The Best Eco-friendly Beach Towels for Summer
When you’re prepping for glorious days spent soaking up the sun and listening to the crash of the ocean waves at the beach, there’s an inevitable accessory that comes out to play: the beach towel.
Our lazy days in the sun on brightly-colored beach towels can be ruined with flashes of oceans littered with plastic straws, cups, and bags.
Growing concern about our oceans has led to a war against plastic. Adopting zero-waste habits like refusing straws and eating less takeout helps minimize plastic in our lives, in great part to keep it out of oceans, marine life, and ultimately our own bodies.
These images of plastic pollution keep the issue top of mind and a quick visit to the beach can remind us that we need to be making conscious decisions to protect our oceans and beaches.
We’ve often heard how our clothing can shed micro-plastics, plastic microfibers that land up in oceans, rivers, and lakes, contributing to the plastic problem. This problem doesn’t start and end with clothing.
It includes sheets, blankets, and beach towels, and what they’re made from and how they’re made can all have an impact on you and the environment.
So while you’re adopting eco-friendly beach habits like leaving no litter behind and wearing reef-safe sunscreen, another step you can take is investing in an eco-friendly beach towel.
Let’s explore different fabrics, sustainable tips for buying beach towels, and a list of amazing beach towels made with eco-friendly materials.
What’s so great about eco-friendly beach towels?
Choosing eco-friendly beach towels can have advantages for you and the environment. Towels made from natural fabrics can be a real winner as they’re super absorbent (an important quality when gearing up for water-based activities); often have a lower environmental impact; and, provided they haven’t been coated with harmful chemicals and dyes during the end stages of production, are gentler on your skin.
When made with quality fabrics and sustainable practices that keep you and the planet in mind, you’ll get a beach towel that’s strong and durable.
A beach towel may not be an item you use every day, but when you use it, it goes through a lot of stress enduring water, sun, and sand. So investing in a sustainable beach towel that will last for years to come is a worthy purchase.
Eco-Friendly Fabrics for Sustainable Beach Towels
As with an eco-friendly closet, when keeping the planet and especially the ocean in mind for beach accessories in general and beach towels in particular, you’ll want to keep an eye out for natural or sustainable fabrics.
However, take note that even natural fabrics release microfibers and their impact on marine life is uncertain, so weigh all the pros and cons before picking your fabric of choice.
Organic Cotton
Grown without chemical pesticides and fertilizers, organic cotton keeps toxic ingredients out of the air, water, and soil, protecting the health of workers and the environment. It also protects you, with a gentler towel that’s kinder to your skin.
The environmental downside to organic cotton is that it requires more land than conventional cotton and often more water too.
Hemp
Hemp towels may not be as soft as cotton, but they get top marks for sustainability and eco-friendliness. A fast-growing and efficient crop, hemp one-ups both conventional and organic cotton in the water department, requiring less water than either. Another great plus, especially considering the sun time your skin gets in summer? It filters UV rays.
Linen
Made from flax, linen is another natural fiber that’s great for the eco-conscious. With its hypoallergenic and antibacterial properties, it’s good for your skin too. The downside to linen is its hefty price tag.
Recycled Polyester
This may not be a natural fabric, but the plus for the environment is that it keeps post-consumer plastic items like bottles and fishing nets out of landfills and incinerators. The downside is that recycled polyester still releases microfibers when washed.
So if this is the towel you decide to go for just make sure and wash responsibly in a Guppyfriend Bag or with a Cora Ball, something that can help capture the microplastics.
Shopping Tips for Picking Out Sustainable Beach Towels
You may choose a beach towel for its color, pattern, or price. If you’re choosing it for its eco-friendly factor, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Shop for towels made from natural or recycled fabrics.
Look for towels made using natural dyes.
Keep an eye out for certifications such as OEKO-TEX, GOTS, GRS, and Made Safe.
