YULEX100 is the first 100% Natural Rubber polymer and an alternative to neoprene. Designed exclusively for Decathlon, YULEX100 is made from FSC or PEFC certified forests, providing the same performance as traditional neoprene and reducing CO2 emissions by 80%.
Since the 1970s, most wetsuits have been made of neoprene, a synthetic rubber derived from petroleum or limestone. Although neoprene is stretchy and warm, its production is also highly polluting.
The challenge was to find a replacement for the polymer (the main component in the foam) without altering the production process, product performance, or the price. After more than 50 lab tests, 50 different formulas and two years of research, DECATHLON and YULEX created a neoprene replacement whereby the polymer is made from 100% certified natural rubber.
Decathlon is replacing neoprene in their beginner Junior Shorty range, as they represent 34% of our surf wetsuits sold in 2023, and into our Snorkeling Tops, representing 27% of the diving and snorkeling top and wetsuit pieces sold in 2023. This leads to a significant reduction in our use of neoprene, with more models to follow in the adult range in 2025.
“To do this required a rewiring of the way we think and act as a business, and effective collaboration all along our value chain.”
— Anna Turrell DECATHLON Chief Sustainability Officer
The result? An 80% reduction in CO2e emissions compared with neoprene foam. And the material is just as light, warm, durable and stretchy, meeting all the technical requirements of users.
