Circular Flow

Circular Flow is the only company in the world that has discovered an effective and sustainable solution to the huge problem of disposing of wetsuits and other neoprene products. The vast majority of wetsuits are made from neoprene, a man-made rubber, and currently over 20,000 tonnes of neoprene items go to incineration or landfill annually. When burned, it becomes a pollutant highly toxic to people and animals. It is not biodegradable. Circular Flow is combating its harmful effect on the environment by undertaking a full mechanical recycling breakdown of end-of-life wetsuits and off-cuts into granules or chips and then re-processing them into new, recycled neoprene – rather than merely cutting pieces out of old wetsuits and repurposing them into new products, as others have done. Each stage of this journey is powered only by solar energy, and involves no melting, burning or use of hazardous chemicals. The process transforms 100% of the old wetsuits into sheets that are then made into items such as yoga mats, bags, and flip-flops to name a few; they can all be recycled and reused between five and seven times. Our products can now be purchased from Manera, Zone3, and Pierre Sports. We are planning to expand this offer from water sports and leisure to all neoprene-based products. We also work with partners to create a sustainable circular economy for industries, brands and companies globally, helping them to achieve zero neoprene waste year in, year out, forever. We believe that far more people should be talking about the sheer amount of waste and pollution that neoprene generates, especially given the surf and watersports industries’ focus on sustainability, as well as our unique and pioneering mission to fight this.