Over the past year to 18 months, I have become much more aware of my carbon footprint and also just how much single-use plastic that I am using. I have shared my top 5 tips to reduce single-use plastic here, and I am very interested in how we can recycle or reuse the plastic that is already out there. We have seen large brands like North Face launching a recycled product range (here) and Adidas working closely with Parley here to create shoes from plastic and that is really exciting. Which is why when I saw that Zanna van Dijk talking about Stay Wild Swim her new company, I knew I had to share with you all.
For those who are not aware, Zanna van Dijk is a fitness trainer and blogger from the UK, who has started to move her focus onto more eco and sustainable topics like reducing plastic waste, having a plant-based diet, tips on how to be more eco-friendly etc. So it was not really a surprise that her new brand would be all about helping reuse ocean plastic and would have a sustainable focus. Zanna actually started the brand Stay Wild Swim with her friend Natalie Glaze from NatalieGlaze.com, and Natalie shares a lot of the same qualities as Zanna so them pairing up seems like a fantastic idea!
Stay Wild Swim is described by the ladies as the UK’s first premium swimwear line made from regenerated ocean plastic. Designed to flatter every woman, our pieces have a purpose by quite literally turning the threat into a thread. I love that they are using the ocean plastic that is already there and are turning it into a premium product.
According to Stay Wild Swim, “Up to 12 million tonnes of plastic are dumped into our oceans every year, that is a truckload a minute. On average 46,000 pieces of plastic are present in every square mile of ocean and it is estimated that there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050.” That is pretty scary to read and makes plastic a real-life danger not only the mammals and life in the ocean but to us whom food chain is getting infiltrated by this plastic.
They are also going one step further and partnering with Guppy Friend to fight micro-plastics using eco-friendly washbags! Plus a portion of their profits goes to @surfersagainstsewage who are a UK based charity focusing on plastic pollution. Their valuable work includes beach cleans, school education programs and campaigns to change wider industrial and government policies. It is fantastic for a start-up company to have such an ethical focus from day one and I can only hope as they grow that they will keep doing this and help even more with regards plastic pollution.
I cannot wait to wait to see the pieces that the girls have created and really looking forward to shopping on their website. You can learn more about Zanna on her website here, and Natalie on her website here. The new brand Stay Wild Swim can be found on Instagram and on their website.
