The athletes sharing their thoughts around sustainability. Photo: Kristal Seidita (@roseforalens)
Like many brands, Billabong is taking initiatives to go greener and promote sustainability through its products and actions. Recently, Billabong Womens hosted its first Athlete Sustainability Summit in an effort to do just that.
The event took place on August 9 at Gold Coast Farm, on the traditional homelands of the Acjachemen/Juaneno Band of Mission Indians. The women began the day with a welcoming and greeting by tribal elder and spiritual advisor Adelia Sandoval. After the welcoming ceremony, the women were given a tour of the farm and tips on how to get involved and be more eco-conscious.
The welcoming ceremony. Photo: Kristal Seidita (@roseforalens)
The event was hosted by Lex Weinstein who led the athletes in a workshop where they shared their thoughts and experiences on sustainability. Sea and Soil, WSL Pure, Surfrider, and Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii shared the latest from their organizations and how to get involved while the guests enjoyed a beautiful farm to table dinner.
At the event, Billabong also highlighted its wetsuits and the groundbreaking sustainable technology they feature. The furnace Natural is the brand’s most sustainable wetsuit, featuring “neoprene-free” Yulex derived from FCS certified rubber trees.
The farm to table dinner. Photo: Kristal Seidita (@roseforalens)
“Billabong is a company of committed surfers, which means we always prioritize lightening our footprint and improving the health of our oceans,” read a statement from Billabong’s marketing team. “In our ongoing effort to help protect the places we play, every men’s and women’s wetsuit we manufacture uses recycled materials, saving millions of plastic bottles from landfills and the oceans. In addition to our recycled materials initiative, we use water-based adhesives, plastic-free recycled paper packaging and Arch and Hook Blue recycled marine plastic hangers; reclaiming tons of waste from rivers and oceans. We’ve worked to continually improve throughout all aspects of our production process, such as utilizing Blue Sign-certified and solar-powered factories to create our products, reducing our impact while improving the performance of the wetsuits you know and love.”
Sustainable goodie bags. Photo: Kristal Seidita (@roseforalens)
The Athlete Sustainability Summit was a small step in what Billabong hopes will create waves of change and inspire athletes and customers to make more sustainable lifestyle choices.
