Since 2012, Quiksilver has repurposed 100 million bottles or 3500 tons of plastic into boardshorts, jackets and other garments. The program saves close to 9 million litres of drinking water and the annual energy consumption of close to 1000 households. Each Quiksilver x REPREVE® boardshort contains about 10 recycled bottles.
REPREVE® starts the process by turning used plastic bottles into plastic flake, which is then converted into REPREVE® chips. They then melted the chips, before turning it into yarn that acts similar to conventional polyester.
“We are very excited to contribute a part to the protection of something we genuinely care about — the ocean. As surfers and snowboarders we need to think about the future, so our grandchildren can enjoy the mountain and the wave we love so much. Up-cycling plastic waste into something that is useful for us, even today, is an important step”, says Garry Wall, Global General Manager of Quiksilver.
Quiksilver Repreve has been in the line since 2012 with their snow collection included. Right now abut 55% of the snow styles feature this material.