At a time when global fashion and retail industries are under scrutiny for their environmental impact, South African lifestyle brand Sealand continues to prove that sustainability can be both authentic and aspirational.

Speaking to ReSource, Tim Coles, Sealand’s Head of Sustainability, explains how the Cape Town-based company embeds environmental and social consciousness into every aspect of its operations, from material sourcing to circular design and consumer engagement.

“We don’t view sustainability as a marketing gimmick or an add-on,” Coles says. “It’s about taking care of the environment so that it can continue to take care of us. That’s a principle that runs through our brand, our design process, and our culture.”

Sustainability as a South African value

Coles believes that South Africa’s sustainability journey is deeply shaped by context and necessity.

“It’s not a luxury here,” he says. “In South Africa, sustainability has always been about resourcefulness, looking around, asking what’s already available, and finding ways to reuse or repurpose it.”

He points to the country’s informal economy as a long-standing example of circularity in action. “At any traffic light, you’ll see someone making something beautiful out of reclaimed wire or fabric. They’re not doing it for sustainability points; they’re not calling it innovation; they’re doing it because it makes sense. Out of necessity, we’ve built a culture of revaluing waste.”

That culture, Coles adds, aligns closely with Sealand’s founding philosophy: to assign value to materials others consider disposable. “When we take old advertising banners or waste fabrics and turn them into durable bags, it benefits everyone – businesses save on landfill costs, and we get access to robust materials that tell a story.”

Cape Town’s natural setting reinforces that mindset. “Driving through a national park on your way to work, you’re constantly reminded of the beauty and fragility of the environment,” he says.

“That proximity to nature influences how we design and what we stand for. It has also reinforced the need for on the ground intervention in these spaces – as demonstrated by our Protect Our Paths Foundation and partnerships for beach and trail cleans.”

Material innovation and localisation

For Sealand, a certified B Corp, material choice is where sustainability becomes tangible. “We always optimise across as many metrics as we can – low carbon, recycled content, non-toxic coatings, and durability,” Coles explains. “It can become a real balancing act, as few materials will meet every requirement, but one of the most sustainable things you can do is make something that really lasts.”

A major development for the company is the upcoming launch of MajiTex, a 100% recycled polyester fabric woven in South Africa. The name derives from “maji”, the Swahili word for water. “It felt right,” Coles says.

“Water connects all of us, and in Cape Town, it’s always front of mind.”

Developed with local weaving partners, the yarn for the new fabric is certified to the Global Recycling Standard (GRS) and fully traceable. “This is our solution to replace what virgin canvas exists across our range,” he says. “It’s made entirely from recycled plastic and allows us to keep production local, with a lower carbon footprint.”

The next step, Coles explains, is to localise the entire value chain. “At the moment, the yarn is imported because certification is prohibitively expensive for smaller recyclers here. But we’re in talks with local manufacturers to connect the dots, from collection and depolymerisation to extrusion and weaving. The capability exists in South Africa; it just needs alignment and time.”

Coles notes that the initiative has an eye on global trends. “Even if our local regulations are still catching up, global markets are tightening. If South African brands want access to those markets, they’ll need to meet strict environmental standards. By designing with those benchmarks now, we’re preparing the industry for the future.”

Circular design and end-of-life solutions

Sealand’s approach to circularity extends well beyond manufacturing. In 2024, the company launched Second Wave, a take-back and resale programme designed to keep its products in use for as long as possible.

“We’ve had our Evergreen Guarantee for years, giving every customer ten years of free repairs,” Coles explains. “But we wanted to go further. Second Wave lets customers bring back products they no longer use in exchange for a 25% discount on their next purchase. We refurbish, wash, and resell them with a small tag that identifies them as renewed.”

Ten percent of the proceeds from Second Wave sales are donated to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), supporting local conservation initiatives.

“It’s circularity with an added social impact,” says Coles. “Customers aren’t just buying something sustainable, they’re contributing to something larger.”

Products beyond repair are stripped for reusable components, with leftover fabrics donated to Taking Care of Business (TCB), a Cape Town social enterprise that creates new items from textile waste. “That partnership keeps materials in circulation and supports livelihoods,” he notes.

Sealand is also playing an active role in shaping the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) framework for textiles in South Africa, working with GreenCape and WISP to develop the country’s first national scheme. “It’s still early days,” Coles says, “but we’re helping define how textile EPR could work, from fees per garment to funding proper recycling facilities.”

Durability as sustainability

Beyond recycling and innovation, Coles argues that durability remains the simplest and most effective sustainability principle.

“You can make something from the most extractive industries imaginable, but if it lasts for 100 years, it’s still more sustainable than something disposable,” he says. “Our philosophy has always been: buy once, buy well.”

That ethos has earned Sealand a loyal following. Many customers still use the same products they bought nearly a decade ago, a fact Coles attributes to thoughtful design and quality materials. “Every decision, from hardware to stitching, balances sustainability with function and longevity,” he says. “It’s about responsible optimisation.”

Engaging consumers in carbon literacy

Looking ahead, Sealand plans to introduce a personal carbon offset programme to help customers understand their individual impact.

“We’re developing an initiative that encourages people to think about their personal carbon budgets in a fun, accessible way,” Coles explains. “It’s about awareness, not guilt. Our consumers are often in the premium market segment, which means their embodied emissions are higher, so this is the group that can make the biggest difference.”

The programme will support verified local carbon removal projects that also create jobs and alleviate poverty. “We see it as another way to align environmental and social outcomes,” he adds. “Offsets aren’t the final solution, real reductions are, but they’re one important tool in the journey to net zero.”

Coles believes that what sets Sealand apart is authenticity.

“The bigger the gap between your values and your actions, the more cautious you have to be,” he says. “When your actions match your message, you can speak freely without fear of misrepresentation. That’s what we aim for: transparency and accountability.”

With ten years behind it, Sealand continues to position itself not just as a brand, but as a platform for responsible innovation within South Africa’s growing circular economy.

“We’ve never tried to claim perfection,” Coles concludes. “But we’ve built a business that proves sustainability and quality can coexist, and that’s something worth scaling.”