Originally, fourth element OceanPositive products were conceived as a result of recycled ghost nets and other discarded waste – turned into ECONYL® yarn to use in our swimwear and rashguards. We are constantly reviewing old products to add more sustainable fabrics and ensuring anything new we create is thoughtfully considered for its environmental impact.
SUSTAINABLE SWIMWEAR
Our swimwear and OceanPositive rashguards are made using recycled nylon from ghost fishing nets and other discarded waste.
‘Ghost nets’ amount to over 600,000 tonnes of lost gear every year. The main hazard is to marine life – from invertebrates to large marine mammals. They continue to fish long after they have been abandoned, and account for countless lives lost. The netting, very slow to degrade, scrubs coral, creating a desolate seascape where they are dragged over the reef by shifting currents.
Now, all over the world, dive teams are removing these ghost nets from the wrecks and reefs, often at great depths, and bringing them up to the surface where they can be recycled and spun into nylon yarn. The recycled yarn is combined with LYCRA® XTRA LIFE™ to provide a long-lasting fit and resist degradation from chlorinated water, the heat and sunscreen lotions up to 10 times longer than unprotected fabrics.
REEF-SAFE SUN PROTECTION
Safe sun protection is vital for customers who love watersports. For years we have been told to cover ourselves in sunscreen, but recent studies show that the pollutants in sunscreens are contributing to the increase of dead and sterile ‘zombie reefs’. Pollutants in sunscreens are killing the coral in our oceans and increasing numbers of people are looking for alternatives.
Whilst reef-safe creams are becoming more available, our Hydroskin and Hydro Legging rashguards give protection of UPF50+, blocking at least 97.5% of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. So divers, snorkelers and any water sports enthusiast can take care of their skin without damaging the oceans. Our OceanPositive versions are also made with recycled nylon.
THE WETSUIT RECYCLED FROM THE SEA
Think wetsuit and you think neoprene. But how about an alternative with more environmentally friendly credentials? Thermocline utilises a unique fabric made using ECONYL® recycled Nylon laminated with a waterproof membrane and thermal fleece.
The next generation Thermocline fabric is the highest performing fabric we have ever made for this application and it feels as good as it looks, its outer layer is 78% recycled Nylon, from ghost fishing nets and other post-consumer waste.
GREEN TO THE CORE
More than 8 million tonnes of plastic are dumped in our oceans every year, endangering marine and bird life and creating almost unfathomable areas of pollution, from local water courses to vast plastic gyres. Reducing the plastic we discard is part of the solution to improving the health of our oceans.
X-Core is made with REPREVE® – a fibre that is made from recycled post-consumer waste, including used plastic bottles. Plastic is removed from the waste stream and prevented from reaching the ocean. 76% of the fibre composition of X-Core is recycled polyester.
The Polartec® fabric used in X-Core is manufactured to the highest environmental standards. It has Blue Sign® and Oeko-Tex® certification to indicate that harmful chemicals are minimised or eliminated and that waste water is treated to ensure its purity before being released from the factory.
ALL WEATHER. ALL GOOD
Using fabric manufactured according to the Bluesign® standard, the Storm Poncho is produced using innovative, resource-conserving and environmentally friendly techniques.
The fleece backing contains 37% recycled yarn with S.Café® technology, derived from post-consumer plastic bottles. S.Café® process embeds coffee grounds into the recycled yarn surface, changing the characteristics of the filament and provides faster drying times along with increased odour resistance and enhanced reflection of UV rays.
HAPPY FEET. HAPPY PLANET.
These shoes don’t just feel good, they DO good.
The outer parts of the shoe are made from a 100% natural rubber from rubber trees, reducing the demand for synthetic rubber made from petrochemicals.
The lining is made from recycled polyester. Each pair of Rock Hoppers saves at least 6 plastic bottles ending up in landfill or worse, the ocean.
BETTER NATURE
As of 2019 our full Life collection is being produced with certified organic cotton, hand printed with water-based inks, and all packaged without plastic.
Regular cotton is often farmed from genetically modified seeds which have a resistance to fight off crop-eating bugs. Organic Cotton is grown without chemical pesticides, and ensures that waste water from the agricultural process is not contaminated with chemical residues, meaning that it can return to the water course. The production of cotton, and indeed most fabrics, is water intensive but organic protocols mean that waste water can be recycled.
Water-based inks are made by suspending a 100% biodegradable pigment into a water base and are free from harmful, toxic chemicals. This allows our printers to wash their equipment without the use of harmful solvents for cleaning and disposal.
GREEN IS THE NEW BLACK
One of the main ingredients of our Xenos, Proteus II and neoprene accessories, is carbon black, recycled by our wetsuit factory from post-consumer scrap tyres. This is combined with neoprene chips, produced from limestone instead of traditional oil-based neoprene. After the neoprene creation process, the redundant trimmed materials will be recycled and reused in the mixing process to produce more neoprene sheets.
Overall huge amounts of raw materials are saved, energy consumption is reduced and waste water and air emissions are minimised during production.
BORN
FROM BOTTLES
We consume nearly 1 million plastic bottles a minute globally. This waste is not always necessary and not all of it is handled responsibly.
Recycling is one solution to the problem, creating new products from old. Rejecting single-use plastic packaging and recycling whenever and wherever possible is a step in the right direction. With small changes in our behaviour, we can make a big difference.
Made with recycled post consumer plastic waste, these shorts and rashguards prevent approximately between eight and four plastic bottles from ending up in landfill or worse still, the ocean.
GROWN, NOT MADE
The Surface Suit is made from Yulex Pure™, an FSC® Certified, ultra-pure natural rubber made in the USA. The plants are grown with natural irrigation systems and the materials are processed with recycled water. Even the waste plant material after the rubber extraction process is used as biomass fuel for electricity generation. Yulex™ is sustainably grown and harvested, helping protect the social and economic wellbeing of forest dependent communities.
The lining fabrics are created from ocean-bound plastic bottles, recycled and spun into a soft polyester yarn. Water-based glues are used to bond the foam to the fabrics and prints are embossed or use water-based inks to ensure every care has been taken to minimise the environmental impact of this product.
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