Summer is here, and is there anything better than soaking up the sun by the water? To make the best time of year even better — and let you enjoy the beach with a clear conscience — we’ve rounded up our favorite sustainable summer accessories: sunglasses made in Europe, beach towels from recycled materials, and handcrafted beach bags. Nothing standing between you and your feel-good summer.
By Laura Finkeldei
Timeless, sustainable summer accessories
Summer means vacation, and vacation means sun, sand and sea. It’s exactly the season when we love packing beautiful accessories — sunglasses, jewelry — into our suitcases. Sustainable, long-lasting summer accessories are the smartest choice for a getaway: made with real care and built to last, they’ll stay with you well beyond a single summer.
MYMARINI — OCEANSUIT ‘24
The sporty, high-cut OCEANSUIT’24 swimsuit from MYMARINI wins us over with its thoughtful details. Cut-out shoulders offer extra sun protection, while the seaming and subtle shaping effect give it a flattering, put-together feel. The reversible OCEANSUIT ties at the back with a slim strap and comes with built-in UPF 50+ for additional sun protection.
MYMARINI holds its swimwear to a high standard across aesthetics, function, sustainability and quality, backed by responsible, fair production and a holistic approach to sustainability throughout the company. The brand also supports social initiatives like the Social Surf Club and MYMARINI Wald. The swimsuit is available at the MYMARINI online shop.
Price: €220
ARMEDANGELS — THE HAALO Sunglasses
For clear vision with a clear conscience, ARMEDANGELS has a new frame worth knowing. Developed for the “See the Future” campaign with VIU, THE HAALO is a timeless design made from a special plastic called Eastman Acetate Renew.
Eastman Acetate Renew is the world’s first plastic made partly from bio-based material and recycled plastic waste, releasing 30 percent less CO2 during production than conventional acetate. The frame was designed in Switzerland and made in Italy, combining high quality with genuine durability. THE HAALO is available in the online shop.
Price: €185
Nimanita — Rosalía Hat
The Rosalía hat is the perfect sustainable summer accessory for your getaway, with a wide brim that shields you from the sun while looking effortlessly summery. It’s handwoven from 100% straw and finished to a high standard, with a terracotta suede band as a lovely finishing detail.
Nimanita is a women-led label based in Cologne. Every hat is designed by the founder and handmade in Italy, with the goal of creating hats that are beautiful and that empower women to discover their own style and live confidently. The founder found her inspiration for the label during her travels through Mexico. This hat, and others from the brand, is available in the online shop.
Price: €117
WOODSANDWAVES — Beach Towels
WOODSANDWAVES set out to make colorful, practical, eco-friendly hand and beach towels. Its towels weigh only half as much as conventional ones and take up far less space in a suitcase, with a handy pocket on the back for valuables. They’re ideal for the beach, too, since they resist sand and dry quickly.
WOODSANDWAVES puts sustainability first, making every product from recycled plastic in a climate-neutral process. On top of that, the CO2 emissions of every product sold are offset, and 1% of revenue is donated to sustainable organizations. Towels come in 160 x 80 cm or an XXL 160 x 180 cm size, both available at the WOODSANDWAVES online shop.
Price: €79.90 (Sunset Waves XXL beach blanket)
Price: €49.90 (Sunset Waves beach towel)
KOKOBASKET — Large Shopper Natur
The perfect summer calls for a roomy bag that doubles easily as a beach tote.
KOKOBASKET makes baskets and bags by hand, using traditional techniques across Africa and Central America, with real attention to detail. Every piece is made exclusively from regional materials.
That includes the Large Shopper Natur, woven from elephant grass and reinforced with a leather handle for extra durability. The women who make these bags are paid fairly, earning their own income and building financial independence in the process. The bag is available in the online shop.
Price: €99.90
Nomadics — Slip-On Camel
Nomadics brings together sustainable, vegan design in its handcrafted slip-on sandal — comfortable, remarkably lightweight, and ideal for lazy strolls along the beach.
The shoes are made from a special health- and environment-friendly synthetic fiber, free of harmful substances and plasticizers, which keeps the sandals light, durable and moisture-resistant.
Nomadics sandals are produced fairly in Nicaragua, on a decommissioned coffee farm, with workers earning a steady income. Material offcuts from production are repurposed into rugs, handbags and other accessories. The sandal is available at Nomadics’ online shop.
Price: €69
OCEANMATA — “Turtle Family” Case
The “Turtle Family” case stands out with its striking ocean colorway and underwater-world motif. OCEANMATA’s phone cases are as beautiful as they are sustainable, being fully biodegradable, and come in a range of sizes and finishes.
OCEANMATA is committed to freeing Bali from plastic and protecting sea turtles — every case purchased corresponds to one kilogram of collected plastic and one rescued baby turtle. The founders work daily to refine their products and processes, always with the goal of ridding the oceans of plastic waste and building sustainable alternatives. The cases and other products are available in the online shop.
Price: €50
SALZWASSER — Cap SALZWASSER Sand
For sporty sun protection in cap form, look to Salzwasser, a young company from Hamburg. The cap is made from 100 percent organic cotton and produced in Europe, available in three colors with a range of embroidered logos. Founders Lennart and Jan set out to combine the best quality with the greatest possible sustainability — and for them, sustainability means not just how a piece is made, but how long it lasts. Durability comes first, which pays off for both your wallet and the planet. The Sand cap and other styles are available at the Salzwasser online shop.
Price: €49
soulbottles — Glass Water Bottle
Staying properly hydrated is essential for getting through summer, and the best way to do it is to skip plastic bottles entirely in favor of your own reusable water bottle that goes wherever you go.
soulbottles’ glass bottles are exactly that solution. They come in a range of designs by artists from around the world, and for every bottle sold, one euro goes toward the WASH’n’soul clean water and climate protection project.
soulbottles also holds itself to fair, sustainable production: its bottles are made from up to 80% recycled glass, with ceramic lids fired and printed in Germany. Bottles come in 0.6 and 1 liter sizes, available at soulbottles’ online shop.
Price: €34.90
BRACENET — NORTH SEA II
The NORTH SEA II bracelet is made from reclaimed fishing nets and finished with a stainless steel magnetic clasp engraved with the BRACENET logo, in silver or rose gold. Since every bracelet is one of a kind, yours may vary slightly from the picture.
BRACENET is fighting back against the flood of plastic in our oceans — so-called ghost nets and other drifting plastic kill countless marine animals every year and break down into harmful microplastics. BRACENET collects these ghost nets and turns them, through fair, handmade work in Hamburg, into bracelets and other products.
Buying one of their products supports this mission, along with the other social and environmental projects BRACENET is involved in. The brand also donates regularly to ocean conservation, and has raised more than €250,000 so far for organizations like Healthy Seas and Sea Shepherd. The bracelets and other products are available at the online shop.
Price: €25
Seidentraum — Scrunchie, 100% Organic Peace Silk
Scrunchies from Seidentraum aren’t just beautiful — they’re genuinely good for your hair. Fine organic silk protects hair from breakage and, unlike other fabrics, absorbs less moisture, letting hair hold onto its natural hydration. The scrunchies come in a range of colors, either plant-dyed or left white.
Seidentraum is committed to changing the textile industry for the better, with both people and nature treated with respect. The brand guarantees fair working conditions and supports schooling for its workers’ children. It also uses exclusively cruelty-free peace silk, made by letting the silkworm hatch as a moth before the cocoon is processed into silk — unlike conventional silk production. Seidentraum’s scrunchies are available in the online shop.
Price: €18
