NEWS

Patagonia, the leading outdoor sports brand in the United States, recently launched the world's first (and currently the only one) wetsuit made of natural rubber (no neoprene). The raw materials of the clothing are from members of the Forest Stewardship Council ( hereinafter referred to as: FSC), and has been certified by the Rainforest Alliance.

According to a US website WWD report, Patagonia believes that the natural rubber wetsuit is a breakthrough research direction, which is a more in-depth exploration of the natural rubber wetsuit launched by the brand in 2014 in cooperation with Yulex.

Patagonia's new diving suit is made of natural rubber. The raw material is jointly developed by Yulex and FSC and has been certified by the Rainforest Alliance to ensure that it will not lead to deforestation and take into account the integrity of the forest and the ecological function.

The Rainforest Alliance is a global non-profit organization whose mission is to protect global ecosystems and humans and wildlife by changing land use patterns, commercial and consumer behaviors, and to ensure that vegetation meets FSC standards.

Hub Hubbard, Patagonia's wetsuit R&D manager, said: "Wetsuit manufacturers includes Patagonia have used non-renewable neoprene as a raw material for many years. Neoprene is extracted from petroleum and the refining process is also very complicated. Although chlorine Butadiene rubber has many shortcomings, but we have no other choice. Through cooperation with Yulex, we finally developed a raw material that can replace neoprene."

The neoprene-free Yulex wetsuit has better performance than traditional neoprene wetsuits. The main polymer in the raw materials comes from trees instead of factory production, so the carbon dioxide emissions during the production process will also be reduced by 80%. This FSC-certified rubber is blended with a small portion of non-chlorine synthetic rubber to enhance ozone and UV resistance, while also meeting Patagonia's stringent requirements for product durability and strength. Yulex removes 99% of impurities during the production process, so this material has anti-allergic properties.

This new polymer is produced in Guatemala, a country rich in hevea. Hevea rubber has always been one of the most important raw materials in the rubber industry, and the raw materials used in automobile and airplane tires are also this kind of rubber. But the demand for rubber is also the main reason for the deforestation of tropical rain forests. Patagonia refused to use hevea until it found a more sustainable raw material.

As before, Patagonia and Yulex continue to share their breakthrough research with other companies, hoping to promote this environmentally friendly material throughout the industry. Patagonia's new product is the result of their research on how to replace neoprene.

Yulex Corp CEO Jeff Martin said: "Patagonia is our excellent partner. The success of our cooperation has been to ensure that product performance and competitiveness are not sacrificed while taking environmental factors into consideration."

It is reported that Patagonia's new diving suit can already be purchased on the official website.