Invest in a quality towel that is well made and will last for years, so you don’t have to replace it frequently
Invest in a microfiber bag to help trap microfibers during laundering such as Guppyfriend Bag or a Cora Ball
Be mindful of greenwashing
Choose organic cotton over conventional cotton.
When shopping for linen, look for brands that are organic and fair trade. There’s a reason for that hefty price tag. Making linen is labor-intensive. By choosing organic you’re choosing brands that take the time and effort to make quality products that have not been chemically processed and by choosing fair trade, ensure that workers are treated fairly.
Support brands applying eco-friendly, sustainable, and ethical practices.
6 Eco-Friendly Beach Towel Brands
If you need a new beach towel (first eco-friendly prize is using what you already have), check out these brands that offer eco-friendly beach towels while implementing fair and sustainable practices.
This post does contain some affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase The Honest Consumer will receive a commission. Our commission is at no additional cost to you.
LinenCasa’s Linen Beach Towels
If you’re looking for an eco-friendly linen beach towel, LinenCasa is your solution. Their stonewashed linen beach towels are absorbent, durable, and lint-free. The towels contain no synthetic dyes, bleach, or added chemicals; are machine-washable, and don’t need to be ironed. These luxurious beach towels range from $80-$130 depending on the size.
Boll & Brach Organic Cotton Beach Towels
From sheets and shams to bath mats and bathrobes, Boll & Branch has a lot to offer your home. When it’s time to hit the sand, Boll & Branch offers ethical shoppers a luxuriously oversized beach towel made from ethically sourced, 100% organic cotton and available in a variety of colors.
Boll & Branch is also Fair Trade certified; their products are made without harmful chemicals, pesticides, or GMOs; and their packaging is both recycled and recyclable. Boll & Branch’s beach towels are $60 and the quality allows them to last for years to come.
MINNA’s Light weight Cotton Towels
MINNA uses traditional craft techniques to produce ethical home decor and socially responsible goods with a contemporary aesthetic. Sourced from 100% natural and sustainable materials, MINNA exclusively uses natural dyes or toxin-free synthetic dyes to color their products.
MINNA’s towels feature lightweight, fast drying cotton and are made handwoven in partnership with weavers in Nahualá, Guatemala. These towels can be purchased for around $98 each.
Nomadix Recycled Polyester Beach Towels
Nomadix offers a wide range of eco-friendly beach towels in bright colors and funky patterns that are absorbent, quick-drying, sand-free, and come with a sack for easy and efficient packing.
Their towels are made from 15% nylon and 85% recycled polyester, the latter made using recycled plastic bottles. Nomadix extends their environmental awareness by contributing to 1% for the Planet, Surfrider Foundation, and Fifty-Nine Parks. Their eco-conscious beach towels range from $30-$40.
Monogram Organic Cotton Beach Towels from Pottery Barn
Love the personalization of a monogram? Pottery Barn has released a line of organic cotton towels featuring a classic nautical strip style and that can be embroidered with this personalized touch. These towels are made with 100% organic cotton which is grown without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and synthetic fertilizers.
Pottery Barn is also a proud member of the Better Cotton Initiative. Their towels meet the requirements of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and are STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified.
These towels are also tested in an independent lab and verified to be safe from over 350 harmful substances. Pottery Barn’s organic cotton beach towels are around $50.
Sand Cloud’s Lightweight Sand Free Towel
Sand Cloud offers a variety of eco-friendly towels perfect for the beach with gorgeous patterns including marine life designs. Lightweight, durable, and sand-free, the towels are made from handwoven Turkish cotton and go beyond the beach by being multi-functional. Ten percent of Sand Cloud’s profits go to marine conservation, supporting initiatives like Marine Conservation Institute, Pacific Marine Mammal Institute, and Ocean Connectors.
Hopefully this guide has given you options to consider based on sustainable materials and budget! Cherish the ocean and beach as you take those vacations this summer.
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