We're here to make a difference, and to give ocean lovers a genuinely ethical, local, independent and progessive source of board shorts. Right from the moment we first envisioned South Beach Boardies, we've always taken sustainability, ethical trade and production, and justice for workers seriously. And we still do.

Our Board Shorts 

We only use the best quality recycled plastic (polyester) fabrics that we source from sustainable fabric mills in Italy, the USA and China.

Our board shorts and swimwear are made by skilled workers in ethical factories in China and Indonesia.  

Why China? Because there are a lot of truly progressive factories there, with the technical expertise, and commitment to eco-friendly, zero-waste production processes and renewable resources that we have been unable to access in Western Australia.

We only work with factories that are committed to the Amorfi BSCI (Business Social Compliance Initiative), as system designed to make supply chains more transparent and fair. Our factories are regularly audited (with great results!) on their compliance with the 11 core BSCI principles.

• The Rights of Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
• Fair Remuneration
• Occupational Health and Safety
• Special Protection for Young Workers
• No Bonded Labour
• Ethical Business Behaviour
• Decent Working Hours
• No Child Labour
• No Precarious Employment
• Protection of the Environment

Audits are carried out by independent accredited companies such as Amorfi, to verify that the supplier complies with these principles.

We have close relationships with our factories. We take our children to visit as the ultimate filter - if a factory isn't good enough for our kids, it's not good enough for our brand. Workers at our factories are paid well above minimum wage (150% and 200% higher for overtime), overtime is capped, and there are many other social initiatives in place to ensure workers are treated fairly and compassionately. 

Our fabrics are made in Italy, China and the USA, from recycled PET plastic bottles sourced locally in the country of fabric manufacture. They are certified by the Global Recyled Standard, and are OEKO-TEX Standard 100 certified.

Many people ask us why we don't manufacture our garments in Australia. As a small-batch manufacturer, and given the current state of Australian garment-manufacturing, we are unable to access the zero waste manufuariing, eco-friendly techniques, and fair-trade ethical working conditions in Australia that we are able to access in other parts of the world. And there's the cost, we'd have to charge so much for each pair of boardies to cover the cost of manufacture that it would mean buying ethically made, sustainable swimwear would be unaffordable for most of our customers - we certainly don't think sustainable shipping choices should only be an option for the wealthy. That said, local manufacturing is something we are keen to support where possible, and we're working on it. Stay tuned!

Our T-Shirts

We source our t-shirts though Continental Clothing. A Fair Wear Foundation member, Continental focuses on positive changes in business ethics and environmental practices, they stand for ethical trade and justice for workers. The Fair Wear Foundation is an independent, non-profit organisation that works with companies and factories to improve labour conditions for garment workers.

 Our Adult t-shirts are from Continental's Salvage brand. Our Adults T's are all 100% recycled, made from 60% Recycled Organic Cotton (the cotton is recycled from pre-consumer fibre scraps) and 40% Recycled Polyester Jersey (from locally sourced, post-consumer recycled PET bottles). All Salvage labelled products are certified under the Global Recycle Standard (GRS) and the Organic Content Standard (OCS) by the Control Union Certifications.

Our Kids t-shirts are from Continental's Eco-Positive brand. They are certified organic by the Global Organic Textile Standard. The fabric is dyed in a zero-discharge dye house, where all the water is recycled in a closed-loop system. 

The T-shirts we use are all made in India, in manufacturing facilities powered by green renewable energy, from low-impact raw materials. Continental is implementing a living wage project with their main supplier in India. Organic cotton production encourages farming practices that avoid pesticides, thereby reducing production costs and farming debts; builds soil fertility, locking more CO2 into the soil, reduces emissions; and avoids hazardous chemicals associated with health problems for workers. Organic cotton production uses less water and results in significantly lower carbon emissions due to lower fuel and energy consumption. Plus, the end product (your T-shirt) doesn’t contain allergenic, carcinogenic or toxic chemical residues

Our T-shirts are printed locally in East Fremantle, Western Australia. Where possible we try to support local, independent, Australian businesses.