At Prolimit we care about our planet and think green.

Our aim is to reduce the carbon footprint and we strive to make our products as eco-friendly as possible. Therefore we are using specially recycled, eco-friendly raw materials and innovative techniques to minimize the impact on nature. We choose sustainability over price.

Driven by a desire to create and build innovative water sports products, Prolimit pushes for a future in line with nature. For this reason we created our PF-1 Nature Prene wetsuit which has a FSC approval. Our Nature Prene wetsuit is the most sustainable wetsuit on the market today. We think it’s important to be as eco-friendly as possible in all our products and our aim is to make high- performance products with respect for our planet.

 

Our future is in line with nature.

Production process

Prolimit products are made using innovative technologies and materials. We use these technologies and materials to be more in line with nature. Because of our wide range of products, we make use of different methods and materials. The aim is always to use the most eco-friendly method available.

Carbon Black recycled

Carbon Black is a key ingredient to produce neoprene. Our eco carbon black is made from recycled tires. The tires are shredded and thereafter transformed into powdered carbon black. Unlike the traditional carbon black, this method reduces the energy consumption and the CO2 emission by 200g per wetsuit.

Limestone neoprene

After the process of the Carbon Black, the substance will be added to the neoprene chips. Our neoprene chips are made from limestone. We use earth mined limestone to replace petrochemicals in our neoprene. Since it comes from nature, it has less impact on the environment.

In short, limestone neoprene is more comfortable, longer lasting, more eco-friendly compared to petroleum based neoprene and therefore also better for nature. Limestone neoprene products are more flexible, lighter and have exceptional thermal insulation with high stretch.

Recycled neoprene

Under high temperature and pressure the raw sheets (carbon black mixed with neoprene chips and key ingredients) become foamed rubber buns. Then they are sliced into specified thicknesses for lamination. The trimmed edges and redundant neoprene will be recycled and reused in the mixing process to produce more neoprene sheets.

We strive to optimize the whole production process as much as possible and technology permits. Unfortunately it is yet not possible to fully recycle old wetsuits as they have been laminated with fabrics by the glue.

Nowadays neoprene can be recycled under certain conditions. We hope we can fully recycle old wetsuits and other neoprene products in the near future. At Prolimit we are always challenging ourselves to create new, innovative and more sustainable techniques.

Dope dyed yarns

Before lamination we need to prepare lining fabrics. Prolimit uses the dope-dyeing process. This means that we don’t dye the fabric in our production process anymore. The traditional way of coloring has a high water consumption, using a lot of energy and producing a large amount of industrial waste water and toxic chemicals. Instead of the traditional and common way, we use the method of dope dyed yarns. Dope dying is an energy saving and a more environmental-friendly method. Dope dyed yarns are made by adding colorant to the polymer melt in spinning.

In short, we add the color before spinning. With this procedure in which we color the yarn without the dying process, we save 104L of water per kg of fabric. The advantages of dope dyeing are in line with our goal to produce products with respect for our planet.

Water based glue

The laminated neoprene sheets are cut into panels and put together to create a neoprene product such as a wetsuit. The lamination of all our wetsuits is done with water based glue, so called aqua-α. Unlike the traditional glue, the water based glue is solvent free and without chemicals (it removes 99% of the impurities). This avoids latex allergies. Don’t worry! Of course the glue will not dissolve in water. We made sure that the glue is as strong as the traditional glue.

Reach compliant

Our wetsuits are PAH (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) free and 100% reach compliant. Reach compliant means we have achieved to ban the use of extender oils in our neoprene sheets for a better environment. REACH is a regulation of the European Union, adopted to improve the protection of human health and the environment from risks that can be posed by chemicals in the production process.

The PAH neutral neoprene has improved characteristics such as weight and stretch, and it also prevents skin irritation. We banned the use of extender oils in our neoprene which is better for your skin and nature.

Ecological packaging

After the production process of the neoprene products, our wetsuits will be packed into a sustainable bag. The bags in which we pack our wetsuits are sustainable and compostable. Compostable bags break down readily in a composting system. Every single wetsuit is carefully checked by quality before being packed.

Nature Prene®

In addition to all technical innovations and production processes explained above, we are proud to announce our Nature Prene series. The most sustainable wetsuit on the market today. Our Nature Prene wetsuits even have a FSC approval (Forest Stewardship Council). To create our Nature Prene series we combined technology with nature. We used our knowledge of technology to reduce our impact on nature. The FSC label shows that the product is only made out of materials that are FSC certified.

 

 

In case of our PF-1 Nature Prene series we use certified neoprene.

This wetsuit is made out of plant based rubber derived from sources that are FSC certified. The certified neoprene is laminated with recycled polyester and a lining made out of recycled PET bottles. Lamination is done with water based glue. In addition, this wetsuit has 20% more stretch and is lighter than before, offering full freedom of movement in the most extreme conditions.

Recycled polyester

In our Nature Prene wetsuit we use PET bottles. A wide selection of our fabrics are knitted from polyester yarns made from recycled plastic bottles. One wetsuit contains 45 recycled plastic bottles. We reduce waste and material consumption at the same time.

Discover our Nature Prene® wetsuits

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