the perfect look. but beneath the surface lies a murkier side. for every pristine peak, broken boards and piles of cheap polystyrene dumped on our beaches. it s really disheartening to see this amount of waste come forward. surfers may enjoy the fresh sea air, but the industry relies on toxic chemicals, producing suits and boards derived from oil. and living that dream of being at one with nature is getting more and more difficult. we do want to encourage people to get outdoors, but at the same time, at what cost to the planet? so i want to know, can surfing clean up its act? i ve surfed for more than a decade, but this is my first day on the water for over three years. new year s day 2020 and the fin of my board went into my face. i was left with 16 stitches, and it has taken me this long to start trying to get over my fear. today i ve come to the calmer waters of an inland surf lake near bristol to try and start getting back my love of surfing. as a journalist covering the
but choosing a sustainable option isn t going to be easy because, once again, the petrochemical industry is behind the traditional wetsuit material, neoprene. it s been used to manufacture them for more than 70 years. it s energy intensive to make and the toxic chemical it s made from is a possible carcinogen. and a neoprene wetsuit isn t going to biodegrade any time soon. it s estimated abouti million are incinerated or end up in landfill every year. recycling them hasn t been an option. ..until now. in an anonymous lock up in east london, one british surf company has been collecting old wetsuits its customers had lying around. this is the collection of suits that we gathered, and i think. that s a lot of suits. ..just in this pile here, we ve probably got about just over 950. less than four weeks
because, once again, the petrochemical industry is behind the traditional wetsuit material, neoprene. it s been used to manufacture them for more than 70 years. it s energy intensive to make and the toxic chemical it s made from is a possible carcinogen. and a neoprene wetsuit isn t going to biodegrade any time soon. it s estimated abouti million are incinerated or end up in landfill every year. recycling them hasn t been an option. ..until now. in an anonymous lock up in east london, one british surf company has been collecting old wetsuits its customers had lying around. this is the collection of suits that we gathered, and i think. that s a lot of suits. ..just in this pile here, we ve probably got about
option isn t going to be easy because, once again, the petrochemical industry is behind the traditional wetsuit material, neoprene. it s been used to manufacture them for more than 70 years. it s energy intensive to make and the toxic chemical it s made from is a possible carcinogen. and a neoprene wetsuit isn t going to biodegrade any time soon. it s estimated abouti million are incinerated or end up in landfill every year. recycling them hasn t been an option. ..until now. in an anonymous lock up in east london, one british surf company has been collecting old wetsuits its customers had lying around. this is the collection of suits that we gathered, and i think. that s a lot of suits. ..just in this pile here, we ve probably got about just over 950. less than four weeks we ve gathered these. yeah. we found these ones,
wetsuit material, neoprene. it s been used to manufacture them for more than 70 years. it s energy intensive to make and the toxic chemical it s made from is a possible carcinogen. and a neoprene wetsuit isn t going to biodegrade any time soon. it s estimated abouti million are incinerated or end up in landfill every year. recycling them hasn t been an option. ..until now. in an anonymous lock up in east london, one british surf company has been collecting old wetsuits its customers had lying around. this is the collection of suits that we gathered, and i think. that s a lot of suits. ..just in this pile here, we ve probably got about just over 950. less than four weeks we ve gathered these. yeah. we found these ones, which have got to be from the 80s or 90s. it s in really good condition. it s really good condition! neoprene is such a strong material that they ve use it