I – YULEX® NATURAL RUBBER: THE ONLY GENUINELY ECO-FRIENDLY MATERIAL

YULEX® natural rubber is the only renewable, plant-based material produced responsibly and with respect for the environment that offers a real alternative to conventional neoprene made from oil or limestone. 

The FSC® - Forest Stewardship Council certification and its strict specifications guarantee that all the Hevea trees used to create YULEX® natural rubber are: 

• Grown and harvested sustainably

• Irrigated with the surrounding rainwater 

• Grown so as to benefit local and forest-dependent communities economically and socially

• Available without interruption 

• Treated with water from recharged aquifers and recycled during the manufacturing process 

Using YULEX® natural rubber cuts CO2 emissions by 80% and has the lowest carbon footprint on the market. Conventional neoprene and limestone neoprene are made in factories, after being extracted from our planet with heavy machinery, whereas natural rubber is taken directly from responsibly grown Hevea trees, which capture carbon dioxide throughout their lives. 

By way of comparison, limestone neoprene — presented by many companies in the boardsports sector as ecological (greenwashing?) — relies on the mining industry to extract limestone, which then has to be transported and heated to 2000°C, an extremely energy-hungry process that emits carbon dioxide. That rock finally undergoes seven chemical transformations, producing many toxic wastes such as acetylene gas, in order to take the form of a “foam” suitable for making surf wetsuits. It does, however, have the advantage of being an alternative to the oil industry and of generating waste that is less complex to process than that of oil-based neoprene.

We also use Aqua-Alpha technology, an extremely strong, non-toxic, water-based and solvent-free glue used for the seams and for laminating the textile linings onto YULEX® natural rubber.  

II – The softest, lightest and warmest YULEX® natural rubber ever created

The latest formulations developed by YULEX® allow us to protect you from the cold with the softest, lightest and warmest rubber ever developed. We are confident in saying that this rubber has nothing to envy the other alternatives on the market and is now the best material in terms of performance and quality, on top of being eco-responsible. 

Our riders have put our wetsuits to the test in the most extreme conditions. Tristan Roberts has been stacking up long sessions on the South African west coast since 2018, while Marli Dunn tests them in the icy waters of Ireland in winter, and our Portuguese team (Steph Kokorelis, Miguel Coelho, Antonio Saraiva) chases swells all winter in the greatest comfort.

Their constant feedback since the brand was created has allowed us to improve our cut and fit, and to refine our choice of materials and constructions, creating the best-performing and most environmentally friendly wetsuit in the bodyboard industry.