Kayakers may think that they are among the most environmentally conscious people out there, as nature lovers and such, but a lot goes on behind the scenes that we don’t really think about. Neoprene, magical material that it is, does have some environmental impact stemming from the materials and process used to make it. Todd Copeland at Patagonia has a good explanation about the environmental impact of neoprene made from petroleum versus limestone. TLDR? Petroleum neoprene is bad because of oil, limestone neoprene is bad because of the mining.

But now there may be a third option that has recently been developed by a company called GreenSmart.

Neogreene is the GreenSmart trade name for the collection of products made from a proprietary formulation of thermoplastic elastomer foam. TPE-G2 foams provide the unique physical properties of traditional rubber foam products but with the processing efficiency of plastics.TPE plastics have long been used in automotive, electrical, and toy industries however a TPE foam suitable for sportswear application had yet to be introduced. Our neogreene formulation has been modified to also match the Shore A value a hardness test method similar to SBR, rubber, and CR neoprene foam. This modification opens up the opportunity to offer the performance and environmental benefits of neogreene for bags.

No word yet on if and when there are plans to use this for wetsuits, gloves, or little wet booties for your kayak-loving little feet. But we are one step closer to being even more smug and self-righteous about our ever increasing eco-consciousness!

via GreenSmart | toxicity report.