80% REDUCED CARBON FOOTPRINT
All Sea lion board handles, leashes and board bag handles are made with Yulex rubber by replacing environmentally harmful synthetic neoprenes with Yulex; a FSC-certified, sustainably sourced and plant-based foam. The comparable CO2 emitted during the manufacturing process is reduced by 80%. 15% of Yulex is synthetic neoprene which is kept in to improve UV resistance. Reducing our impact is key but maintaining high quality materials suitable for the job is just as important.
WHAT IS YULEX PURE® NATURAL RUBBER?
Yulex® is a natural plant-based rubber that provides a clean alternative to neoprene. The rubber emulsion is sourced from sustainably FSC managed forests of Havea brasiliensis (Pará rubber) trees.
This latex emulsion is refined, purified and concentrated using Yulex’s specialised technique, removing 99% of impurities such as dirt, plant solids, fats and proteins that cause latex allergies, resulting in a higher performing and stronger elastomer. A dry solid rubber is then produced by coagulating the Yulex Pure® emulsion in a process that causes a change to the electrical charge in the rubber particles, forcing them to form soft clumps. The material is then rinsed, milled down and dried, to be processed into bales of Yulex Pure® dry solid. It is this solid rubber in the form of sheets that replaces the synthetic neoprene material.
NATURAL CARBON SEQUESTRATION
Because Yulex® comes from trees, the plantations are already sequestering huge amounts of carbon, with around 1,400 kgs of CO2 sequestered per hectare of forest.
10X LESS WATER NEEDED
Traditional neoprene requires a lot of water – around 300,000 litres to produce just one metric tonne. By comparison, one tonne of Yulex® can be made with just under 26,000 litres. That’s over 10x less water used.
REDUCED ENERGY CONSUMPTION
It can take up to 33,300 kilowatt hours of energy to make one tonne of neoprene. To produce the same amount of Yulex®, only 1,150 kwh would be required. It is also produced using solar energy, power of the sun for the wind!
CUTS OVERALL CARBON FOOTPRINT
There are other benefits too, like the fact that Yulex recycle any waste water in a closed loop system, or the use of renewable energy at their processing facilities. But all of these things add up, and manufacturing of Yulex®, rather than traditional neoprene, can reduce the overall carbon footprint by an incredible 80%.
CHERRY ON THE CAKE?
Only 0.5% of the worlds rubber supply currently comes from FSC certified sources, meaning Yulex is part of a select few companies taking the much needed steps to be as sustainable as possible.
