Certified B Corporation®
Seabass is B-Corp Certified. This means that we are a business that meets the high verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. This certification demonstrates that as a company, we are not just here to create beautiful, functional swimwear and make good money from it. We are also committed to making a positive impact on people and the planet.
B Corps (short for Benefit Corporations) are commercial companies that meet high standards of conscious decision-making. B Corps commit to public transparency and legal accountability to balance profit with purpose for people and the planet. Other examples of B Corp brands are Patagonia, Rituals, Aesop, Ganni, and Wolf & Badger who’s one of our selected reselling partners. To become a Certified B Corporation, a company has to do the so-called B Impact Assessment (BIA). This is an elaborate questionnaire that assesses a company on five impact areas: Governance, Customers, Workers, Community and Environment. It sounds simpler than it actually is: it requires a certain type of company DNA. Companies need to score at least 80 points to become a Certified B Corp. Seabass scored 82.7 on the B Impact Assessment (50.9 is the media score for ordinary businesses) - a score to be proud of, and stay ambitious about.
“As parents ourselves - indeed, the name of the brand is inspired by our son, Bass - we are acutely aware that what we do today shapes the kind of world we leave behind for future generations. For us a responsible approach to business is not part of a sustainability strategy but is a fundamental foundation for how businesses should operate as a given.” - Barry van Ruiven, founder and CEO.
From the beginning, we had a central vision to make a positive contribution to the ocean environment for which the brand exists. The mission is to create protective swimwear made of recycled ocean waste, for our next generations to enjoy clean oceans and beaches.
Since the first collection, the primary fabric for our swimwear is SEAQUAL® yarn, a recycled polyester that contains a percentage of marine litter combined with post consumer PET, that is then woven into a luxury fabric. SEAQUAL® is made using marine litter gathered from a variety of sources.
This year, together with three other brands, we contributed to purchase a recycling machine. The machine shreds plastic waste, transforming it into shredded plastic instead of the bulk plastic waste which is then shipped from Tunisia to Spain, resulting in reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and an improved localised value chain.
With fabrics made in Spain, garments made in a small fairtrade family-owned factory in Portugal and operating from Casa Seabass in Barcelona, the proximity of our operations are deliberately geographically close to reduce additional unnecessary carbon footprint in the design and manufacturing stages.
Since the foundation, we have had a strong relationship with our factory in Portugal. As well as being certified Fairtrade, the factory holds a number of other industry approved certifications including GOTS, Global Recycling Standard, and accreditation for high employment standards as well as being a member of SEDEX.
“The inspiration for me was to create a brand that could provide both comfort and protection without compromising aesthetically. Environmental considerations were embedded in our design choices from the outset, as it is impossible to ignore that 80% of a garment's future impact is decided in the design stage itself.” - Kayleigh Ferrani, founder & Creative Director
Our journey towards sustainability is ongoing, and we are committed to maintaining our social responsibility and values as we continue to lead by example in our industry.