‘They’ say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattering. Well, you might not like it when someone copies your personal style, but in the case of sustainable fashion, “imitation” is definitely having a sincere impact.  

Now that environmental sustainability is fashionable, more sustainable fabrics are becoming available for us to use in our spa uniforms. It’s an exciting time for those of us who have always been committed to eco-friendly fashion choices. However, it still takes a long time to put ideas into practice, which is why we’re already preparing for the launch of a new fabric.

This month we went to our factory in France to look at ways of making our successful Cotton Performance Fabric (CPF) an even more sustainable fabric choice. Our partner in this endeavour is a trailblazer in creating eco-friendly fabrics, in every sense of the word. From working conditions, to innovative fabric production, using recycling and upcycling, as well as taking measures to reduce waste. That’s why we have always been vocal about choosing to source and manufacture in Europe. It has the infrastructure and the resources to invest in the development of sustainable processes and materials, as well as the governing bodies to ensure a product is what it says it is.

As you know, our CPF cotton is already an eco-friendly choice for sustainable spa uniforms. It’s made from more than 70% organic cotton, which is biodegradable as well as comfortable. However, because it is mixed with polyester and other materials, it doesn’t crease easily, always looks smart and is hard wearing, so it lasts longer in spa environments.  

Nonetheless, now that there are more options available to us, we are looking at ways of using a more sustainable polyester yarn alternative for the very small amount of polyester in CPF.

 

Creating sustainable fabric from plastic waste in the ocean

When we visited our factory, we talked about two options. The first is one that we already know about and use - PET, which is made from recycled plastic bottles.  

We were also introduced to a second option which we are really excited about, and are now researching further. It’s called Seaqual and it is the result of cleaning some of the plastic waste in the oceans at the same time as creating a new environmentally friendly fabric.

 

What’s exciting about Seaqual is:

• It’s a Europe-wide initiative to reduce waste
• Plastic waste in the ocean is collected by a network of fishermen
• The best quality plastics are woven into high quality yarn and mixed with other ecological, natural, recycled or recovered fibres
• They use ecological dyes
• The unusable plastics are recycled and upcycled in different ways

The end product is similar to PET, but there is an extra level of environmental sustainability in the manufacturing processes, aiming to reduce waste that goes to landfill. Given the spa industry’s affinity with the healing powers of seawater, we may have found the perfect fit for the next generation of our sustainable uniforms!