Kerry MacKay looks at the sustainability of neoprene – will we ever get a carbon-neutral wetsuit ?
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ENVIRONMENT
Neoprene dream … or nightmare ?
Kerry MacKay looks at the sustainability of neoprene – will we ever get a carbon-neutral wetsuit ?
We ’ ve all used neoprene at some point . Some of us are clad head to toe in it , or maybe it ’ s just your hood . Either way , have you ever wondered how neoprene is made , or what the environmental impact of the production process is ?
To be honest I ’ d not given it much consideration until I spotted ‘ green neoprene ’ being marketed . So , I looked into it . Here ’ s what I found , along with some tips to help you choose your next neoprene goodies so they don ’ t harm the oceans we ’ re spending all this money to immerse ourselves in .
I ’ m sure you ’ re familiar with typical wetsuit material , but let ’ s start with the basics . Neoprene is a bouncy synthetic foamed rubber , sometimes called a sponge . It is made from polychloroprene chips .
Normally it starts with oil exploration and drilling . The crude oil goes to a refinery where it is separated into different organic compounds , including butadiene . Butadiene is put through a two-step process of chlorination and subsequent dehydrochlorination to make chloroprene monomer . Manufacturers then react the chloroprene monomers together ( polymerize ) to make larger molecules ( polymers ) that make up the polychloroprene rubber chips ( neoprene ).
The alternative conventional method uses limestone . Like oil , limestone is a limited , non-renewable resource that is mined from the earth with massive machinery . The crushed limestone is fed into a furnace and heated to extremely high temperatures . From the furnace , components are reacted with other chemicals to make products such as acetylene gas . The acetylene is reacted so two molecules join together to form a double molecule ( dimerized ), and then the acetylene dimer is hydrochlorinated to make the familiar polychloroprene rubber chips ( neoprene ).
“ Neoprene is a bouncy synthetic foamed rubber , sometimes called a sponge ”
These neoprene chips are melted and mixed together with foaming ( blowing ) agents and pigment , usually carbon black ( from recycled tyres ). Then baked in an oven to make it expand . Both of these manufacturing methods are extremely energy-intensive and consume finite resources .
Over 380 tons of neoprene gets thrown away every year , and it doesn ’ t naturally degrade . It will simply disintegrate over 100 + years , contributing to microplastics and chemical pollution . The adhesives used in both the lamination and the glueing processes usually contain harmful solvents , which also pollute the environment .
Clearly , the neoprene status quo is far from sustainable or good for the planet . What alternatives do we have ? To state the obvious , before buying anything new see if you can repair what you have , or consider buying second-hand .
Recycling neoprene is not simple . Unlike recycling plastics , it ’ s not possible to melt neoprene down to make new neoprene . Some companies are upcycling pre-loved neoprene into new products such as hoods , gloves , or yoga mats and boxing bag filling . You can send your old wetsuits through many manufacturers to be recycled by Circular Flow .
More recently , ways of making ‘ green ’ neoprene have been developed . Yulex was the first to bring a 100 % plant-based FSC-certified natural rubber to market . Sourced from naturally grown and harvested Hevea trees , the zero-waste production process emits 80 % fewer carbon dioxide emissions than neoprene .
Yulex neoprene feels nearly identical to conventional neoprene . Patagonia ( a well-known outdoor brand ) laminates Yulex neoprene with a fabric lining of recycled polyester ( often from plastic bottles ) and chlorine-free wool using water-based glues . Such conscientious manufacturers have greatly reduced the environmental footprint of their neoprene products .
Synthetic rubber ( neoprene in this case ), emits around 182,000g to 196,000g of CO2 per kilo . By contrast , Yulex material from tree sap only emits around 7.1g to 9.6g of CO2 into the atmosphere . That ’ s a huge difference !
Many well-known brands ( Patagonia , Fourth Element , Aqualung …) now proudly offer more sustainable neoprene products xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
. I was unable to find a green neoprene drysuit , but there are plenty of wetsuit and hood / glove options . It ’ s only a matter of time before a green neoprene drysuit makes a splash on the market .
Next time you ’ re on the hunt for a new piece of neoprene kit , I hope you ’ ll repair , reuse , shop sustainably , and recycle . As Fourth Element puts it : “ Why change from the tried and tested neoprene we all know ? To enable future generations to keep diving , that ’ s why .” �
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