Cutting down on plastic waste is rarely straightforward – in fact the harder you try, the more you realise just how deeply plastic pervades our lives. But knowledge is power. Here are some of the areas we’ve been focussing on to reduce our impact, and some of the ways we can help you to reduce yours.

The covid crisis has wrapped the whole issue up in a further layer of confusion, often generated deliberately by the plastics industry and just as synthetic as the packaging they manufacture. There's no evidence that single-use plastics reduce the chance of virus transmission; in fact all the research points the opposite way, and scientists recently vouched for the safety of reusable containers during the pandemic. And while disposable, surgical PPE is vital for some key workers, the government has declared reusable masks safe for the rest of us.

Our boxes are 100% recycled, we use we use eco-friendly gum tape to seal them, and the “void fill” inside the boxes is 100% recycled paper, so the whole package is fully recyclable.

But that’s just "outbound" packaging, the packaging on top of the packaging. Products still arrive at our warehouse in "inbound" packaging – clear plastic "poly bags" – and this packaging is generally then passed on to customers. We’ve been looking at ways to change that...

Plastic Cutback

A Surfdome initiative supported by Patagonia

Following a successful trial period, we’re making the Plastic Cutback permanent. Poly bags provide important protection for the product inside them, but often end up in landfill or worse, because they’re only accepted for recycling at specific collection points. So when you purchase a Patagonia product from Surfdome, we do that bit for you: remove the poly bag for the last leg of its journey, then recycle in bulk via a trusted third party. Your Better Sweater still gets to you safe and sound, and no packaging has any chance of leaking into the environment.

• Alternative packaging and protection for surfboards, SUPs, and more
• 100% recyclable and biodegradable
• No need for obscene amounts of bubble wrap and plastic tape!
• All Fourth and Maluku surfboards come packaged in Flexi-Hex

For the plastic you don’t see

Guppyfriend Washing Bag

Every time we put polyester, nylon, and other synthetic clothing in the wash, countless tiny plastic fibres or “microplastics" are shed by the textiles and drain into our ecosystems. Keep your clothes and the planet clean with the Guppyfriend washing bag, which filters the microfibres shed by the clothing you put inside it.

We are the problem and the solution.

Next time you head to the beach, spend 120 seconds doing your own personal plastic pick-up. And if you can't get down to the beach right now, you can support the 2 Minute team and the invaluable work they're doing here:

- Made using REPREVEⓇ, a fibre that is made from recycled plastic bottles.

- Part of the earthwise™ collection

- 100% vegan

- OrthoLite® Eco LT insole

- Rooted in earth-friendly processes