Creating new from old. Delivering dramatic reduction of the environmental impact of water sports that involve neoprene, and working with global innovators in this space.
Sustainable global circular economy for neoprene waste
Stop millions of wetsuits ending up in landfill.
Stop 60,000 tonnes of neoprene items going to landfill annually.
Expand circular offer from water sports to all neoprene based products.
Reduce global carbon emissions, contribute to the global net zero carbon goal.
Our Partners
More than just recycling, we are truly circular
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Circular Flow are delighted to be at the Youth World Sailing Championships at Lake Garda! We’re collecting all end of life wetsuits, and anything neoprene, and recycling them into brand new products.
If you’ve recycled your old wetsuits with us at the championship, we’d love to say thank you: we’ve teamed up with Stream2Sea to offer you 40% off their products! Stream2Sea’s sustainable sunscreens, mask defog, body wash, and haircare contain zero ingredients known or suspected to harm the planet, and are the only products in the world tested and proven safe for fish, and coral larvae. They are also safe for your body, easy to use, and are perfect for everyday use or more rigorous activities or sports. Scan the QR code on the post to redeem your discount.
We’re already off to a great start with the amount of neoprene we’ve received, and are looking forward to getting our hands on even more as the week continues!
Circular Flow are thrilled to have teamed up with Dirtbags to recycle your old wetsuit – every component of it, including zips.
Dirtbags began in 2017 with founders Jen and James’s reluctance to throw away end of life climbing kit, and a sewing machine found in a skip. They have since worked hard to recycle old outdoor and climbing gear to save it from landfill.
They aim to educate and inform those who want to do their bit by upcycling, repurposing and recycling. They collect old climbing gear, outdoor textiles and just about anything that comes their way to give it all a brand spanking new life. Dirtbags don’t mass produce, but rather design and make everything themselves.
The way Dirtbags’ products are made reflect their love for the outdoors, and hopefully encourage us all to reduce, reuse and recycle. Their products include a range of bags, including duffles, day packs and cross bodies, as well as climbing gear and blankets.
Donate your old suits to Dirtbags, who will sort and send them to us. We will then give new life to your old suits by turning them into new neoprene products that can be recycled again and again, between five and seven times.
Visit the Dirtbags website to find out how to donate today.
We’re so pleased to have been able to arrange the meeting of Dave Aldrich Smith, one of the original founders of Tiki Surf, and Ramon, CEO of The Wave Project, to donate some new wetsuits and recycle the rest with us.
When clearing out the old Tiki Surf factory in Braunton, Devon, Dave found a lot of new suits which were produced in the 70s and 80s, and contacted us to recycle them. We suggested donating them to a good cause, which Dave was more than happy to do, so Ramon is going to sell them in store to raise funds for The Wave Project, which improves children`s mental health and wellbeing through their award winning Surf Therapy programme. If they don’t sell, or the others he receives are not in a sellable conditions, we will recycle the rest!
Here at CF, we are not just a recycling company but a connection between businesses who are all taking positive steps in the world of circularity. We are driven by our mission to stop neoprene from going to landfill or incineration, but we are also working with all of our connections to find alternative solutions together.
We`re delighted to repost some great news from our partner @pierre.sports!
IT’S FINALLY HERE. 🤩
After 1,5 years of testing & prototyping, we are proud to introduce our DOLPHIN MAT🐬
Did you know that over 20,000 tonnes of neoprene items go to incineration or landfill annually? When burned, this man-made, non-biodegradable rubber becomes a pollutant highly toxic to people and animals.
That is why we joined forces with Circular Flow to produce this yoga mat with end of life wetsuits recycled in their facility.
Circular Flow is combating its harmful effect on the environment by undertaking a full mechanical recycling breakdown of end-of-life wetsuits and off-cuts into granules or chips and then re-processing them into new, recycled neoprene – rather than merely cutting pieces out of old wetsuits and repurposing them into new products, as others have done.
This transforms 100% of the old wetsuits into sheets that are then made into items - such as our yoga mats.
Each stage of the journey is powered only by solar energy, and involves no melting, burning or use of hazardous chemicals. Plus, every non-neoprene part of the old wetsuit, such as the plastic or metal zips, are also recycled, so the process is truly zero waste.
👉🏼 Pre-order now - get a 15% discount 👈🏼
Link in Bio @pierre.sports.
We wanted to highlight the inventive and important work of Mahulu, one of our excellent partners.
Thanks to pollution, warmer waters, and coral bleaching to name only a few urgent problems, looking after our oceans is more important than ever. Mahulu knows that every choice we make, including what we wear, can have an impact on the marine ecosystem, making their eco-conscious wetsuits a vital innovation.
Why are their suits important? The big one is that they’re not made from neoprene, but eco-foam: a combination of extracted calcium carbonate from recycled oyster shells from the food industry, natural rubber, and sugarcane. This blend of recycled materials means a much-reduced carbon footprint, and minimal waste during the manufacturing process.
