Our ethos is revolved around sustainability and being 'Eco' friendly, that's what initially inspired our brand, we only want to manufacture goods that are completely necessary, without contributing to additional waste, or manufacturing items that are non-essential. However the term 'Eco' is used too loosely, too frequently and is mostly a bunch of greenwashing. We wanted to define our significance of the meaning of the words used around being 'Green' and how we, as a small brand, implement and strive to achieve the most sustainable practices.
The word 'Eco', is actually the Greek root word for 'Home', AKA, our planet. The word 'Eco' is also short for 'Economy', which most of us forget has another definition, 'careful management of available resources.' When we use the term, 'Eco', we are referring to where we source our goods and textiles, making sure to use upcycled and renewable materials where possible. In addition, we also ask all of our partners to ship our orders and samples to us with as little plastic packaging before sending anything our way. We feel personally responsible for every piece of plastic that enters our warehouse, as every piece of plastic ever created still exits today. We try to dodge plastic as much as possible in our fabric sourcing as the concern for microplastics threaten our ocean-life, and that is the direct community we position our goods for. Ideally, GOTS cotton would be the most sustainable textile for us for all of our fabricated goods, however, since most of our products are designed for outdoor use, the sun, cotton, bamboo, or hemp would simply not withstand the elements we are trying to protect ourselves and goods from. We try and opt for a 'recycled polyester' if any synthetic fabrics are needed for our products. We would love to skip out on polyester as a whole, although unfortunately, no other textile compares to the UPF protection, durability, and elasticity that polyester blends can give.
Another way we stick to our mission is by creating surf accessories made from a hardy Wild Cherry wood. These trees are native to North America, which we felt was important, to make sure we are not contributing to unnecessary shipping costs and transportation of lumber. We are also respectfully discontinuing most of our overseas manufacturing to cut down on the hefty shipping pollutants and to remain more transparent of the origins and ethics of our brand as a whole.
We understand that surfers and water lovers, such as ourselves will seek products that intentionally avoid these harmful components used in mainstream industries, and so we actively avoid these common and easy 'fast fashion' choices, and will never stray.
