Finisterre launches first product made from recycled wetsuits

Cornish outdoor apparel brand Finisterre has launched the ‘From Wetsuits’ changing mat, its first-ever product made from recycled wetsuits, showcasing a breakthrough in circular design.

The changing mat is designed to carry wet gear and function as a durable changing mat and represents a significant step forward in addressing one of the surf industry’s biggest sustainability challenges, the waste of old wetsuits.

Each year, an estimated 8,380 tonnes of old wetsuits are discarded, often ending up in landfill sites due to their complex material composition. After years of research and development, Finisterre, in partnership with circular economy pioneers Circular Flow, has created a practical, planet-friendly solution with the ‘From Wetsuits’ changing mat.

Finisterre utilised its wetsuit take-back programme, where more than 1,000 wetsuits were collected and deconstructed by Circular Flow to recover usable materials. Each suit is manually disassembled to remove zips and non-neoprene parts, which are sorted into appropriate recycling streams. The remaining neoprene, including its inner linings, is then processed into new material sheets.

The result is the ‘From Wetsuits’ changing mat, a robust, flexible gear carrier crafted from 80 percent recycled neoprene and 20 percent recycled polyester. The first run of mats has already repurposed 339 wetsuits.

Finisterre also adds that the circular journey doesn’t end there, as once the mat reaches the end of its life, customers can return it via Finisterre’s partnership with Reskinned, ensuring it goes back to Circular Flow for further recycling. A process that can be repeated up to seven times before final repurposing into industrial materials like insulation.

Tom Kay, founder at Finisterre, said in a statement: “We are incredibly proud of all the work the crew put into making the From Wetsuits changing mat happen. We’ve always believed in protecting what we love, and this project is about taking responsibility for the products we create – and re-creating them again and again.”

The ‘From Wetsuits’ changing mat is available now from Finisterre.com and in select stores.