Ruth Carruthers: Supply and demand
In a recent report by Surfers Against Sewage, it's estimated that only 1% of surfing apparel sales are directly due to those of us who surf. Which means the other 99% of the gear sold is manufactured to meet a demand from the general public on the hunt for ‘surf fashion.’
This is a slightly sobering though but not really that surprising. The mass appeal that surf brands have is obvious every time you walk down the street. However, I’ve been thinking about this stat a bit more after attending a talk given by Rip Curl’s Environment Officer Eric Dargant, who provided an overview of Rip Curl’s environmental progression and the integration of the Rip Curl Planet label.
Rip Curl Planet (RCP) products first appeared on the scene in 2006. Unlike some companies who introduce a range of ‘eco’ clothing in addition to their usual product, the Rip Curl Planet label is not a specific line but instead replaces goods manufactured in conventional and less environmentally friendly ways. In 2006, only eight RCP items were on offer but this has grown to 185 for Autumn Winter 09/10, which includes 60% of their t-shirts now made using organic cotton and avoiding the use of 65 tons of toxic chemicals.
This sounds great you may think. If they keep up this progression, Rip Curl look set to become one of the greenest surf brands around. However, as Eric explains, as much as Rip Curl want to supply us with such goods, the demand from consumers is just not there.
The problem lies with the fact that environmentally sound fabrics are harder to source, they are generally more expensive and there is little choice. The same applies to dyeing and printing, meaning companies often have to chose between fashionable and eco-friendly products. When taken into account with the fact that up to 99% of customers are fashion lead, it's a weighty predicament for a company who want to be green. So in the meantime, Rip Curl is trying to find a balance between pricing, variety, style and ecology until their customers tell them the environment is more important to them than their looks.
I’m writing this on a Saturday night and I’ve just come back from the centre of town, an area that is quickly becoming swamped at the weekends by Christmas shoppers. The window of the Rip Curl store is suitably decked out with the usual tinsel tat and gift suggestions for those people who probably wish they were having Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere.
Environmental consciousness is spreading. Surfers are increasingly demanding product that doesn’t harm their playgrounds and I hope this is what the mainstream aspires to some day. But as I knocked my way through the Christmas crowds today, I knew that right now the power to change the colour of the surf industry from light green to dark green really lies with these people - the non-surfers on the hunt for a fashionable gift in a city surf shop.
Let's just hope they picked up an organic t-shirt and thought it looked cool.
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Comments (7)
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In order to do this, they need people to buy buy buy! If that means them making a plastic pencil case for the kid whose starting school, then they will make them by the truck load.
I just don't think that global brands can ever be good to the planet, they can be less bad if you like. As you quite rightly say, not everyone can afford to by an organic hemp tee printed without chemicals so they have to make a cheaper option but I think it's hugely unfair to put blame on the consumer. It's very easy to assume that buying a £25 organic tee could be done without much thought but for many, there are much better ways to spend that money.
It's the like's of Rip Curl that have to make money to operate so they have to sell cheaper and therefore, often a more un-freindly product.
I think big brands a lot more that they can do about this situation than they currently are for sure. But then it's the whole you can take a horse to water thing, and unless the consumers want to drink they won't. It's got to be up to them.
Rip Curl could go completly green and loose half their customers in the process. I'm not sticking up for them, but I do understand why they might be scared to do so. But if we as customers say it's okay, it takes that fear away.
I think a good example of where consumer demand really changed a global industry for the better would be the case of 'dolphin friendly' tuna. It was consumer demand that really pushed for that change and it worked! Well, it sort of worked, I don't personaly believe there is any such thing as anything friendly tuna right now but that's another story...
However, the best solution would be for companies to not produce so many clothes in the first place. That's the most eco-friendly option there is.
You're a great writer and I look forward to hearing more.
I feel you're right. But at the moment, the decision making comes down to those of us who can afford to buy organic etc and therefore continue to build a demand for these products, therefore making them cheaper in the long run.... Hopefully.
Keep doing what you're doing.
Peace.