Word on the beach is that Patagonia makes some of the best wetsuits around. When they launched the new program in 2006 they had one goal in mind, "to build the best possible suits in the least damaging way". They quickly realized that, "the least damaging way" meant completely rethinking the manufacturing process down to the materials, analyzing the origins and environmental impact of each component and finding an alternative to the most essential part of a wetsuit, the neoprene. But could they achieve this without loosing the integrity and performance of the wetsuit? Eco-friendly doesn't mean much to surfers in 50 F water. In 2013, after years of collaboration and development Patagonia and eco-friendly biomaterial firm Yulex debuted the industry's first plant-based, Guayule-neoprene wetsuit: The Patagonia R2 Front-Zip (55-60 F). Earlier this year SIMA, (Surf Industry Manufacturing Association) presented Patagonia with the Environmental Product of the Year for the R2 wetsuit.
Patagonia Yulex R2 Mens Wetsuit above. Also available in R3 Front Zip 48-55F
So what is Guayule? Y-U-LEE is a flowering shrub native to the
southwestern US, (Texas) and northern Mexico used for rubber production.
It's low-maintenance, low-impact, grows easily in arid/semi-arid areas, and not to mention a renewable
resource unlike traditional neoprene; it doesn't need a lot of water or
pesticides, and doesn't contain super sensitivity proteins that causes
allergies to most rubber. But does it still preform like traditional
neoprene? Can a biodegradable plant-based rubber hold up to the
wear-and-tear and mother nature? Yes it does. Apparently the only obvious
difference is that the Yulex wetsuits smell like eucalyptus and has
slightly more stretch. Right now the R2 wetsuit contains 60% Yulex 40% neoprene but the end goal is 100%. It's worth mentioning that Patagonia has been making "green" changes to their wetsuits wayyy before Yulex like recycled polyester, chlorine-free wool as well as looking into alternatives to the harmful adhesives used in the laminating and gluing process.
Guayule plant
Why is this important? Well neoprene has been around since the 30s. It's methods of manufacturing are tried and true but have a significantly negative impact on the environment .... Essentially its rubber, foamy rubber.
There are two types of neoprene used for wetsuits: petroleum-based or limestone-based, (Patagonia uses limestone neoprene). Comparably they have similar, significant environmental impacts; both are non-renewable resources that require heavy extraction from the earth with very involved chemical processes. But the collaboration with Yulex has introduced a third more environmentally-friendly and equally functional option into the market. And by market I mean public market. When it comes to the active sports industry technology and innovation is king. It's a fiercely secretive and competitive world. It's very rare that innovations are made available or even shared. Patagonia has decided to make the bio rubber available to the surf industry to encourage companies to use it. In fact, they are also encouraging consumers to demand it. The hope is that with demand comes volume and with volume comes lower costs and with lower costs comes availability. The R2 is not cheap at $529.00 but fingers crossed that in the not so distant future Yulex neoprene will be a must in wetsuit manufacturing and available to all.
