Large scale e-commerce in the surf industry will never be “sustainable” as long as the bottom line is the only focus.

Virtually every surf related item has a highly toxic footprint, with questionable production ethics, extremely limited recycling options, and is produced by large companies shrouded in greenwashing tactics. 

Surfing relies heavily on products being “fashionable” and a huge number of purchases are made as a result of athlete endorsements, or surfers gravitating towards trendy logos, and multi-million dollar advertising campaigns.

Unless a surfer makes a very conscious (and conscientious) decision to seek out greener options and ultimately pay far higher prices for more sustainable items, their choice is very limited. A surfer who is truly a part of genuine positive impact can be considered as a break from the norm.  

The big players in the surf industry whose processes and practices have been embedded in low cost overseas manufacture and exploitation of natural resources for decades, are simply refusing to commit to the same route that incredible brands like Patagonia, Finisterre and Outerknown are on, i.e genuine attempts at ethical practices and positive change.

Yet surfers are environmentalists at heart, they have an awareness of nature that few sports people enjoy and historically involve themselves in brilliant campaigns set up by forward thinking organisations such as The Surfrider Foundation.  

At Our Souls of the Sea it is our belief that large e-commerce brands are now preying on the “eco conscious by default” nature of surfers and creating a giant step backwards from where we need to be. 

These companies are selling every different type of surf equipment and surf fashion from a multitude of manufacturers, including all the legacy brands, via the massive scope of their websites, fully aware of the environmental damage caused by these products throughout their lifespan. 

Yet, they constantly proclaim their commitment to the environment and how they are setting new sustainability standards in the surfing world. Worse yet, they are receiving plaudits and awards for their “efforts”, with directors even taking seats on the board of several environmental charities.  

In my opinion, taking delivery of a petrochemical based surfboard made in China, a wetsuit made from limestone mined by diesel powered machinery (or even worse a neoprene wetsuit manufactured with the cancer causing substance Chloroprene), or a “fashion item” produced with questionable labour ethics, and wrapping it with recycled paper in a factory powered by Octopus Energy does not make you a pioneer of sustainability! 

Isn’t it time these e-commerce brands started holding their hands up and taking responsibility for the products they actually sell and not just how they re-package them?

Isn’t it time they acknowledge just how impactful the number of returns they process (often many times for one item) are?

Isn’t it time they start abandoning companies from their platform who do not conform to sound environmental and ethical practices, even if they are legacy brands?

Note to e-commerce companies in the surf industry:

If you want to use words like #sustainability, #ecofriendly, #lowimpact or #greenerfuture to endorse your brand, perhaps it’s time to start taking responsibility for the actual products you sell on your platforms and not just how you re-package them…

Note to consumers in the surf industry:

It’s time we start judging these e-commerce companies on the actual products they sell and the subsequent environmental impact, not just applauding them because your fossil fuel-based surfboard and wetsuit arrived wrapped in paper….