Biodegradable Swimwear
Monte & Lou Biodegradable is an Australian first capsule collection that embodies our brand aesthetic of Sustainable Luxury aimed at a consumer who shops in line with their values.
Although we use smart nylon fabrics recycled from plastic bottles, fishing nets and carpet fibres, the current reality is these cannot be re-recycled. Given swimsuits are rarely upcycled via a second-hand sale market, they eventually become long-impact, plastic-based landfill.
In the journey to become more environmentally conscious and sustainable we set out on the next step to close the loop in the production of our fabric by sourcing the technology that will limit our environmental footprint.
Monte & Lou has found a solution to this end-of-life fashion conundrum by custom-blending Amni Soul Eco®, the only biodegradable polyamide yarn in the world, and ROICA® bio stretch, an eco-friendly alternative to non-biodegradable spandex that has won multiple awards and gold-standard eco certifications.
Amni Soul Eco® was a breakthrough, but for us the ROICA® bio stretch elastane was the game changer for making our fabric 100 percent biodegradable. This is because elastane fibres, such as those in Lycra, are neither recyclable nor biodegradable, even at quantities as low as one percent in an otherwise all-natural garment.
By using the only Polyamide yarn in the world with enhanced biodegradability for disposal in landfill, Amni Soul Eco®, we have recreated our signature fabric our customers love. One that is beautifully soft, luxurious, lightweight and quick to dry.
Amni Soul Eco® is incredibly high-quality, meaning its biodegradable benefits don’t affect the longevity of Monte & Lou’s luxury swimsuits. The fabric only starts to break down when the garment is discarded, reaches landfill, then sits in an anaerobic landfill environment with microorganisms that trigger biodegradation.
Our garments made with Amni Soul Eco® have the same durability and life span as conventional nylon elastane yarns, however they degrade in landfill within 3-5 years, compared to 50 years for a regular swimsuit.
Monte & Lou’s fully biodegradable fabric is trademarked and just one of numerous measures we have adopted in our quest to be a more environmentally responsible, carbon-neutral fashion brand by 2025.