Can A Wetsuit Be Environmentally Friendly?

Best Performance For The Lowest Impact

As surfers, we are regularly in contact with nature, so logically, we develop a curiosity and appreciation of the natural world. From this perspective, most surfers want to have a low impact on the climate, but the reality is that our lifestyle has a directly adverse effect on the environment.

So, we must be realistic about our impact and look for the best, balanced solutions. At ISURUS, this is the core of our design philosophy, and that is why we have selected fabrics that we believe provide the best performance with the lowest environmental impact.  

 

It's All In The Detail

Most wetsuits are mass-produced, using oil-based Neoprene (and over 90% of them by a single manufacturer), but we construct our wetsuits from limestone-based Neoprene from an independent factory.

It's important to remember that it takes many different materials and processes to manufacture a wetsuit, not just Neoprene and that not all limestone Neoprene is produced in the same way or of the same quality as Yamamoto.

At ISURUS, we use #39 and #40 Yamamoto Limestone Neoprene, which has excellent environmental credentials—including using 100% renewable energy in the factory and offices. We also take care to ensure that all the other fabrics are OEKO-Tex tested and approved. 

Layers and fabrics present in our most advanced wetsuits

 

One differentiating feature is that ISURUS wetsuits made with Yamamoto Limestone Neoprene have a much higher percentage of independent cells in the material as the illustration below shows:

The higher air (nitrogen gas) content means Yamamoto Limestone Neoprene is more water resistant, flexible, lighter, warmer, and returns to its original shape with less distortion than oil-based neoprenes.

Limestone Neoprene has around 94% independent (closed cell) nitrogen filled bubbles compared to around 60% for oil-based and plant-based Neoprene. As you can see from the illustration, this means that the material absorbs far less water, so it dries faster and doesn't get water-logged when you are surfing. 

This independent microcellular structure means that Yamamoto Limestone Neoprene effectively performs better in every way than other Neoprenes. 

  

Oil and Petroleum Based Neoprene

Oil—and petroleum-based Neoprene was the only option for many years. Since Dupont created a process of making flexible rubber in the 1930s, this was the only option available to early wetsuit makers. 

To get technical - traditional Neoprene is a foamed synthetic rubber compound scientifically known as polymer polychloroprene. The chemical process used to create the material is known as free-radical polymerization of chloroprene, which involves combining liquid compounds to elongate their polymer strands. This process creates polychloroprene chips, which are melted together, mixed with foaming agents and other compounds, baked and cured, then sliced to a desired thickness, and laminated to another fabric to create Neoprene sheets. 

Petroleum-based Neoprene uses an oil-based derivative, such as butadiene, as the binding agent that creates the longer strands of polymers, which turn into chips that are melted together.

You can read a much more technical description about oil-based Neoprene in this article from Rubbercal

This process has no regulatory oversight on where the oil-based derivative originated, what the extraction process was, or how far it traveled.

 

Yamamoto Limestone Neoprene - Making Wetsuits (from) Rock

In the 1960's, a Japanese engineer called Yamamoto discovered a bountiful source of limestone deposits in Mount Kurohime in Japan and developed a process to create flexible rubber in a completely revolutionary way. 

The basic process is not completely different from oil-based Neoprene, except that Yamamoto uses the highest grade limestone (99.7% concentration of pure calcium carbonate) to create the chips that are then melted down. However, you can see from thephotos and brief description of their process, that the level of transparency surrounding the production process at Yamamoto is extremely high. 

They describe the process as being similar to making bread -  Yamamoto Factory Tour 

This level of detail and transparency from a manufacturing partner is incredibly rare.

This process uses significant amounts of energy, especially during heating, but Yamamoto is certified to use 100% renewable energy sources in its factories and offices. 

We should also consider that there is extensive energy use during the extraction and transportation procedures. However, we know these materials do not travel huge distances from the source to the factory (around a 4-hour drive).

Yamamoto consider their production techniques to be artisanal compared to the mass-production that takes place with all the investor-owned wetsuit companies manufacturing through a single production partner: 

 

Which Is Better For The Environment?

When considering the environmental impacts of any product, it's essential to consider the whole product lifecycle, from extraction to transportation of raw materials, the manufacturing process, and the actual useful life of the product.   

