ZONE3 | ZONE GREEN – Sustainability
Our sport is made better by nature. Whether you are on a run along the cliffs of the Dorset Jurassic coast, or taking on the Californian surf, the stunning surroundings we are afforded by our incredible world makes the experience a whole load better. As a brand, we are passionate about protecting our environment for future generations to explore the world through open water swimming and triathlon.
We are taking the first steps on our journey to making our sport more sustainable for future generations to come. We aim to be industry leaders in what it means to explore and embrace the world we live in with products that are designed with you and the planet in mind. So, what are we doing now to make our world a greener place?
Protecting Our Oceans with Surfers Against Sewage
At ZONE3, we’re committed to safeguarding our oceans for future generations. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Surfers Against Sewage as part of their Ocean Network, working together to tackle plastic pollution and environmental damage. Recently, our team participated in a beach clean-up event, showing first hand our dedication to cleaner seas. Together, we’re not only protecting the waters we love but also inspiring others to join the fight for a healthier planet.
Yamamoto Terraprene
Terraprene is a cutting edge rubber by yamamoto that offers the same quality and performance you know and love from our other yamamoto neoprene wetsuits.
It has one key difference.
Once it reaches the end of its life as a wetsuit it can be added to your normal waste, and in landfill the terrapene will biodegrade by 30% in 522 days. Let's be clear, the suit will ONLY biodegrade once it is disposed of into compostable conditions, and not while it is still in action.
However, if you want to go one step further, we will accept the return of the Vision wetsuit at end of life and we will strip out all recyclable items such as zips and linings for recycling, before sending the neoprene to landfill to biodegrade.
Sustainable plant-based rubber
We are excited to be the first triathlon brand to use YULEX®, a natural plant-based rubber sourced from the Havea tree. The sap of the tree is purified, refined and made into a Yulex dry solid rubber. This material can then be moulded and sliced to a desired thickness and laminated, ready to be manufactured into wetsuits. By using plant-based rubber we can dramatically reduce a suit's CO2 emissions by up to 80%.
Recycled Changing robe
Our greatest and greenest parka yet! The windproof and water-resistant outer shell and the inner moisture wicking fleece lining are all made from 100% recycled materials. While we know this makes up the majority of the parka, we’re still striving to improve this further.
Recycled Swimwear - OWS RENEW
Our latest open water swimming collection of women's swimwear, OWS Renew is made utilising XFINITY RENEW, a polyester yarn that is made from recycled plastic water bottles.
yamamoto neoprene
Our performance wetsuits are crafted with sustainability in mind. We utilise Yamamoto neoprene, sourced from the highest-grade limestone with 99.7% Calcium Carbonate for its raw material, effectively replacing petroleum-based chemicals. Further, our commitment to eco-friendliness extends to using recycled tires to produce Carbon Black, a critical neoprene ingredient, reducing energy consumption and cutting CO2 emissions by 200g per wetsuit, making our wetsuits both high-performance and environmentally conscious.
Recycled tyres are used to make Carbon Black, one of the key ingredients of neoprene. It can now be pyrolyzed from scrap rubber tires and it significantly reduces energy consumption and cuts CO2 emission by 200g per wetsuit.
Recycled Wetsuit Lining
Water-based glue is used instead of harmful solvent-based glue to bond seams and our linings are made from recycled polyester. In fact, 45 plastic bottles are recycled for every wetsuit lining.
Wetsuit Recycling
ZONE3 has teamed up with Circular Flow to drive a truly global circular economy for neoprene waste, a significant step in wetsuit and neoprene recycling.
Circular Flow's innovative closed-loop recycling process, developed in collaboration with the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy in Bulgaria, aims to divert 8,380 tonnes of wetsuits from landfills annually and we proud to be supporting this journey.
Hydropol™ Technology by Aquapak
Driven by our commitment to environmental responsibility and inspired by the pioneering work of Aquapak - a British company leading the way in eco-friendly solutions - we have embraced sustainable alternative to single-use plastic bags that align with our brand values.
Therefore, we have chosen to use product bags made with Hydropol™ technology. These bags are safe for existing recycling processes and fully biodegradable should they enter the environment. If the ZONE3 product bags enter the natural environment they will completely biodegrade into carbon dioxide, water and mineralized biomass.
supply chain
Our wetsuits, depending on the model, are made in Thailand, Vietnam or China.
Our distribution warehouse team at ILG use paper and cardboard packaging that is made from recycled materials. ILG says, ‘100% of our waste is either recycled or burned to produce electricity. None of our waste is sent to landfill.’ Within products, we use recyclable or decomposable packaging where possible and are constantly trying to improve this.
Our story doesn't end there
At ZONE3 we are in the process of researching a number of initiatives that will take us even further on our sustainability journey. Watch this space to be the first to know of our new initiatives.
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