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Cody Tuma
March 23, 2014
Applied Textiles and Design FASH 110
Cheri Lawell
Eco-Friendly Wetsuits
There is one type of scent anyone that surfs can recognize right away: neoprene.
For some, the smell can be very pleasant and bring back memories of awesome
experiences out in the ocean. For others the smell can be a constant reminder of the harm
and pollution that is caused to the earth from the chemicals used to make this man-made
textile. Much research has been put into making wetsuits that are green because being
green is a huge part of the surf culture. After many years of research, a discovery was
made that a plant called the Guayule plant can be processed and produced into a natural
eco-friendly rubber that performs very similarly to neoprene.
Neoprene has fantastic insulation properties, especially in water. Once it was
discovered that neoprene could keep one warm in cold water for long periods of time, it
blew up in the surfing industry. Neoprene has become one of the most widely used fibers
in the industry. It works by trapping a small amount of water between the users skin and
the wetsuit. The users body heat warms up the water that is trapped and is kept in
between the user and the wetsuit, thus keeping the user warm. It also is a very durable
and weather resistant fiber (Woodford).
Neoprene’s vast and wide production caused people to realize that making this
fiber is not very beneficial to our planet. Neoprene was first made only using petroleum.
There is only a limited amount of petroleum that is available for use on the earth. Once it
is all used, it is gone. In the production of neoprene, the petroleum must be melted which

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contributes to pollution on the earth. The chemicals that are also used in production
contribute to the pollution (“Green Neoprene?”).
The first advancement in making neoprene a greener fiber was to use limestone
instead of petroleum. Limestone is a limited resource as well, but it is more readily
available than petroleum. It is also much easier to clean up a limestone spill compared to
cleaning up an oil spill. The only drawback in using limestone is that it produces the
same amount of pollutants that are produced when petroleum is used as the main
ingredient (“Green Neoprene?”)
Since the advancement of using limestone to make neoprene, companies have
been on the search for a more eco-friendly fiber that performs the same as neoprene. The
companies, Patagonia and Yulex, got together and spent four years researching this. Last
year they produced the first biodegradable and plant based wetsuit. The new fiber is
called Yulex. It is made from the Guayule plant, which is native to Mexico and the
southwest of the United States. This new discovery will forever change the surf industry
(Cote).
The Guayule plant needs very little water and does not do any damage to its
surroundings. The plants resin is extracted from the stems and leaves of the plant. The
resin is the main ingredient of the Yulex fiber. Once the resin is transformed into rubber,
the rubber is processed into sheets the same way that neoprene is. They are then able to
take those sheets and make it into a wetsuit. They are currently making the wetsuits out
of 60% Yulex and 40% traditional neoprene. They are hoping to have 100% neoprene
suits by next year (Shadley)!

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Patagonia has opened up this discovery to other companies that specialize in
making wetsuits. They are hoping to make this a worldwide change and eliminate the use
of neoprene. There is no difference in appearance or feel when Yulex is compared to
traditional neoprene. The only major difference is that Yulex does not have the classic,
well known neoprene scent. Team tests have proven that Yulex has more stretch and
keeps the surfer warmer when it is compared to a classic neoprene suit (Shadley).
After researching about this topic, it is very apparent that there is much positivity
and excitement in the discovery of this new eco-friendly substitute for neoprene. This
discovery can eliminate the waste and pollution that is produced when traditional
petroleum and limestone neoprene is made. Neoprene is also coming back in style and is
being used to make apparel in major high-end fashion companies. This new discovery
not only can make a change to the surf industry but also to the entire textile industry.

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Works Cited
Cote, Chris. "The World's First Earth-friendly Wetsuit." GrindTV.com. The Enthusiast
Network, 8 Nov. 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2014.
The Footprint Chronicles. "Green Neoprene?" Green Neoprene? (2012): n. pag.
Patagonia. Patagonia, 2012. Web. 10 Nov. 2014.
Shadley, Steve. "Surfwear Company Markets Organic Wetsuits Made of Rubber from
Arizona Shrub." KJZZ. KJZZ, 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
Woodford, Chris. "Wetsuits." How Do Wetsuits Work? Explain That Stuff, 8 July 2014.
Web. 25 Nov. 2014.