Econyl and Recycled Nylon: What It Fixes and What It Doesn’t
Econyl recycled nylon is the closest thing the swimwear industry has to a real materials improvement, which is exactly why it’s worth being precise about what it does.
It’s regenerated nylon, made by Aquafil from waste: discarded fishing nets, carpet, fabric scrap. The clever part is the process. Rather than shredding old material and spinning it into something weaker, regeneration breaks nylon back down to its building block, caprolactam, purifies it, and re-polymerizes it.
The output is chemically identical to nylon made from oil. Not a downgraded version. The same polymer, which means it can be regenerated again indefinitely without degrading.
What it improves
The climate number is the strong one: Aquafil reports up to an 80% reduction in global warming impact compared with nylon made from crude oil.
There’s a waste story alongside it. Ghost fishing nets are a real problem in the ocean, and creating commercial demand for recovered nets gives somebody a reason to go and get them. Carpet is a landfill problem with few outlets. Both become feedstock.
And unlike mechanical recycling, the infinite-regeneration property is real rather than aspirational, because the chemistry truly resets.
That’s a better story than most recycled-content claims, and it deserves credit rather than the reflexive suspicion this site usually brings to material marketing.
Where it stops
It’s still nylon. Which means it still sheds.
Every wash and every swim releases microplastic fibers from synthetic fabric, and regeneration doesn’t change the polymer’s behavior in water. Aquafil is upfront that regenerated nylon can’t avoid shedding, and is researching how to reduce it.
There’s a further wrinkle worth flagging because it cuts against the marketing. Some research suggests recycled polyester and nylon may shed more fibers, and finer ones, than virgin equivalents, likely because processing can shorten and weaken filaments. The evidence isn’t settled and it varies by fabric construction, so I’d treat it as a reason not to assume recycled automatically means lower shedding rather than as a proven penalty. We go into the mechanism in microplastic shedding from swimwear.
It also doesn’t touch chemistry. A garment made from Econyl can still carry a PFAS water-repellent finish, because the finish is applied later and has nothing to do with the fiber’s origin.
And it costs more, which is why plenty of brands use a small percentage and describe the garment as though it were the whole thing.
Reading the claim properly
Ask for the percentage. “Made with Econyl” can mean 78% or 8%, and brands that use a lot tend to say so precisely while brands using a little stay vague. Same discipline as reading “recycled gold” without a share attached.
Ask whether the fiber claim is doing work the finish undoes. Recycled content plus a fluorinated finish is a suit that’s better made and still shedding treated plastic.
And weigh durability above both. The most meaningful thing about a swimsuit is how many summers it lasts, because a well-made suit worn for six years beats a recycled one replaced every year on every measure that matters. Chlorine resistance, a proper lining, and honest construction do more than a fiber name.
That’s how the picks in the best sustainable swimwear brands are sorted, and every brand there has a scored profile in our brand directory.
Frequently asked questions
What is Econyl made from?
Nylon waste: mainly discarded fishing nets, carpet and fabric scrap. Aquafil breaks the waste down chemically to caprolactam, the monomer nylon is built from, purifies it and re-polymerizes it, so the result is chemically identical to nylon made from oil rather than a weaker recycled version.
Is Econyl better for the environment?
For the fiber itself, yes. Aquafil reports up to 80% lower global warming impact than virgin nylon, and it diverts waste including ghost fishing nets. What it doesn’t change is that the material is still nylon, so it still sheds microplastics in the wash and in the water.
Does recycled nylon shed fewer microplastics?
Not necessarily. Regeneration doesn’t alter the polymer’s behavior, and some research suggests recycled synthetics may shed more and finer fibers than virgin, possibly because processing shortens filaments. The evidence isn’t settled, so treat “recycled” as unrelated to shedding rather than as a fix for it.
Does Econyl mean a swimsuit is PFAS-free?
No. Water-repellent and quick-dry finishes are applied to fabric after the fiber is made, so a garment can be Econyl and still carry a PFAS treatment. They’re separate claims and worth checking separately.
Related reading
The rest of this series: microplastic shedding from swimwear and PFAS in swimwear. For vetted picks, see the best sustainable swimwear brands. Our greenwashing guide covers recycled-content claims without a percentage attached.
Sources: Aquafil, ECONYL regeneration system. Ellen MacArthur Foundation, A new textiles economy. Textile Exchange, Preferred fiber and materials market report.
