How Sustainable is Surfing?

When thinking of surfers, we think of those who live a life at sea, deeply rooted in the environment that surrounds them. We image people who see the devastation around them, such as decreases in biodiversity, increased plastic in the ocean and in warmer climates even coral degradation. And, for a large proportion of the surfers I have been fortunate enough to interact with, this is the case! Many are incredibly aware of how the ocean is changing and will continue to change unless we begin to act. However, in many cases we can’t see the damage our own equipment is doing to the ocean, or the pollution that producing such equipment can emit. Now, in no way are we blaming surfers for the damage to our oceans or telling them that it is their responsibility to fix it. I feel by exploring an industry that is small and has such a reliance on the ocean, we can see just how far we must go to become an entirely sustainable society. The surf industry is not the problem; however, it is a testament to progress that has been made and the progress still to be made; both in this industry and every industry across the globe.

In Ireland and many other cold water surfing locations, a neoprene wetsuit is standard (there are fewer mainstream alternatives that I will explore), surfers also need their trusty board and the extras (fins, leash, wax etc). Now that we have an idea of what a surfer needs to get out there, let’s have a look at the impact we can expect from the average surfer.

My own surf setup, while I will continue to look for more sustainable solutions I still continue to pollute even in the most simple parts of my life.

The main issue we have to address is neoprene. This is a petroleum-based rubber with high energy input and is famous for being difficult to recycle. They also release countless microplastics when being worn and washed which shed microplastics into the surrounding waterways and into the skin of the wearer which has many ecological impacts and microplastics have been linked with various impacts to health in humans, with the EPA stating that chloroprene (used in the production of neoprene) and is likely to be carcinogenic to humans. So, when discussing the sustainable impact of our wetsuits we do have to consider the harm done in production, this includes the health of those who work in the manufacturing plants and those in the surrounding area. This is an important consideration across all industries and all sustainability issues, even if we have an environmentally sustainable solution to an issue, is it acceptable to let those involved in production bear the brunt of the risks associated with the production? With wetsuits, our issues still don’t stop there… Wetsuits use various glues, linings and dyes. Well, why does this matter? These can be easily described as “hidden pollutants” these are pollutants that can still be found even in ‘eco-friendly’ alternatives, meaning that there is more work required in making wetsuits than just replacing neoprene. Unfortunately, quantifying the carbon cost of producing a wetsuit is almost impossible with a huge range based on thickness and production techniques which has led us to gathering the very wide range of CO₂ with lightweight wetsuits producing 7.5kg and heavy wetsuits producing up to 76.8kg. This shows that what seems like a ‘minor’ change can have catastrophic impact on the environment.

Can we at least hope surfboards are more sustainable? Well… Not really. However, one thing to consider with surfboards they have the potential to have an incredibly long lifespan, meaning that they may be unsustainable early in their life but if we compare the production of carbon and energy demand across the time period that the board is used; it can most certainly be considered more sustainable than wetsuits. Yet again there are many material issues with a surfboard. Most surfboards are made of petrochemicals, resins, fiberglass and the lack of recycling options for many surfboards. Sustainable surf conducted a recent study on the lifetime sustainability of various surfboards and found that a recycled-content EPS and bio-based epoxy had about a 30% lower carbon footprint than a standard polyester/PU board. Yet again highlighting how a small change in material can have a drastic impact on the sustainability of a board. The largest issue with surfboards sometimes doesn’t even come from the board itself, but from the waste involved in the creation of the board. A standard board can have up to 2x it’s weight in excess waste material showing the waste of energy and materials when making a board. There is a large energy expenditure on a board, with a board weighing 6Ibs having 30Ibs of it’s carbon footprint coming from the energy used in manufacturing alone. However, boards can be used for years without being replaced or having any more carbon output which must be considered when evaluating the sustainability of an item.

Like every other industry, efforts are being made to become more sustainable. Patagonia have released their Patagonia Yulex® wetsuits. These are made of a plant-based natural rubber, not the common petrochemical materials. Having benefits both for the environment and the health of wearers and manufacturers.  These reportedly require less water and energy in the production of the wetsuit, and without the petrochemicals there is not the risk of microplastics embedding themselves in the skin and surrounding water. We do have to consider the long-term growth and ensure that there are sustainable methods of growth in place that don’t require mass deforestation to supply the plant-based rubber for the Yulex® wetsuit.

Going forward, it’s clear there are options to promote sustainability in the surf community with options ranging from plant-based wetsuits to recycled surfboard foams. Manufacturers now need to create a plan going forward, to ensure that these sustainable alternatives are both equal in performance to current options, equal in price to our current equipment and the industry grows with the future of surfing and the environment in mind.

Are we telling you to stop surfing? Absolutely not, surfing is a minor contribution to climate change and even if it were a net-zero industry we would still continue to produce copious amounts of pollutants, however, when purchasing your next wetsuit or board, maybe consider these more sustainable alternatives. I believe surfing is a reflection of many industries; It’s reliance on the environment cannot be overstated and although we are currently still polluting the environment there are sustainable options becoming more widely available and with the correct action plan from producers and an increased uptake of this sustainable equipment by consumers. We could see the environmental impact of going surfing drastically drop, protecting our oceans and even our own health… Now go catch some waves.