make 60% of their swimwear globally from recycled materials. At the same time, the company committed to achieving sustainable packaging across their product range by the same date.

After announcing plans for the swimwear line last year, the company formed a partnership with the nonprofit initiative Healthy Seas. Founded in 2013, Healthy Seas works to retrieve ghost fishing nets, raise awareness of the environmental damage these nets cause, and collaborate with fishing communities to prevent the nets from ending up in the oceans. Zoggs is donating 10% of their Ecolast swimwear profits to the organization.

Reducing plastic waste is also a priority for the swimwear company. Starting this year, Zoggs’ goal is to reduce the plastic used in goggle packaging by 57%.

Already the company says it has introduced oxy biodegradable plastic bags to ship swimwear, is transitioning to hangers made from recycled post-consumer waste, and uses sustainable fabrics for marketing materials.

Zoggs joins a long list of brands including Speedo, Outerknown, Stella McCartney, and Adidas that use Econyl yarn in their apparel.