Fast Fashion Is Killing the Ocean — And the Surf Industry Is Part of the Problem
19/03/26 12:38
Fast Fashion Is Killing the Ocean — And the Surf Industry Is Part of the Problem
The surf industry has a branding problem. On one hand, surf culture is built around a genuine love of the ocean — the environment, the freedom, the connection to nature. On the other hand, the products that industry sells are often made in ways that are quietly devastating to the very ocean they celebrate.
We started Not Sponsored because we couldn't ignore that contradiction anymore. Here's what's actually going on — and what a real alternative looks like.
What Fast Fashion Actually Means
Fast fashion is a manufacturing model designed around speed and volume. New styles every few weeks. Low price points made possible by cheap overseas labour and cheaper materials. A product lifespan measured in months, not years. And a marketing machine engineered to make you feel like last season's gear is already embarrassing.
The fashion industry as a whole is responsible for around 10% of global carbon emissions — more than international aviation and shipping combined. It's the second-largest consumer of water globally, and textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of clean water after agriculture.
These numbers apply to the surf industry too. Maybe more so, because surf brands operate on even shorter trend cycles than mainstream fashion, pushing new collections and colourways at a pace designed to maximise turnover — not quality.
The Specific Problem With Surfwear
Conventional surfwear comes with its own particular environmental costs:
Microplastics in the ocean
Most boardshorts, rash vests, and swimwear are made from virgin polyester or nylon — synthetic materials derived from petroleum. Every time these garments are washed, they can shed microplastic fibres that pass straight through water treatment systems and into waterways and basically our oceans. A single wash cycle can release hundreds of thousands of microplastic particles. (That’s why we do our Micro Plastic Filter Wash Bag)
The irony is painful: the shorts you wear in the ocean are, every time they're washed, potentially adding to the plastic pollution in that same ocean.
Virgin materials from fossil fuels
Virgin polyester production is energy-intensive and carbon-heavy. Producing one kilogram of virgin polyester releases approximately 9kg of CO₂. The global surf industry produces millions of garments annually — the carbon footprint is enormous, and almost entirely unnecessary given that recycled alternatives perform just as well.
Planned obsolescence
Surf brands — particularly the large listed companies — have a financial incentive to make gear that wears out or goes “out of style” quickly. A boardshort that lasts ten years is a customer you don't see again for a decade. A boardshort designed to fade, fray, or feel dated within twelve months is a customer who comes back next season every year.
This isn't conspiracy — it's just business. But it's business at the direct expense of the environment.
Chemical treatment and dyes
A lot of conventional textile processing uses significant quantities of chemical dyes, fixatives, and finishing agents. In countries with weaker environmental regulation — where much of the world's surf clothing is manufactured — these chemicals often end up in local waterways. The communities living near these factories pay the environmental price for the cheap gear filling surf shop racks on the other side of the world.
What 'Sustainable Surfwear' Actually Requires
Sustainability in surfwear isn't just about using recycled materials — though that matters. It's a whole-of-product approach:
What We Do Differently
Our boardshorts and beach towels are made from recycled plastic bottles — post-consumer waste that would otherwise end up in landfill, turned into high-performance surf gear. Around 13 bottles per pair of boardshorts and about 35 per rapid dry sand repellent beach towel.
Our casual range — tees, hoodies, rash shirts — uses bamboo, hemp, Tencel and Merino: natural and regenerative fibres that require far less water, far fewer chemicals, and far less carbon to produce than conventional cotton or virgin synthetics.
Our packaging is recycled paper, cardboard and cornstarch. No plastic.
And our products are designed to last. Not last one season — last years. Our customers tell us they're still wearing gear they bought from us five or ten years ago. That's not an accident. It's the point.
The Bigger Ask
Beyond what you buy, the most powerful thing any individual can do is simply buy less, and buy better.
One well-made pair of sustainable boardshorts that lasts even five years is a dramatically better environmental choice than five cheap pairs that fall apart in a season. The upfront cost might be higher. The total cost — financial, environmental, and ethical — is much lower.
The surf industry will change when enough customers demand it. Every purchase is a vote for the kind of industry you want. We started Not Sponsored because we believe there's a real appetite for something better — gear made by people who love the ocean as much as the people wearing it.
If you're sick of fast fashion in the surf industry, we're right there with you.
notsponsored.com.au | @notsponsoredsurf | Sunshine Coast, QLD 🌊
The surf industry has a branding problem. On one hand, surf culture is built around a genuine love of the ocean — the environment, the freedom, the connection to nature. On the other hand, the products that industry sells are often made in ways that are quietly devastating to the very ocean they celebrate.
