Photo: Rip Curl // YouTube
Surfers are more attuned to nature than most athletes, but their equipment couldn’t be farther from eco-friendly. Foam, fiberglass and neoprene are the biggest offenders, which has led many manufacturers to spearhead recycling programs to alleviate the impact of those materials. Recently Rip Curl decided to expand its existing program in Europe.
The move is part of Rip Curl’s Recycle Your Wetsuit initiative, a program launched in Australia in 2021 and subsequently expanded internationally. As part of the program, surfers can drop off their old wetsuits at participating stores (all brands are accepted, not just Rip Curl). The suits are then collected, sorted, and recycled into other products. So far, it has helped recycle over 32,000 wetsuits worldwide, including more than 12,000 in Europe.
The European expansion is a collaboration with the company Circular Flow. Initially launching in the European Union with a partnership with Finisterre, the company specializes in making products out of recycled neoprene. As part of their partnership with Rip Curl, Circular Flow will repurpose donated wetsuits into new neoprene products such as change mats.
“We are proud to roll out this initiative in Europe, the result of close collaboration between our teams and partners,” said Jonathan Cetran, Head of Products at Rip Curl Europe. “This project marks a major step forward in our commitment to establishing a circular model for wetsuit recycling, with these first products and an expanded range to come. It also reflects Rip Curl’s determination to accelerate its transition toward a more sustainable economy, in line with our ambitious ESG approach and our B Corp certification.”
