Rip Curl has expanded its ‘Wetsuit Take Back Recycling Program’, in partnership with TerraCycle, to 27 participating stores nationally.
The materials will be recycled in partnership with TerraCycle to be repurposed as soft fall matting in playgrounds and outdoor gyms.
The pilot program was launched in Rip Curl’s flagship Torquay store in April 2018, with all material provided by the public repurposed as soft fall matting in playgrounds and outdoor gyms.
The initiative was launched as part of Rip Curl's sustainability strategy and has since seen over 2,500 wetties recycled and saved from landfill.
Rip Curl environment, social and governance manager Shasta O'Loughlin said there is scope for the program to expand globally.
“One of our core values at Rip Curl is Community and Environment and, with this in mind, we have spent over three years developing the most effective and environmentally conscious solution for wetsuit recycling available in Australia today.
“TerraCycle has a huge network and were able to assist us in finding the best possible solution for recycling used wetsuit neoprene.
"We are really excited about this partnership, and the reach that it can provide across Australia – especially now with a total of 27 participating Rip Curl stores across the nation.
"Once the program has proven itself here at home, we are excited to explore a global expansion. We want to give all surfers the opportunity to recycle their old wetsuits.
“Rip Curl creates products for surfers, by surfers, and we want to ensure we extend the life of those products by repurposing them into a second commodity – this nation-wide expansion and partnership with TerraCycle is the next big step in this space.”
Globally, TerraCycle has recycled more than 7 billion units and raised more than $44 million for charities.