We started Not Sponsored because we couldn't ignore that contradiction anymore. Here's what's actually going on — and what a real alternative looks like.
What Fast Fashion Actually Means
Fast fashion is a manufacturing model designed around speed and volume. New styles every few weeks. Low price points made possible by cheap overseas labour and cheaper materials. A product lifespan measured in months, not years. And a marketing machine engineered to make you feel like last season's gear is already embarrassing.
The fashion industry as a whole is responsible for around 10% of global carbon emissions — more than international aviation and shipping combined. It's the second-largest consumer of water globally, and textile dyeing is the second largest polluter of clean water after agriculture.
These numbers apply to the surf industry too. Maybe more so, because surf brands operate on even shorter trend cycles than mainstream fashion, pushing new collections and colourways at a pace designed to maximise turnover — not quality.
The Specific Problem With Surfwear
Conventional surfwear comes with its own particular environmental costs:
Microplastics in the ocean
Most boardshorts, rash vests, and swimwear are made from virgin polyester or nylon — synthetic materials derived from petroleum. Every time these garments are washed, they can shed microplastic fibres that pass straight through water treatment systems and into waterways and basically our oceans. A single wash cycle can release hundreds of thousands of microplastic particles. (That’s why we do our Micro Plastic Filter Wash Bag)
The irony is painful: the shorts you wear in the ocean are, every time they're washed, potentially adding to the plastic pollution in that same ocean.
Virgin materials from fossil fuels
Virgin polyester production is energy-intensive and carbon-heavy. Producing one kilogram of virgin polyester releases approximately 9kg of CO₂. The global surf industry produces millions of garments annually — the carbon footprint is enormous, and almost entirely unnecessary given that recycled alternatives perform just as well.
Planned obsolescence
Surf brands — particularly the large listed companies — have a financial incentive to make gear that wears out or goes “out of style” quickly. A boardshort that lasts ten years is a customer you don't see again for a decade. A boardshort designed to fade, fray, or feel dated within twelve months is a customer who comes back next season every year.
This isn't conspiracy — it's just business. But it's business at the direct expense of the environment.
Chemical treatment and dyes
A lot of conventional textile processing uses significant quantities of chemical dyes, fixatives, and finishing agents. In countries with weaker environmental regulation — where much of the world's surf clothing is manufactured — these chemicals often end up in local waterways. The communities living near these factories pay the environmental price for the cheap gear filling surf shop racks on the other side of the world.
What 'Sustainable Surfwear' Actually Requires
Sustainability in surfwear isn't just about using recycled materials — though that matters. It's a whole-of-product approach:
- Materials sourced with minimal environmental impact — recycled synthetics for performance gear, certified organic or low-impact natural fibres for casual wear
- Manufacturing processes that don't poison local water supplies or exploit workers
- Product design built around longevity, not planned obsolescence
- Packaging that doesn't add to the plastic waste stream
- A business model that doesn't depend on convincing customers they need new gear every six months
What We Do Differently
Our boardshorts and beach towels are made from recycled plastic bottles — post-consumer waste that would otherwise end up in landfill, turned into high-performance surf gear. Around 13 bottles per pair of boardshorts and about 35 per rapid dry sand repellent beach towel.
Our casual range — tees, hoodies, rash shirts — uses bamboo, hemp, Tencel and Merino: natural and regenerative fibres that require far less water, far fewer chemicals, and far less carbon to produce than conventional cotton or virgin synthetics.
Our packaging is recycled paper, cardboard and cornstarch. No plastic.
And our products are designed to last. Not last one season — last years. Our customers tell us they're still wearing gear they bought from us five or ten years ago. That's not an accident. It's the point.
The Bigger Ask
Beyond what you buy, the most powerful thing any individual can do is simply buy less, and buy better.
One well-made pair of sustainable boardshorts that lasts even five years is a dramatically better environmental choice than five cheap pairs that fall apart in a season. The upfront cost might be higher. The total cost — financial, environmental, and ethical — is much lower.
The surf industry will change when enough customers demand it. Every purchase is a vote for the kind of industry you want. We started Not Sponsored because we believe there's a real appetite for something better — gear made by people who love the ocean as much as the people wearing it.
If you're sick of fast fashion in the surf industry, we're right there with you.
notsponsored.com.au | @notsponsoredsurf | Sunshine Coast, QLD 🌊
