𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆’𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲, 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼-𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁? 

What do plastic wrapped tees and boardshorts made from recycled plastic bottles have in common? They are one and the same brand.

For context. Today I walked my daughter to her swimming class. She is 5 months old, and probably doesn’t care about the rest of the story, but anyway. We always walk the same route, and it happens to pass one of the main surf shops in town. This is usually my 30 second opportunity to have a quick browse around to see which other surfboard I definitely need.  

As I walked into a surf shop today, I was hit with a case of eco-whiplash. On one side, a massive POS display of sustainable products – ranging from Repreve jackets and eco boards and wetsuits, and on the other, a box of tee shirts wrapped in plastic by the same (legacy) brand! And yes, they were plastic wrappers, because I asked. 

It puzzled me. But what puzzles me even more is that the big brands still don’t seem to fully grasp the concept of sustainability. Let’s be real, sustainability doesn’t sleep. It’s not a 60% or 70% or today-I’m-tired kind of gig. It also doesn’t matter how much you recycle or if you spend a small car on billboards telling people that you recycle, if that same brand turns around and wraps their profit horse in plastic. 

We need to start to differentiate (and call them out) between brands that want to be sustainable and brands that want their marketing to be sustainable. These brands are trying to be the “green” version of a “greenwashing” scheme. They are like a person wearing a “Save the Turtles” t-shirt while eating a bucket of sea turtle soup.

It’s just a silly, sad look.

But here’s the thing, sustainability and capitalism can coexist. It’s not going to happen overnight, but it requires a shift in thinking and a change in the way we do business. Brands need to take a more holistic approach to sustainability, and consumers need to hold them accountable.  

What we don’t need to see are statements like the following:

“As an online retailer, we’re complicit in a model of consumerism that is wasteful and resource-intensive and perhaps even incompatible with our stated environmental aims. We’re trying to change that model for the better, but we’re also a business trying to remain commercially viable.”

That harrowing paragraph is hidden in the mission statement of a leading surf e-commerce site. Tucked away under reams of “sustainability initiatives”. A site that seeks out environmental plaudits at every opportunity, yet makes millions in profit from mainly selling the legacy brands

We can’t expect companies to transform overnight, but we can and should demand that if brands decide to make a commitment to sustainability, they make sure it’s authentic and meaningful. Otherwise, just leave it, and be transparent about it – like the bad uncle everyone tolerates and sort of respects because it’s just the way he is. What chance do we have if the most sustainable online retailer is in no way challenging these brands, continues to endorse them, and makes statements that can be read as “we know we aren’t that great, but at the end of the day we like making money”…

It’s time for a new wave of sustainability to wash through the surf industry!

Our Souls of the Sea is a movement where likeminded and forward thinking brands can meet with consumers who are dedicated to positive change. There is no selling an organic cotton tee shirt with one hand, and a polyester jacket in a plastic wrapper with the other. We all stand united against the damaging and unethical practices that are endemic throughout the surf industry and revolt against a culture of greenwashing and corporate greed. 

At the end of the day, if we want to create lasting change, companies need to be held to higher standards. Only then will capitalism and sustainability truly co-exist. Ultimately, consumers have the power, and in the words of legendary 90’s rock band Rage Against the Machine, “you’ve got to take the power back!”