Extraction: In both cases, the raw materials need to be mined  

In Limestone's case, this involves large machinery extracting the raw materials and transporting them to the factory before being processed. So there's undoubtedly an environmental cost, but the source material is abundant and located in Japan, relatively close to the factory. 

It is impossible to know the source of conventional petroleum-based neoprene, but it's likely to have been transported a considerable distance before being refined and then transported again to a factory for processing.

It's also essential to consider that oil has far more uses so that it could be used as a valuable resource for other things.

Therefore, we consider Limestone-based Neoprene from Yamamoto to have a considerably lower environmental impact at the source.

Manufacture: The production process for Neoprene requires a lot of energy for both oil and limestone-based forms

As you've read above, Neoprene is formed by melting the source materials at very high heat to fuse them and injecting them with air (nitrogen gas makes up 79% of air, and this gas is stable and safe for human health and the environment) to give them flexible properties. 

Melting anything that requires a lot of heat requires a lot of energy. But in this case, Yamamoto clearly has the lower impact, using energy created from renewable electricity to power its entire factory.

So, limestone Neoprene from Yamamoto is the clear winner in terms of energy use.

Their commitment to transparency and sustainable solutions gives us confidence that they are doing everything they can to develop their business with the lowest environmental impact.

Use / Performance: Limestone-based Neoprene significantly outperforms oil-based neoprene

This is where the environmental case for Yamamoto's limestone-based Neoprene kicks in. While mining and producing the material still require a lot of energy, the end result and use of the material are indisputable. 

Yamamoto's Limestone-based Neoprene, specifically the #39 and #40 that ISURUS uses in our wetsuits, is an outstanding material for wetsuits due to its independent closed-cell construction. That means there are more air bubbles within the structure material, which enables the following benefits:

• Warmer with less material
• More flexible for better surfing
• High stretch and recovery memory - keeps its shape for longer
  

These functional benefits mean that our customers surf their ISURUS wetsuits for a more extended season and more seasons. In all cases, this means purchasing fewer wetsuits.

Durability

Another option for a more environmentally friendly wetsuit is natural rubber, such as Yulex. Along with Yulex, Patagonia pioneered and championed this, and several other wetsuit brands have adopted it. 

We have personally tested wetsuits made from natural rubber and found them to lack the flexibility of Yamamoto wetsuits. They are stiffer and more rigid, to begin with, and then quickly lose their initial integrity, changing the feel and compression needed for high-performance wetsuits. 

Additionally, natural rubber is susceptible to UV and degrades quickly in the sun. You can see in the video below that after only 5 days, the natural rubber degrades, whereas the Yamamoto #39 lasts for over 260 days: 

 

You can learn more about the durability of ISURUS wetsuits in this article, which includes testimonials of wetsuits lasting for 6 seasons or more. 

The incredible durability of the Yamamoto Limestone Neoprene and the way ISURUS constructs it means that you can be sure to get many years of use out of your wetsuit, which significantly impacts its environmental friendliness. 

Limestone-based Neoprene ISURUS wetsuits are the most environmentally friendly on the market

Considering the entire lifecycle of the wetsuits we produce and sell, they provide the most environmentally friendly option for a wetsuit.  Having worked carefully with our partners at Yamamoto for many years, we have absolute confidence in their approach and commitment to transparency. 

Mining limestone has an environmental cost, but the source is in Japan, within a 4-hour drive of the factory. Much heat is used during the process, but all this energy is certified renewable and comes from 100% renewable sources. 

When you consider using the material, it is unquestionably significantly better than oil-based (or plant-based) equivalents in terms of its performance in the water. With an ISURUS wetsuit, you get a better-performing wetsuit that keeps you warmer for longer and is made from thinner material that keeps its integrity for longer.

Our customers report keeping their wetsuits for many seasons longer than other Neoprene suits, so ISURUS wetsuits provide exceptional long-term value and keep more Neoprene out of landfills. 

That inspires the commitment to our mantra that the most environmentally friendly wetsuit is the one that stays out of landfill the longest. 

Thanks to Yamamoto for their contribution to this article and their commitment to making their materials as environmentally friendly as possible.