We know that global warming is a very real threat, our oceans and marine life are in danger; and they way we’re currently living is what’s causing the crisis. The ocean truly is one of our most treasured assets and it gives us great joy when we discover brands who are challenging the status quo. Tonia Bastyan’s Conscious Swim is an eco swimwear brand for kids that’s built on the circular economy ethos whereby materials are reused, recycled and repurposed with the aim of staying out of landfill. We caught up with Tonia just before World Oceans Day to find out how she’s going to save our oceans, what sustainability means to her and who she looks to for inspiration (and it’s not who you might think).

You’ve set yourself the task of conserving our oceans, tell us what the ocean means to you?

I believe the ocean is one of the planet’s most essential and valuable assets. The more we can promote and share the ocean’s stories in our daily lives the greater chance we have of improving its longevity. This is what we hope to achieve with Conscious Swim by crafting swimwear from recycled nylon fishing nets.

Your swim suits are made from  Econyl yarn, can you tell us why it’s so ocean-friendly?

It is a regenerated nylon yarn produced by an Italian company called Aqualfil.The discarded commercial fishing nets are collected by a charity, Healthy Seas that work with Aquafil. Many marine life get caught in fishing nets, so its not only protecting the ocean but also turning waste back into a resource. It’s mixed with other nylon waste such as carpet fluff.

Kids in their Conscious Swim suits

When a pair of your swimmers has reached the end of its life you’ve created a way to keep them out of landfill, tell us about it.

Once our garments have reached the end of their life we want our customers to send back to us, so that we can then add them to our salvage scheme which analyses how our swimwear ages and where we can improve our design for dismantle and recycling. Our ultimate aim is to create a resource that can be used by another industry.

What does sustainability mean to you?

Sustainability means acting responsibly and considering the outcome of each business decision made to benefit people and planet.

Who’s your eco muse?

My family, friends and community. Every day we share stories and ideas to inspire, encourage and support us on our journey towards a better, healthier, kinder more sustainable future.

If you could change one thing about the world to make it a better place, what would it be?

A world-wide ban on all single-use plastic.

We believe the greatest change you can make is to start, do you have a philosophy?

We exist in a world full of communication and yet we are so disconnected from our truth. We need to cut through the noise and become more conscious. Listen to our hearts and start to create change within our communities. This will have a ripple effect around the planet.

To shop for more eco kids swimwear check out our story here.