Surf label Rip Curl has teamed with global recycler TerraCycle to launch a wetsuit recycling program in Australia from this month – which it aims to take global some day.
The Wetsuit Take Back Recycling Program enables surfers across the country to recycle any branded wetsuit at participating Rip Curl stores in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. The rubber collected will be repurposed to create safety matting at playgrounds and outdoor gyms.
“We first launched a local wetsuit recycling program at the Rip Curl Flagship Store in Torquay, Victoria, back in April 2018,” explains Shasta O’Loughlin, Rip Curl’s environmental, social and governance manager. “The response was overwhelming, and the demand was clearly there.”
She says Rip Curl creates products for surfers, by surfers, and wants to ensure it extends the life of those products and repurposes them into a new commodity. “Our nation-wide expansion and partnership with TerraCycle is the next big step in this space.
“TerraCycle has a huge network and were able to assist us in finding the best possible solution for recycling used wetsuit neoprene. We are really excited about this partnership, and the reach that it can provide across Australia. Once the program has proven itself here at home, we are excited to explore a global expansion. We want to give all surfers the opportunity to recycle their old wetsuits.”
TerraCycle Australia and New Zealand GM Jean Bailliard says the program is a great way for Rip Curl to support its sustainably minded consumers.
“Rip Curl understands its consumers care deeply about the ocean and the preservation of the planet. By partnering with them on this program, we’re able to ensure that wetsuits returned through the recycling program will be saved from landfill and given a second life.”
- Image credit: Rip Curl.
