Recyclable Swimwear Collections

French sporting goods chain Decathlon teamed up with Belgian textile recycling company Resortecs to create a recyclable swimwear collection that addresses one of the biggest sustainability issues within the swimwear category. Swimwear causes challenges with recycling due to its composition of mixed materials, such as spandex, nylon and elastane, which are often fused and difficult to separate, hindering efficient recycling processes. With this in mind, Decathlon developed Negombo, a recyclable fabric that delivers elasticity without using elastane.

To address the elastic bands used for cut-outs, which are also difficult to process and recycle, Resortecs contributed Smart Stitch technology for thermally dissolvable sewing threads. Thanks to Smart Disassembly, the different components of the swimwear designs can be separated with ease at the end of their usable life.