Our YAMAMOTO Neoprene and Why We Use It
Why YAMAMOTO Neoprene from Japan?
300 million years ago, magma created a seamount near the Big Island of Hawai'i in the Pacific Ocean where coral reefs formed on the summit. Millions of years formed the coral reefs into limestone. And sea plates carried the limestone to Japan over 80 million years.
This limestone is one of the purest limestones in the world. YAMAMOTO only uses the highest-grade of limestone, containing 99.7% Calcium Carbonate as a raw material. The limestone is mined and made from Mt. Kurohime (pictured below) which stores billion tons of the purest limestone.
YAMAMOTO only uses the highest-grade limestone from here containing 99.7% of calcium carbonate.
Although certain amount of oil is needed to make soft rubber foam, YAMAMOTO doesn't use petroleum-derived oil.
Instead, YAMAMOTO uses food-grade pure Canola oil, which is widely used as Tempura oil in Japan for sustainability and safety.
The reason why YAMAMOTO has been committed to using Limestone Neoprene is simply because our material comes into direct contact with human skin.
Unlike Natural Rubber, Neoprene or its other name Chloroprene Rubber (CR) doesn’t contain latex which can cause serious allergic reactions.
It is all about safety and peace of mind.
Sustainability
Sustainability is not to avoid using any resources but to use them in a smart manner.
Petroleum oil is going to be depleted in the next 50 years. Limestone, on the other hand, can be utilized for a wetsuit material semi-permanently.
Renewable Energy Sources
When making our Neoprene from limestone, it requires a lot of energy. To reduce environmental impact, most of the energy comes from renewable energy sources such as hydroelectricity.
Thinking of Ocean Pollution
It is estimated that there are 150 million tons of plastic waste in the ocean with at least 8 million tons flowing in the ocean annually.
YAMAMOTO is working on recycled jersey materials to reduce pollution of the ocean and to make more people aware of this issue.
It is estimated that the number of marine debris is going to exceed the number of fish by 2050.
YAMAMOTO continues to work on solutions to conserve the beautiful ocean.
Here at Seventhwave we work on a daily basis to reduce our waste and our footprint and impact on the environment. We make our wetsuits from YAMAMOTO neoprene which is built to last which ultimately means less waste.
We repair wetsuits where possible no matter what brand, resulting in a longer life span for your suit and reducing waste. Read about that here - https://seventhwave.myshopify.com/blogs/library/how-we-repair-wetsuits
And we trade in kids wetsuits so they can be reused. Read about that here - https://seventhwave.myshopify.com/blogs/library/our-trade-in-service
- Click here for a short video about our Neoprene
