Filmmakers urge local surfers to rethink their wetsuits

Friday 11 October 2024

A trio of documentary makers who recently visited Jersey are calling on local surfers to ditch their neoprene wetsuits for a more ethical alternative…but what’s the problem with the industry’s favourite synthetic rubber?

Most local surfers will feel that their love of the sport is wrapped up with a love of the planet.

Donning a wetsuit and entering Jersey's increasingly chilly waters is often seen as a way to connect with nature and escape from the toxicity of modern life.

But beyond wanting their suits to be warm, flexible, durable and well-fitting, many wetsuit users will not have thought twice about the supply chain behind the product.

The thermal garment is essential for most of year in Jersey... but would you want to wear something that was labelled 'Made In Cancer Alley'?

This is the message that lies at the heart of documentary 'The Big Sea', which aims to show the price of the perfect wave is greater than some might think.

Through their work, lifelong surfers and journalists Lewis Arnold and Chris Nelson are exposing how emissions from one of the world's largest neoprene manufacturers are severely impacting the health of thousands of nearby American residents — leaving them 50 times more likely to develop 'The Big C' than the national average, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Before the documentary officially launches next month, the pair visited the island with producer Demi Taylor to preview their work at the Jersey Surf Film Festival, where it won the Best Film Award.

After the screening, Mr Nelson and Ms Taylor sat down with the JEP to discuss how the production of neoprene, which is used in the vast majority of wetsuits, is linked to a region in Louisiana known as "Cancer Alley."

This area, stretching along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, is home to a chemical plant operated by Japanese petrochemical company Denka.

Pictured: The Denka Plant is the sole producer of chloroprene in the USA. The residents living around the plant have the highest cancer risk in the USA. It is 50 times the national average. The EPA confirms that this is due to the toxic emissions from the chloroprene plant. (Lewis Arnold)

This situation means that the 5,000 residents living near the plant, who are from predominantly black and low-income backgrounds, are exposed to chloroprene emissions produced during the manufacturing process.

Although the US Environmental Protection Agency has reported that exposure to these air pollutants may increase cancer risk, a primary school that educates around 500 children is located just a few hundred feet from the plant.

"Every single household [in Cancer Alley] has been affected by cancer," Mr Nelson explained.

"People who have cancer, are in remission from cancer, have died from cancer - that's every single household. The sheer scale of it is shocking."

The filmmakers went on to discuss how the history of 'Cancer Alley', which was formerly the site of a slave plantation, carries with it a legacy of racism and slavery that can be seen in the ongoing environmental and social injustices that are seen today.

"It really is a case study in environmental racism," Ms Taylor said.

After the abolition of slavery and the end of segregation, many Black residents were able to purchase land in Louisiana cheaply through government programmes.

Mr Nelson explained: "The government offered support where the descendants of slaves could buy tracts of land that would always be theirs.

"It was meant to be a legacy, so they could buy land, feel secure, and pass it down through generations."

Shortly after the land was acquired by black residents, chemical plants and factories were set up in the 1960s to form a highly polluted industrial corridor that made the land essentially worthless and unsellable.

Mr Nelson said: "Whenever new plants are opened up, they are always cited in Black, low-income areas, and they are never cited in white areas."

"And it's proved virtually impossible to close the plants down because the local black population is just denied any kind of political kind of leverage and support."

"The people in the community say, 'I couldn't sell my house to somebody else in good conscience, because how could I say to somebody come and live next to this chemical plant?'"

Despite efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency to address the issue of air pollution, the filmmakers argue that progress has been limited by state-level politics — with Mr Nelson saying that the area around the plant has even been designated as a "sacrifice zone" by some officials.

However, as a surf film, 'The Big Sea' not only highlights the plight of Cancer Alley residents but also examines the surf industry's role in perpetuating the problem.

Although neoprene is used in a huge amount of products from yoga mats to automotive parts, the synthetic material is most widely known for its use in wetsuits.

While it has long been the material of choice, Mr Nelson and Ms Arnold argue that the surfing industry can no longer ignore the ethical implications of its use and advocate for a greener alternative known as natural rubber.

Pictured: Professional surfer Sandy Kerr from the North of England wearing a natural rubber wetsuit. (Lewis Arnold)

Mr Nelson said: "The natural rubber alternatives are almost indistinguishable from neoprene, with the added bonus that they don't come from petrochemicals and basically grow on trees."

"Performance-wise, price-wise, they are now as good as a neoprene wetsuit, if not better."

"If people stop buying neoprene wetsuits if they stop buying neoprene products, then there is no need for this plant anymore."

"This is not going to change through legislation. It's not going to change through any form of political action, but what it can change through is consumer behaviour."

"The Big Sea" is set to premiere in London in November, followed by a tour through the UK and Europe.

The filmmakers plan to release screening dates on their website, thebigsea.org, and social media channels.

Local wetsuit retailers Madhatter, Luna and Surf Yard have been approached for comment.

WATCH...

Video: The Big Sea trailer. 

Pictured top: Filmmakers Lewis Arnold, Demi Taylor and Chris Nelson were awarded Best Film at the Jersey Surf Film Festival.