The Innovators: Soöruz

Over the past few years, wetsuit brand Soöruz have won not one but two industry awards for their innovative work toward making wetsuits a whole lot more environmentally sustainable. Co-founder and CEO Yann Dalibot explained to us exactly why these accolades have come their way…

So, let’s start at the beginning – can you give us a quick overview of how Soöruz got started and what your original vision was for the brand?

Soöruz was born in 1999 in La Rochelle, on the French Atlantic coast, out of a deep love for board sports and a desire to do things differently. Back then, we were a small group of passionate riders – surfers, windsurfers, kiteboarders – who felt that the gear on the market didn’t fully reflect the spirit of our community: technical, creative, and deeply connected to nature.

From the very beginning, our vision was clear: to create high-performance wetsuits and technical gear that would respect both the rider and the planet. We started small, with limited runs of wetsuits designed for surfers, but quickly expanded across all board sports. Innovation and sustainability have always been at the heart of our approach. Not just as a trend, but as a long-term, meaningful commitment.

Over the years, we've grown steadily in Europe, becoming a leading eco-responsible wetsuit brand. And in 2025, we took a major step forward by expanding into the U.S. market – a move that reflects the growing international demand for high-performance, sustainable wetsuits, especially among the foiling, surf, and wing communities.

Today, Soöruz remains independent, rider-owned, and proudly based in La Rochelle in France. But our mindset is global. We’re here to empower riders worldwide, with gear that lets them ride better, and ride with purpose.

Has that vision evolved much over the years, especially with sustainability becoming a central theme in your product development?

Absolutely – our core vision has remained the same, but it has grown deeper and more ambitious over time. From the start, we wanted to create innovative, rider-driven products. But as our awareness of environmental challenges increased, sustainability moved from a value to a driving force in everything we do.

About 15 years ago, we began developing alternatives to traditional neoprene, which is highly polluting, and that became a turning point. We introduced recycled polyester and bio-based linings, water-based glues, and limestone neoprene, and later, our biggest breakthrough, Oysterprene®, a foam made with recycled oyster shells sourced close to our factory.

Today, we use our new Organic Oyterprene®, certified over 80% bio-based product, and we’ve implemented a full circular approach, including collection and recycling of used wetsuits. Sustainability is no longer a feature – it’s built into the DNA of every product we develop. We also believe sustainability and performance are not mutually exclusive. In fact, many of our athletes tell us our eco-wetsuits are among the lightest and most flexible they’ve ever worn. That’s our mission: to push performance and sustainability hand in hand, without compromise.

Speaking of which, you’ve recently won the EUROSIMA award for innovation for a second time, the first in 2020 due to your use of Oysterprene® in your wetsuits. What were some of the biggest challenges in developing a wetsuit material like that?

The biggest challenge was finding the right balance between eco-responsibility and performance. Early alternatives to neoprene lacked the stretch or warmth riders need. With Oysterprene®, we developed a new process using recycled oyster shells – but making it work meant years of R&D, testing with athletes, and rethinking our entire supply chain.

Another key challenge was coordinating between our R&D team in France and our manufacturing partners in Asia. Turning innovation into production at scale required constant communication, technical alignment, and shared commitment. But in the end, it paid off – we now offer wetsuits that are lighter, more flexible, and far more sustainable.

And so the new organic version improves upon that too?

Absolutely. In 2024, we officially launched Organic Oysterprene®, the evolution of our eco-foam. It combines our original oyster shell powder with bio-based, renewable materials, further reducing our carbon footprint while maintaining the same high-performance standards.

In summer 2025, 100% of our wetsuits are made with Organic Oysterprene®, making Soöruz one of the very few brands offering a fully eco-designed range at scale. It’s a major milestone – not just for us, but for the whole industry, proving that sustainability and top-level performance can truly go hand in hand.

You won the EUROSIMA award this time due to your innovative wetsuit recycling program. Please talk us through that.

Winning the EUROSIMA Award again – this time for our wetsuit recycling program – is a huge recognition of our long-term commitment to circular innovation. For years, wetsuits have ended their life in landfills or closets. We wanted to change that. So we developed a large-scale collection and transformation program, recovering used wetsuits from customers, surf schools, and retailers, and giving them a second life through material reprocessing.

The result is two key flagship products: a yoga mat: made from reclaimed wetsuit foam, it offers natural grip and cushioning, while giving purpose to neoprene that would otherwise be wasted. And then flexible flooring tiles for gyms and sports facilities – these durable, shock-absorbing tiles are made from shredded wetsuit material, offering a sustainable, high-performance alternative for fitness spaces. This program proves that wetsuits can have a meaningful second life – and we’re proud to be pioneering this path, showing that responsibility doesn't stop at the point of sale.

I understand you’re also making this program “open source”, so that other manufacturers  can adopt the same principles?

Yes – we believe that real change in our industry will only happen through collaboration. That’s why we’re open to sharing the structure of our wetsuit recycling program: how it works, the partners involved, and the challenges we’ve overcome along the way.

That said, it’s not a plug-and-play solution. To be effective and scalable, this type of circular system requires a collective investment – in logistics, processing, and education. We’re encouraging other brands to join forces with us, to co-develop and co-finance the next steps of this initiative. It’s not about ownership – it’s about impact. By working together, we can accelerate progress and build a more responsible future for our sports.

How do you ensure your eco-initiatives remain authentic and avoid greenwashing – especially in an industry that’s increasingly leaning into sustainability? And what’s your take on “compostable” wetsuits?!

At Soöruz, we’ve never positioned ourselves as a “green brand”. Instead, we see sustainability as a true driver of innovation – just like performance, materials science, or design. For us, being eco-responsible isn’t a label, it’s a way of thinking, prototyping, and progressing.

We avoid greenwashing by staying focused on innovation with measurable impact. Each product we develop – from wetsuits to recycled accessories – is the result of research, testing, and technical collaboration. For example, the development of Oysterprene® wasn’t about ticking a “green” box, it was about inventing a new generation of high-performance foams with a lower footprint. We’re not interested in vague claims or trends. Instead, we build transparent, credible solutions that riders can feel and see. In short, we don’t claim to be perfect – we aim to be innovative, honest, and always moving forward.

Regarding compostable wetsuits, we’re often asked about that, and to be honest we think that even talking about a “compostable wetsuit” today is greenwashing.

Finally, what advice would you give to other brands in the foil space who want to make the shift toward more responsible production?

Start now – and start by doing, not just saying. You don’t have to be perfect from day one, but you do have to be honest and committed. Responsible production isn’t just about materials – it’s about mindset, design choices, supply chain transparency, and product lifecycle. Our advice? Treat sustainability as a space for innovation, not as a constraint.

And don’t try to do it alone. Collaborate with others – even your competitors. We’re stronger and faster when we work together, share knowledge, and co-invest in long-term solutions. The foil community is young, fast-moving, and deeply connected to nature. That gives us a huge responsibility – and a huge opportunity – to lead by example.