Below you’ll find more information on all sustainable aspects of SRFACE and our products. This list is not exhaustive so feel free to contact us with your feedback, as we believe creating impact and change is best done together.
Sustainability
To SRFACE, ‘sustainability’ isn’t just some marketing buzzword. It’s an integral part of our compass and business strategy since the day we’ve founded our company.
+ Planet-Quality-Price decision making
+ Carbon neutral shipping
+ Sustainable Yulex® natural rubber Eco wetsuits
+ High-end limestone neoprene
+ Aqua-α water based lamination glue
+ Eco carbon black: No harmfull pigments
+ Dope-dye technology
LET'S BE HONEST
Because what’s more important than honesty and transparency when talking about a subject like sustainability.
To SRFACE, ‘sustainability’ isn’t just some marketing buzzword. It’s an integral part of our compass and business strategy since the day we’ve founded our company.
But what does that mean on a day to day basis? It means we consciously weigh every decision we make: What materials to use (and not to use) in our products, what packaging to ship our wetsuits in, what carrier to use and what fulfilment companies and other partners to work with. And since we’re being honest: Sometimes these are very hard decisions to make.
To guide us through the ‘green wilderness’ we’ve created a simple framework we use when we’re lost.
PQP FRAMEWORK
NEOPRENE
PLANET
QUALITY
PRICE
Traditional
--
--
++
Limestone
+
++
-
Natural Rubber
++
+
-
If we’re not sure what material to use for our wetsuits or packaging, or if we have to choose between suppliers, we weigh the following components: Planet, Quality and Price.
We call this the PQP Framework.
We score each component with 1 or 2 minuses or plusses.Sometimes we sacrifice on Price or Planet if there are no high quality alternatives. We believe that only by creating the ultimate wetsuit we’ll be able to generate the impact we need to change things for the better.
HOW DOES THIS FRAMEWORK WORK?
It’s best to illustrate this with a practical example: The decision not to work with traditional neoprene but with more eco-friendly alternatives like limestone neoprene and Yulex® natural rubber. Limestone is a more expensive material compared to traditional neoprene but it’s superior in terms of quality and durability. Yulex® is a sustainable alternative for neoprene but is more expensive.
This is how we consciously weigh every decision we make. We continue to monitor all material developments in the industry and are always looking for even more environmentally friendly materials and techniques to adopt.
It’s that simple, really.
PRODUCT
LIMESTONE NEOPRENE
The main neoprene compound for most wetsuits on the market remains chloroprene. But instead of using ‘dirty’ petroleum based ingredients, SRFACE uses calcium carbonate from limestone to form chloroprene rubber chips. These rubber chips are melted down in an oven and go through a chemical process. The melted substance is infused with air bubbles and baked into a block of limestone neoprene foam.
Read moreYULEX®️ SUSTAINABLE FOAM
Yulex® natural rubber is grown and harvested from Hevea rubber trees on an FSC®️-certified sustainable forest in Sri Lanka. The flexible plant-based rubber is purified and made into a high quality closed cell foam.
ECO CARBON BLACK
One of the key ingredients used to produce neoprene is now pyrolyzed from scrap rubber tires. This significantly reduces energy consumption and CO2 emission.
DOPE-DYE
Wet processing, unlike dope-dyeing, is a common step used in the wetsuit industry, and has a significant impact on the environment and on human health. Large amounts of chemicals and dyes are used in wet processing, resulting in effluents with a complex chemical composition. The textile industry consumes large quantities of water in wet processing operations.
Dope-dyeing technology infuses dye pigments into molten plastic solution to produce colored nylon yarns without the traditional dyeing process. This saves tremendous amounts of water (up to 80%) while reducing energy consumption and water pollution. The dope dyed yarns are woven into a knit that is laminated onto both the inside and outside of the sliced neoprene sheets. Dope-dye nylon lining is used on all SRFACE wetsuits.
AQUA-α WATER BASED LAMINATION GLUE
Remember the smell of a new wetsuit? That smell will soon be a thing of the past. Traditional lamination glue for wetsuits is a dirty business. SRFACE exclusively works with a water based lamination glue called aqua-α on all our wetsuits. This saves up to 600 grams of solvents per wetsuit. Don’t worry, aqua-α, although water based, won’t dissolve in water.
REACH COMPLIANT / PAHS FREE
PAHs, or Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, are a class of chemicals that occur naturally in coal, crude oil, and gasoline. PAHs generated from these sources can bind to or form small particles in the air and can form a potential health risk. All SRFACE wetsuits are PAHs free and 100% REACH compliant. You can find more information on REACH guidelines here.
SRFACE wetsuits are made with the highest quality materials and techniques available.
SRFACE wetsuits are made with the highest quality materials and techniques available.
IT'S NOT JUST THE WETSUIT
SHIPPING BAG ♽ WETSUIT BAG
Plastic is a potentially catastrophic environmental problem. SRFACE wetsuits (fullsuits only) are shipped in shipping bags made from 100% recycled plastic. You can re-use your shipping bag as waterproof wetsuit bag. Should you want to dispose of the bag, please make sure to separate with other plastic.
CARBON NEUTRAL SHIPPING
We’ve partnered with UPS and Natural Capital Partners to guarantee 100% carbon neutral deliveries of all our orders. And when our wetsuits travel by boat, The GoodShipping Program compensates our CO2 emission.
A SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL
SRFACE is an online company. We don’t rent showrooms and retail space. We hold as little stock as possible and ship with carriers with the best possible environmental performance. We believe this is a more sustainable way of doing business and potentially the future of retail.
It also allows us to offer our wetsuits at an affordable price so you save money to spend on the things that matter. For instance supporting a good cause like The Ocean Cleanup. If you have any questions about our sustainability policy or if you want to share ideas on how to make SRFACE more sustainable, please free to contact us here.
SUSTAINABLE PARTNERS
We collaborate closely with our partners on innovative sustainability initiatives. Do you know of, or represent, a company we should work with? Contact us here.
We believe that the only way forward is to evolve to a fully circular business model for all our products. Even though this is not possible yet, we will pursue this goal and will not stop looking for innovations until this goal is reached.