Patagonia to drive endless recycling by reproducing wetsuits from used wetsuits

Known for its sustainable approach to the apparel industry, Patagonia will introduce wetsuits partly produced with fully deconstructed used wetsuits by 2025.

Image by Austin Neill

The outdoor apparel maker Patagonia is pioneering a new initiative to improve its sustainability efforts by deconstructing used wetsuits by melting them to the molecular level and reusing them as a key material in producing fabric for new wetsuits from 2025.

Developed at the repair and design centre of Patagonia in California, the reproduced wetsuits for surfing are expected to minimise or eliminate the wastage of Patagonia clothing after the end of its lifetime.

While Patagonia offers a lifetime of repairs for wear and tear of its wetsuits, at one point they become non-fixable. Patagonia then recycles the items beyond repair to produce other products such as yoga mats and tote bags. However, these recycled items one day end up in landfills at the end of their lifecycle.

Through deconstructing and reproducing wetsuits from used fabrics, Patagonia expects to create a circular supply chain around its wetsuits to reduce the environmental impact of its clothing and minimise the carbon footprint in producing new fabrics.

The majority of wetsuits globally are produced using neoprene, a synthetic rubber made using petroleum products. However, 85% of Patagonia’s wetsuits are produced using a natural rubber named Yulex while the remaining is made with neoprene. By vapourising and deconstructing used wetsuits, Patagonia expects to obtain carbon black which is a key material used in both Yulex and neoprene. Thus, by reclaiming the carbon black needed to produce its wetsuits, Patagonia reduces the need for producing new carbon black in its supply chain.

“Circularity is always the good approach. If you can reclaim that carbon black, you reduce the amount of resources that you need in the first place,” said Fabian Rosner, an Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California USA.

The effectiveness of the initiative is dependent on the amount of wetsuits that Patagonia can collect for reproduction. Regardless, the technology used in the process is expected to improve the recycling practices in the apparel industry to create endlessly recyclable clothing.

According to market data, the wetsuit market was valued at $1.7 billion at the end of 2022, and it is expected to grow by 6.6% annually to reach a valuation of $3.5 billion by 2033.

This represents around 7 million wetsuits being sold annually at present and Patagonia contributes to roughly 100,000 of them. The low volume in sales for Patagonia is primarily driven by the high price of about $500 per wetsuit produced by Patagonia as it uses sustainable materials and practices in its production process.