8 Sustainable Beach Towels for an Eco Summer [2024]

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Stuggling to find the perfect sustainable beach towel? First, you want a quick-drying and absorbent towel, and most importantly, one made ethically from sustainable materials.

We’ve curated the best sustainable beach towels on the market so that you can have a carefree summer.

Let’s Jump in.

Sustainable Beach Towels

1. Sand Cloud

Sand Cloud organic beach towels

Materials: Sand resistant beach towel made from Turkish organic cotton

Best For: Beach days, Holidays, blankets

Ships to: Worldwide

Sand Cloud creates Turkish-style, boho-inspired sustainable beach towels from organic cotton.

The brands’ beach towels dry up to three times faster than regular towels and are sand-free and lightweight. In addition to being the perfect beach accessory, Sand Clouds beach towels double up as a stylish sarong, blanket, throw, and shower towel.

Sand Cloud is on a mission to reduce marine pollution and save our seas by donating 10% of all sales to Marine conservation charities.

Sand Cloud sustainable beach towels

2. Coyuchi

Coyuchi turkish beach towels

Materials: 100% GOTS certified organic cotton beach towels handwoven in Turkey

Best For: Beach days, Holidays, Travel-friendly towels

Ships to: Worldwide

If you’re looking for a lightweight organic cotton beach towel, which you can easily transport to and from the beach, check out the Tomales Organic Cotton Beach Towels from Coyuchi.

Inspired by the classic colors of Mexican Sarape blankets, Coyuchis beach towels feature a stylish ombre pattern fading from bright colors on top to cool neutrals along the bottom.

Coyuchi organic cotton towel

3. Delilah Home

Delilah home organi cotton towel

Materials: Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certified organic Turkish cotton beach towels ethically made in Portugal

Best For: Beach Towels, Pool towels

Ships to: The US & International

Delilah Home’s sunset beach towels are the perfect beach accessory. The organic beach towels are absorbent, quick-drying, and easily roll up into a beach bag or backpack.

The sunset organic beach towels come in four stylish colors with cool fringed edges. Plus, Delilah Home’s Turkish towels are ethically and responsibly made in Delilah Home’s family-run factory in Portugal.

Delilah home sustainable beach towels

4. Parachute

Parachute lightweight beach towel

Materials: Oeko-tex certified beach towel made from 100% long-staple Turkish cotton at 380GSM

Best For: Oversized beach towels and beach sheets

Ships to: The US only

We’re obsessed with the Mediterranean-inspired organic beach towel by Parachute, featuring cool woven stripes and finished with a twisted fringe.

The Oeko-tex certified beach towel doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals or dyes. Crafted in a light and airy Turkish cotton weave, making it the ultimate beach towel thanks to its quick-drying properties. In addition, the Parachutes beach towel is easy to care for as it’s machine washable.

Parachute is a female-founded luxury textile brand creating sustainable textiles from organic and natural materials.

Parachute cotton woven towel

5. Fifth Origins

Materials: 100% premium quality Turkish cotton

Best For: Soft, sustainable beach towels which double up as a wrap and sarong

Ships to: Worldwide

Get beach day ready with Fifth Origins Infinity Wrap, a super soft and absorbent Turkish towel that doubles up as a beautiful sarong or wrap.

The infinity wrap comes in four summer-inspired colors and is hand braided by expert women artisans in Turkey.

Thanks to the Infinity Towel Wraps’ smooth surface, the Turkish beach towel doesn’t hold the sand as much compared to a terry fabric.

Fifth Origins turkish cotton wrap

6. Made Trade

Made Trade sustainable beach towels

Materials: Organic cotton, long-staple cotton, microfiber towels

Best For: Sustainable beach towels, ethical beach towels

Ships to: The US & International

Check out Made Trade, a curated online marketplace that showcases the best sustainable brands for a fantastic selection of sustainable beach towels.

You can find an array of sustainable beach towels in vibrant colors and patterns, including the Kenyan Beach towel (featured, which is made ethically by Swahili Coast Design, a design collective creating lasting economic opportunities for artisans in East Africa.

Made Trade organic cotton towels

7. Anaskela

Anaselka recycled plastic towels

Materials: Quick-drying, sand-free towels made from recycled plastic bottles

Best For: Vibrant patterns, lightweight eco-friendly beach towel

Ships to: Worldwide

Inspired by the beautiful beaches of Greece, Anaselka creates practical and lightweight beach towels from recycled plastic bottles.

Anaselkas towels, branded as the ultimate travel towels, are sand-free and quick-drying, making trips to the beach, especially with family, much more effortless.

Anaskela’s designs are playful and vibrant, featuring geometric patterns and colorful striped beach towels.

Anaselka sustainable towels

8. Affina

Affina organic cotton beach towels

Materials: Organic cotton beach towels

Best For: Vibrant colors, organic cotton beach towels

Ships to: Worldwide

The natural harmony of nature inspires Affina’s organic cotton beach towels. Each towel is based on a species of coral and features intricate patterns and textures that mimic natural patterns.

Each organic towel is ethically made in Portugal and meets STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX®, which ensures no harmful chemicals or dyes are used.

Affina sustainable beach towels

9. QuiQuattro

Qui Quattro ethical beach towels

Materials: Ethical beach towels made from 100% Turkish cotton

Best For: Bathroom, beach towels, sustainable hammam towels

Ships to: Worldwide

QuiQuattro is a women-led brand focused on creating high-quality towels that give back to the community. QuiQuattro donates 10% of its profits to helping women’s education in Turkey and is a fair-trade company that demands fair wages and ethical treatment of its workers.

You can find a range of Turkish towels, including Hammam towels in vibrant colors, perfect for the beach. In addition, QuiQuattro’s towels are superabsorbent and get softer after every wash.

Qui Quattro 100% Turkish cotton towel

Choosing Eco-friendly Materials

When selecting materials for a beach towel, the towel must be absorbent and quick-drying to avoid carrying around heavy wet towels. The following materials are eco-friendly, and tick all the boxes for a practical beach towel.

Organic Cotton

Organic cotton is an eco-friendly alternative to cotton, as it’s grown without using harmful pesticides or fertilizers that can deplete the soil. In addition, organic cotton is grown with up to 80 less water than conventional cotton, therefore protecting natural resources.

Recycled plastic fibers

Keep plastic out of our oceans by recycling it into a durable and versatile yarn, which brands can utilize in the production of apparel and textiles. Recycling post-consumer plastic reduces marine pollution and also plastic sent to landfills.

However, it’s important that when washing textiles made from recycled fibers, you use a laundry filter bag such as a guppy bag to catch any microplastics that can be shed from clothes.

Oekotex certified fabrics

Oeko-tex certified fabrics ensure that no harmful chemicals or dyes have been used to produce the material, which means the fabric is kind to your skin and the environment.

Wrapping Up: Sustainable Beach Towels

We hope you’ve found the perfect sustainable beach towel for a carefree, fun, and eco-friendly day at the beach.

Make sure you pack your sunscreen, sunglasses, and sustainable swimwear.

Bethany
Bethany

Bethany Worthington BSc (Hons) (she/her) is the Sustainable Fashion Editor and Co-founder of Ecothes. She has a passion for the environment, and a long love of all things clothing, and combines those two interests with Ecothes. In her free time she loves dancing, hiking in the countryside, and laughing with friends.

Articles: 207

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