Wetsuits Into Recycled Magic | The Kassia Surf Recycling Program

While the water beckons me to it quite frequently, after almost 15 years of living on the coast, I’ve not quite become a full-blown mermaid. But over the years, I’ve learned a bit about the mechanics of surfing through my proximity to the water, nights spent around bonfires with avid surfers, and working with makers here in Los Angeles. One unfortunate aspect of what it takes to surf is neoprene, the material for wetsuits. It’s not biodegradable, and it’s a synthetic rubber. But it’s the ideal material for surfing.

Kassia Meador, our recent guest editor, had an idea about how to rectify the environmental downfall of this surfing necessity. This fall, the KASSIA Surf team will be launching an international wetsuit recycling program. As Kassia says:

“We began developing a wetsuit recycling program as a way to encourage mermaids and lovers of the sea to think twice about tossing neoprene into the landfills. We wanted to help create ways for mindful disposal and repurposing of a fabric that can be really harmful to this earth. Unfortunately, we need this fabric as a tool to do what we love, but we figured if we’re using it to provide longer-lasting suits, then why can’t we help create a program, as well as an incentive, for people to recycle old, unused wetsuits? It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a really long time, and I’m excited to see it come to life.”

The KASSIA Surf folks will be breathing new life into these former wetsuits. While they’ve got a few ideas about just what these wetsuits will be reincarnated as, you’ll have to stay tuned this fall when they fully launch the program. Until then, show your support for one of our favorite swimwear and surf lines by following them here: https://kassiasurf.com/