The calcium carbonate is the base of the foam, ensuring warmth, flexibility, and durability, equal if not superior to neoprene wetsuits: eco-foam is designed to withstand the harsh conditions of saltwater, UV exposure, and abrasion, ensuring a longer lifespan compared to traditional neoprene. And unlike neoprene, eco-foam wetsuits do not sag over time; its resilience is good news for the environment and for your wallet.
Plus, by purchasing a Mahulu wetsuit, you help support ocean conservation: Mahulu gives 2% of sales to the NGO Living Reefs to rebuild coral reef systems.
We know that ensuring wetsuits are as sustainable as possible extends beyond manufacture and use - the process must be 100% closed loop. This is where Circular Flow comes in. With our take back scheme, Mahulu will accept any of your old wetsuits and send them to us. We’ll then turn them into new products that can be recycled and reused again and again - all with zero waste and zero non-renewable energy. A match made in heaven!
We’ve joined forces with Revivack to help you recycle your old wetsuits into brand new neoprene products!
Revivack allows you to return items, such as your old phone, when they become end-of-life, so that they can be recovered properly and transparently. Their in-house technology allows them to code each product, facilitate the return, find partners and trace the journey.
Their vital work supports the circular economy, which is also the core of what we do - so working with them is a no-brainer!
You can learn more about the change-making work Revivack does on their website ♻️
Did you see our mention in the @guardian yesterday? 😊
We are delighted to see this hitting mainstream media and broadening the conversation on neoprene and its environmental impact.
Here at Circular Flow we are leading the way for change, offering a closed loop recycling solution and creating a sustainable global circular economy in the world of neoprene.
So what makes our process so unique? We can break down neoprene waste from thousands of old wetsuits and factory offcuts into a crumb that is then remoulded, laminated, and produced into new products such as change mats, yoga mats, bags, completely avoiding landfill and incineration and these by products can also be recycled… again and again!
We are mission driven to "do the right thing" for us and our planet.
Our mission - To stop millions of wetsuits/neoprene products ending up in landfill or worse, incinerated. Reduce global carbon emissions and contribute to the global net zero carbon goal.
📷 by Jonny Weeks. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/16/perfect-wetsuit-surfers-swimmers-neoprene-carcinogenic-recycling-harm-planet-natural-rubber
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#gocircular #neoprenefree #recycle #recycling #ocean #protecttheseas #greenplanet
Bodyline Wetsuits offers cost-effective wetsuit repairs. They pride themselves on the highest quality of workmanship and 5 star customer service - no wonder they work directly with the world’s leading wetsuit brands.
Their strong reputation and efficient repair service is renowned within the surfing industry, so we are very pleased to be partnering with them to recycle more wetsuits!
Through their expert repairs, Bodyline is actively committed to extending the life of your wetsuit - a mission that we can certainly get behind in our own fight to reduce neoprene waste ♻️
Blu Smooth specialise in custom-designed, high-performance open water swimming wetsuits tailored to the needs of each individual for unparalleled buoyancy, flexibility, and comfort. We are delighted to be partnering with them in our efforts to create a global and sustainable circular economy for neoprene waste.
You can now recycle your old wetsuit with Blu Smooth! It doesn’t matter what brand it is - just visit their website and follow the instructions to send it for recycling, and Blu Smooth will offer you 15% off any of their wetsuits for your effort.
Thank you for supporting an effective and sustainable solution to the problem of wetsuit disposal!
We were very pleased to speak at the South Coast & Green Tech Boat Show on Saturday 20 April at the Ocean Village Marina in Southampton, as we discussed end of life neoprene and how to recycle and reuse it with the smallest possible environmental impact.
We’d love to hear your questions if you attended our panel - or if you’d simply like to know more about what we do. Drop us a message or email Emma, our head of sales and commercial partnerships, at [email protected].
We have just collected 12 pallets of neoprene from Bristol surf destination The Wave! That’s 12 pallets saved from going to landfill, or worse, incineration.
We’ll transport the collection to our facility in Bulgaria and recycle it into new products using our fully closed-loop process.
A huge thank you to The Wave for their donation.
If you have any end of life wetsuits and neoprene products you would like to send to us, do drop us a line and we’ll be glad to take it off your hands – efficiently and sustainably.
We wanted to talk about our partnership with Alpkit, who remain open to receiving your old wetsuits! The process couldn’t be simpler:
* Drop off your wetsuit at one any of Alpkit’s 10 stores or locations, or send it direct to their HQ using their returns service
* They’ll sort it and send to Circular Flow
* We will turn your old wetsuit to new neoprene products that can be recycled and reused between five and seven times, via a process that involves zero waste and zero non-renewable energy
The importance of repairs shouldn’t be underestimated: Alpkit run a repairs station, so you can see if your wetsuit’s life can be extended before you decide to recycle it with us.
Their brilliant scheme Alpkit Continuum also extends product lifespan via customer donations to their network of charitable partners, making sure all gear donated goes to the people who need it here in the UK.
