GREEN WETSUITS ?

THE ECO-FRIENDLY SURF WETSUIT: MYTH OR REALITY?

It's a fashionable topic. Just this week a group of students and a magazine got in touch with us about ecology. And you see plenty of articles and brands rushing into the space.

Here's our take at Saint Jacques Wetsuits. It isn't meant to offer a miracle solution or to point fingers at anyone, but it might give a few people something to think about. Our Neocycle project reflects that view.

The tone is deliberately light and unfiltered, sorry ;)

THE SURFER

Sorry, but we're going to break the myth: most modern-day surfers aren't green.

The guy on a bike camping at the spot and eating fruit and vegetables? Personally I only see him in 80s films.

Meanwhile we're the first to jump in the car to check the spot, then the one next door because it must be better, then the next one because the tide has changed, then the next because the sandbank isn't working, and end up somewhere else entirely because it was too crowded. The result: we all drive far too much, without carpooling, because we don't want too many people on the secret spot :)

When it comes to buying, it's the same logic as with food: we'd all like to eat organic, but if it costs more, we'll wait a bit before going green.

And I won't even get into the environmental impact of boards, wax and sunscreen…

But to improve our environmental impact, we set up the Neocycle project.

NEOPRENE WETSUITS

Everyone has understood by now that neoprene is a polluting, petroleum-based material that's hard to recycle, so we're trying to find solutions!

Yulex and one major manufacturer are working on a renewable, plant-based substitute for neoprene. Why are they the only ones? Because the finished product costs more, and in terms of performance, stretch in particular, the result isn't fully satisfying yet.

Limestone neoprene comes from limestone rock, so it's more responsible. But that transformation takes a lot of energy, so the overall carbon footprint isn't necessarily better.

Most brands offer wetsuits made from petrochemicals: the raw material is cheaper, and the manufacturing processes are well proven today.

UPDATE: BIO-BASED FOAMS HAVE COME A LONG WAY

Since this article was published, natural rubber foams have made real progress in stretch and durability. Enough, this time, for us to put one in the water: our Clovis Bio uses a foam combining natural rubber, oyster shells, vegetable oils and tea stalks.

True to what we wrote above, we'd rather explain what this foam is — and above all what it isn't — than turn it into a marketing line: everything about our bio-based foam.

SO WHERE DOES SAINT JACQUES STAND?

We'd like to be green too, but there's no way we'll turn it into a selling point. Somewhere between greenwashing and genuine environmental progress, it's hard to tell a product that claims to be green from one that really is.

Saint Jacques uses limestone-based neoprene, but it isn't our main communication angle: too many questions remain unanswered.

Our approach is broader: improving our overall impact rather than focusing on the composition of one material. That's why we set up the Neocycle project, to recycle our wetsuits.

In our eyes, transport is one of the major problems, with offshore production requiring a lot of back and forth. We're working on it.

We make wetsuits with high durability, and to us that's the key to a real environmental approach. It means thinking long term, spreading the impact of our products over time.

Above all, we've also put a concrete action in place to reduce the environmental impact of neoprene: the Neocycle project

RECOMMENDATIONS

Be wary of shortcuts and the messages being pushed.
Consume local (food and waves) to cut your carbon footprint.
Go for quality products that last.

If our philosophy speaks to you, discover our collection here