Experts are looking to develop the first recycling facility in the UK for wetsuits.

The recycling centre is needed as currently the UK has no way of recycling neoprene, which many wetsuits are made from.

Led by the University of Plymouth and Circular Flow, a firm which specialises in reducing the impact of neoprene, the project will investigate scope for developing a recycling facility for the material in the UK.

It is one of eight projects to share £1m in funding from Future Fibres Network Plus, which brings together environmental science experts and the textile industry.

Circular Flow already has a neoprene recycling facility in Bulgaria.

“Many of those who buy and wear wetsuits have a genuine interest in the environment, and therefore in the sustainability of these products,” said Circular Flow head of sales and commercial partnerships Emma Major-Mudge.

“However, wetsuits are one of the hardest products to recycle and the possibility of opening a recycling facility in the UK is very exciting.”

University of Plymouth associate professor in environmental psychology Kayleigh Wyles added: “Our project will investigate the level of interest among UK businesses for returning end-of-life wetsuits and accessories to a UK facility where they can be turned into new and useful products.

“We also aim to understand consumers’ willingness to purchase and wear recycled neoprene products, and explore the logistics of developing a recycling facility.”

Other projects to receive Future Fibres Network Plus funding include a Northumbria University and Procter & Gamble project called Fabriotic, which is looking to tackle bad smells which cause clothing to be discarded prematurely.

Future Fibres Network Plus is led by the University of Exeter and involves the universities of Leeds, Huddersfield and Plymouth, University of the Arts London, and the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT).

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