Sandy bums, soothing surf, and sustainable beach towels…The summer trifecta of dreams, right?!
Not to be a wet blanket (er, beach towel), but the material most beach towels are made of is not exactly something that’s out to preserve those pristine beaches we love so much.
Instead, they’re made with either virgin synthetic fabrics or conventional cotton (AKA the world’s dirtiest crop), both fabrics that contribute to plastic and chemical pollution that’s changing the ocean as we know it. Drying off vitamin Sea (and D), always feels better if you’re using recycled or organic beach towels that won’t leave a lasting negative impact on your future summer fun.
Beyond materials, we looked for brands prioritizing ethical manufacturing and green business practices like carbon reduction and sustainable packaging so we could ensure the best sustainable beach towels for those soothing sea breeze feels.
Over the coming months, we’ll be refreshing articles using the 22 criteria in our new Brand Rating System. For a heads-up on what this covers, take a peek at our explainer here.
We independently research all featured brands and we ask them to confirm their claims. In many cases we personally review recommended products. This post contains affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you buy something. Learn more here.
The Best Eco-Friendly Beach Towels To Sunbathe Sustainably
For those who frequent off-the-beaten-path watering holes and waterfalls, Nomadix has Climate Neutral and sustainable beach towels that are packable enough for adventuring.
Whether you want something as au naturale as your nude sunbathing or beach towels from recycled materials, you have a number of certified ethically made options from Slowtide.
Index: Organic Or Recycled Beach Towels
- Slowtide Jump to section
- Nomadix Jump to section
- Delilah Home Jump to section
- Weezie Jump to section
- Coyuchi Jump to section
Slowtide
About Slowtide
Price Range: $35–$70
Designed in Hawaii and California, Slowtide is the place to turn for art-inspired towels.
Considered a “canvas for self-expression,” their cute sustainable beach towels are perfect for kids—but with Grateful Dead collaborative designs, they appeal to the kid inside all of us, too.
Dozens of premium woven designs are available across many styles of beach towels, quick-dry towels, pocket towels, fitness towels, and various types of home towels.
Slowtide’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Most are made with 100% sustainably sourced cotton, except the yoga towels and quick-dry beach towels made from recycled plastic bottles.
The recycled beach towels are GRS-certified, and all products have an OEKO-TEX certification.
Supply chain & labor practices:
While it’s not organic, their cotton is certifiably sourced through the Cotton LEADS program, ensuring the best practices and traceability are used on the USA and Australian farms.
Slowtide has long-standing relationships with their manufacturers who provide fair wages and a safe, healthy place to work.
Their supply chain is backed up by third-party social assessments like SEDEX, SCAN, and BSCI.
Community & charitable giving:
Each beach towel sale helps Slowtide give back through donations, education, and community outreach.
Some organizations they support include Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii, Good360, and Surfrider Foundation.
Nomadix
About Nomadix
Price Range: $25–$45
To equip you with “the only towel you need”, Nomadix offers a versatile range.
The Original towels are most suitable for the beach, while the Mini and Ultralight towels are ideal for travel and eco-friendly camping.
If you like to wrap up in a towel but aren’t as fond of the unwrapping part, check out their hooded Poncho Towel. “Part Poncho. Part Towel. Part Beach Blanket”, it’s the all-in-one vacation drying solution.
Each eco-friendly beach towel is lightweight, quick-drying, sand repellent, durable, and ideal for zero waste travel.
Nomadix’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Each towel features a MicroTerry fabric made with GRS-certified post-consumer recycled materials (about 30 recycled plastic bottles).
Eco screen printing creates the designs for these recycled plastic beach towels.
Supply chain & labor practices:
All products are manufactured in the brand’s own solar-powered factory in China, which they regularly visit to ensure ethical standards are upheld.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Nomadix is Climate Neutral certified, and they plan to further cut their emissions in half over the next few years.
Their sustainable materials for shipping are compostable or recyclable.
Community & charitable giving:
1% of sales are donated via 1% for the Planet.
Delilah Home
About Delilah Home
Price Range: $80–$100
The ‘Delilah’ of Delilah Home is a puppy who survived being alone in a North Carolina mountain winter for 62 days.
This is a testament to the brand’s ethical approach to long-lasting products, which includes organic Turkish beach towels, bedding, and other home textiles.
Our tails are wagging over their cute eco-friendly beach towels, which are generously sized and come “with a touch of flirty fringe on the end”.
Delilah Home’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Like their organic towels for the bath, the long-staple 100% GOTS-certified Turkish organic cotton promises you a quick dry.
The fibers are 2-ply double loops, giving them their super absorbent and luxuriously fluffy feel.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Delilah Home is committed to ethical production, which is why they partner exclusively with Fair Trade factories in Europe.
The organic cotton for their towels is woven in Portugal in exchange for above-living wages.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
Three barks for all of Delilah Home’s certifications and memberships: OneCert, Organic Trade Association (OTS), Green America, Textile Exchange, and Vegan.org.
The brand’s CEO is also an OTA Fiber Council Chairman.
Community & charitable giving:
A member of 1% for the Planet, they go above and beyond to donate 10% of their profits to local organizations like Operation Warm.
Weezie
About Weezie
Price Range: $47–$264
Weezie is a woman-owned brand that wants to take towels from lackluster to luxury.
Their environmentally friendly beach towels are absorbent, fluffy, decadently soft, and equipped with hanging loops for faster drying.
And because they’re oversized beach towels, they double as an organic beach blanket.
Available in multiple designs (with personalized embroidery options), you can shop individually or save by buying a 4-towel bundle.
Weezie’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
Weezie beach towels feature 100% long-staple organic cotton that’s low linting, hypoallergenic, and OEKO-TEX-certified.
Supply chain & labor practices:
Each Weezie beach towel is made in Portugal, by a third-generation, family-owned and operated factory.
Custom embroidering takes place in-house in Atlanta, Georgia.
Community & charitable giving:
The company regularly gives back through sales, where 100% of daily or holiday weekend profits go to organizations like Moms Demand Action.
Coyuchi
About Coyuchi
Price Range: $48–$268
Blending luxury and natural, regenerative fibers, Coyuchi is one of the best sustainable towel brands, period.
That’s because their organic cotton beach towels are both shower-ready and surf-ready—meaning you won’t need to buy more types of towels than needed.
The super soft sustainable beach towels are available in various weaves, weights, and textures, but they all share in common the fact that they’re comfortable, highly absorbent, and quick to dry.
Their Mediterranean organic beach towels come in a beach-towel specific size and mean less bulk in your beach or pool bag.
Coyuchi’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices
Materials:
100% Madesafe certified and GOTS-certified organic cotton beach towels will dry you off after a dip.
Their yarn-dyeing process uses low-impact sustainable dyes.
Supply chain & labor practices:
The cotton is grown and woven in Turkey and Coyuchi works with many Fair Trade farmers and factories.
Carbon commitments & green practices:
All Coyuchi sustainable beach towels are sent in either reusable organic cotton fabric or 100% recycled plastic poly bags.
Embracing circularity, they also have a 2nd Home Take Back Program that accepts old Coyuchi linens (including actual linen sheets) to be recycled or reused in new products.
They’ve invested in thousands of acres of regenerative farms, recycle 98% of water used in their textile factories (along with the leftover dye mud, which gets turned into cement), and aim to be climate positive by 2030.
Community & charitable giving:
Coyuchi is a contributing member of 1% for the Planet that supports climate-positive, regenerative farming through White Buffalo Land Trust and Fibershed.
