Climate change is becoming a fact of life. Following a year in which much of Europe saw record temperatures in the summer, Pakistan suffer from devastating floods, and wildfires of near-unprecedented scale break out on almost every continent, many people find themselves at a juncture in which they ask how they can change their consumption habits.
For triathletes and enthusiasts of the sport, it is no secret that a lot of kit is required to train and compete at a high level. Of the equipment required, wetsuits are a good place to start when it comes to reducing the carbon footprint of athletes at every level.
Oil-based wetsuits
The original wetsuit neoprene was developed in the early 1930s as an oil derivative and the original procedure for developing neoprene was a carbon-intensive process. This traditional petrol-based method of developing neoprene took off in the 1950s. The most common neoprene type in this respect is known as CR neoprene, otherwise known as Chloroprene rubber, CR or Polychloroprene. CR neoprene can be made out of oil, which, given its environmental consequences, is something that triathlon could look to phase out where possible.
Fortunately, nowadays there are several alternatives for more environmentally-friendly wetsuits. Foremost amongst these is limestone neoprene. Instead of creating the rubber-foam for the wetsuit from oil, limestone neoprene makes it out of (you guessed it) limestone which has a lesser environmental impact.
How do limestone wetsuits work?
The limestone method emerged in the 1960s and it shares similarities to the oil-based CR neoprene. The main neoprene compound remains chloroprene, however, in contrast to using petroleum-based ingredients it became possible to use calcium carbonate from limestone. (Editor’s note: there should have been a warning in chemistry at school that it could one day become relevant to triathlon.)
One of the primary sources of global limestone is Japan. Due to this abundance of limestone and a high-tech industrial sector that can efficiently transform the limestone into rubber chips, Japan has developed a reputation for high-end neoprene production. Denka is one of the largest Japanese limestone chip manufacturers and they generate limestone rubber chips for most of the world’s neoprene sheet production. As a result, there is a strong chance that your current or next wetsuit will have originated in Japan.
Once the limestone has been transformed into the rubber chips, the chips are melted down in an oven and go through a chemical process. Next, the melted substance is infused with air bubbles and baked into a block of neoprene foam. This part of the process is essentially how wetsuits acquire their unique texture and after this the resulting foam is sliced into blocks of neoprene of varying thicknesses, depending on the requests of the manufacturers.
The invention of limestone neoprene has been hugely impactful on wetsuit manufacturing and transformed much of the high-end wetsuit industry to become more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Some companies have different names for their limestone-based alternative but they ultimately amount to the same process.
Beyond the environmental advantages of limestone over oil-based neoprene, it appears that the flexibility, insulation and elongation of the limestone-based material are superior to that of the oil process. Coupled with the sustainability benefits, it is clear why many manufacturers have moved in that direction.
A new option?
In recent times, a new, even more sustainable, material has emerged onto the scene. on the wetsuit stage. A few years ago, Yulex developed an innovative neoprene-free natural rubber called “Lexcell” in collaboration with Patagonia using a revolutionary plant-based rubber foam. This foam has the lowest carbon footprint in modern wetsuit production. One obvious disadvantage is that it is more expensive than limestone neoprene which in turn pushes up the price of wetsuits made in this manner. That being said, the quality of this new foam has made great strides and continues to do so. It now matches up well to the limestone neoprene standard and makes for a viable, environmentally-friendly alternative.
A completely different way of making wetsuits is by using natural rubber, however this technique is not as common or commercial as some of the alternatives already mentioned.
Triathlon is not a cheap sport so for many the thought of breaking the bank for a “Lexcell” wetsuit, or equivalent, could be a step too far. However, it is still worth being conscious of the options out there and the relative environmental impacts they have.
When looking into purchasing a wetsuit in future, then, it could be a good option to look a little more closely at the nature of the neoprene used to make it. This may not represent the biggest change in world but it is a small step that the triathlon community could make collectively.
