Inside the Evolve: Our Lowest Impact Wetsuit Yet

Petroleum-based wetsuits, also known as neoprene, have been the industry standard since the 1950s. And to be fair, they changed everything. They’ve let us surf, kite, windsurf, and foil year-round in cold-water regions. They’ve taken us to sub-zero zones. They’ve kept us out all day, pushing limits without worrying about hypothermia (okay, ice-cream headaches still happen on occasion).

As materials and tech improved, so did our expectations for warmth, stretch, and comfort. But alongside performance, the pressure to reduce environmental impact was building. That’s why we set out to build a wetsuit that keeps up with high-performance riding — while doing better by the planet.

Whats the Alternative?

Renewable materials — ingredients that can replenish over time if sourced responsibly. That’s where natural rubber comes in. It’s harvested from rubber trees as latex sap, then refined into solid sheets. These sheets are whipped with air and baked into a flexible foam, which is later laminated with fabric and cut into panels to be stitched or glued into wetsuits.

These days, you’ll see more wetsuits being made with natural rubber. We’ll admit, many of them are improving. But as riders who obsess over how wetsuits feel, our conclusion was simple: they didn’t stretch enough.

What About Limestone Neoprene?

Our top-range wetsuits use premium limestone from Yamamoto, a material known for its unbeatable warmth, lightness, and stretch. If you’ve ever worn one of our Yamamoto suits, you know just how high-performance they feel in the water.

Unlike petroleum-based neoprene, limestone-based neoprene starts with a natural source. While it still requires energy to produce and isn’t renewable, its durability and performance mean you’ll get more wear, making it a longer-lasting choice.

Built from Natural Foam

Our ongoing search for better alternatives led us to Natural Foam — a material that outperformed everything else we tested. It’s lighter, softer, and inherently more flexible. Made from USDA-certified ingredients and renewable sources like natural rubber, sugarcane, oyster shells, and non-edible plant oils. That unique composition means the stretch isn’t forced — it’s built in. It also comes with a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to traditional petroleum-based neoprene.

Each ingredient plays a role:

-Natural rubber forms the base, giving the foam its structure and elasticity

-Sugarcane contributes flexible polymer bonds that support stretch

-Ground oyster shells add strength and durability

-Plant oils soften the foam and boost its flex too

Lower-Impact-Linings

The linings of the Evolve wetsuit are made from recycled polyester with dope-dyed yarns — a process that reduces both water and energy use during production. Our goal is to reach 100% recycled yarn content in these linings, using post-consumer polyester made from plastic bottles wherever possible. We choose polyester over recycled nylon, which is often made from production waste. The full fabric breakdown of the Evolve is: 87% recycled polyester, 9% dope-dyed polyester, 4% spandex.

The Truth About Stretch

Stretch isn’t just about range. It’s about recovery. A wetsuit needs to flex and bounce back, session after session, without bagging out or breaking down. Some early alternative foams had as little as half the elongation of traditional neoprene. That might sound minor, but you feel it every time you paddle out or duck dive.

Stretch starts with the foam, but how the suit is constructed matters just as much. Panel shape, seam placement, tension zones — it all plays a role in how the suit moves with you.

To get it right, we mapped everything digitally, used 3D design tools, and ran simulations before ever cutting a prototype. Then we made one wetsuit. Broke it. Built ten more. And finally got it in the water.

Durability matters here too. A wetsuit that holds up season after season is better for the planet and an investment for the rider. The Evolve includes details like stretch taping throughout, GBS seams to prevent water entry, abrasion-resistant Hex-tech kneepads, and non-slip cuffs all help the suit perform over time.


These technical features might seem small on their own, but together, they make a big difference in how long your suit lasts — and how it feels in the water, session after session. 

Where the Industry Goes Next

A perfectly green wetsuit would be made from fully renewable, regenerative materials, produced with zero emissions, and fully recyclable at the end of its life. The industry isn’t there yet.

Cost is part of the equation too. Building a wetsuit from lower-impact materials and premium construction methods isn’t cheap. One of the hardest parts is keeping it accessible to riders without sacrificing performance.

Final Thoughts

The Evolve isn’t the finish line. It’s a milestone. A step forward in what wetsuits can be, how they can be made, and how they feel in the water. We’re already exploring new formulations, refining the foam, and pushing for even higher renewable content — all without giving up the second-skin feeling.


To read more about how we’re approaching sustainability across all our products, check out our sustainability page.