January 18th, 2012 De Soto takes steps to ‘green’ its triathlon wetsuits
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Bruce in
FitPlanet tips it’s hat to De Soto for the announcement of its GreenGoma wetsuit. This is a significant step forward in the evolution of triathlon wetsuits. But perhaps the real meaning of the announcement is that it will raise awareness within the triathlon community about the materials we use to enjoy our sport. So much of what we wear is petroleum based. This has to change.
Here’s the De Soto release from January 3, 2012…
De Soto becomes the first triathlon company to offer an alternative to petroleum-based wetsuits.
San Diego, California – Until recently all triathlon wetsuits have been made of petroleum. First in the industry to introduce limestone rubber into triathlon wetsuits, all T1 Wetsuits incorporate this amazing GreenGoma™ technology.
GreenGoma™ rubber offers better stretch, buoyancy, durability, and insulation with a more closed-cell injected construction thus making it 98.9% water impermeable. So it is lighter, it dries quicker, and lasts longer. The only part of the rubber that gets wet is the new stretch liner that is now made of recycled post consumer products.
Is this rubber environmentally friendly? Is it a “green” wetsuit?
“We have seamlessly replaced one rubber with another that is better. It is more buoyant, it helps you swim faster, and it lasts longer. If nothing else were to change, we are selling a better-performing product with less detriment to the environment, which is always our goal,” says company founder, Emilio De Soto.
“This news has been months in the making and it is exciting to finally be able to announce it. It is very timely given the new year and our ongoing changes at our company to become more socially responsible, but lets be realistic. Both petroleum and limestone are nonrenewable resources and expend pollution and waste to refine into a finished product. So for anyone to claim that a limestone wetsuit is ‘green’ is just not true, at least not yet. The idea of trying to create a greener wetsuit has inspired us to change to recycled interior fabrics with no VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) dyes and adhesives. We are currently working with YKK to develop a wetsuit zipper made of recycled plastic bottles. For now, the most obvious form of sustainability is simply that we have created a wetsuit that will perform better and last longer. We feel this is a great beginning. Before any of us can swim 2.4 miles, we first need to get across the length of a pool. When it comes to making a greener triathlon wetsuit, we are the first to dive in.”
And here’s some additional information about ‘green’ surfing wetsuits from Patagonia. Another innovative company.
