How triathletes can be heroes to protect the ocean
Introduction
SUMARPO introduced the first 100% Eco-wetsuit, after extensive research and development hours, with one goal in mind: To provide unsurpassed athletic performance in open water without compromising our mission to protect the environment that makes our sport possible. Talking more specifically, we mean the ocean no matter where you compete.
It's pretty tempting to go for the cheapest options when shopping for your first or replacement wetsuit. Connected to this mindset, some athletes even settle for a wetsuit aligned with a different sport like scuba diving or surfing. As a result, it's fair to say that they're sacrificing comfort, agility, speed, and - most crucially - eco-friendliness. Conversely, focused competitors do all they can to consistently cut fractions of a second off their personal best times.
Distributors of bottom-of-the-range suits don't mind petroleum-based construction in their promoted brands. On the contrary, it represents the very essence of the green movement's worst fears, which it consistently fights to eliminate. Nor do they take body posture, limb flexibility, and keeping the body warm in training and racing - all key to lowering your PB.
Think about it this way:
Someday, when you discard your purchase, the latter will pollute or contaminate the seabed or some landfill. Non-biodegradable products do that. It's why responsible performance-centric entities - and SUMARPO stands proud as one - are doing everything we can today to protect our precious Earth tomorrow. Indeed, we are so committed that we are members of the association known as "1% for the Planet", which we can't wait to tell you about. This article covers that and more.
About "1% for the Planet."
Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, is the founding father of 1% for the planet, positioning his business front and center of his vision:
● He has gone so far as to label Patagonia as an "activist company" by reserving 1% of its total sales revenue to energize the efforts of selected environmentalist entities.
● In addition, the company arranges sales events (like Black Friday promotions) where one hundred percent of the revenues channel into green initiatives.
● Indeed, when the Trump tax cuts entered the equation in 2018, Patagonia donated the total inflow (i.e., $10 million) to recognized leaders tackling pollution issues and the climate crisis.
In short, it's an organization that has captured the passion and interest of eco-conscious businesses and individuals globally. It has been an inspirational source to thousands of entities and people, supporting groundbreaking environmental initiatives. SUMARPO is a member, following Mister Chouinard's example, by contributing one percent of our sales revenues to the organization's causes. It means that every SUMARPO customer is part and parcel of this movement that's genuinely making a massive difference.
How much is 1% really?
When we sell a 100% eco-friendly wetsuit to you at a certain price, that number doesn't go to our bottom line (i.e., our profits). No, because we have to:
● Buy the product from the manufacturer - Cost of sales.
● Ship it across the seas - Transportation expenditure.
● Stock it in our store and send it to you - Rental and Labor overheads.
Then, we spend heavily to inform triathletes about our Neoprene benefits, watertight collar features, inner-suit structures designed to maximize flexibility, and non-petroleum adhesives. Finally, we go to great lengths to explain why SUMARPO suits keep you warm even in freezing temperatures with entirely biodegradable materials.
Of course, education is essential to understand the meaning of better performance and eco commitment, but communications are not inexpensive. Nonetheless, we don't stint on the latter.
So, when companies like SUMARPO and Patagonia allocate 1% of their sales to environmental causes, sales revenue whittles down to a much smaller number in profits. For example: If $100 top-line revenues translate to $10 earnings after deducting the cost of sales and overheads, 1% translates to injecting 10% of profits. On the other hand, it may be 20% of profits in highly competitive markets or something in between. No matter what, it's a multiple of the 1% and a significant sacrifice, but I'm sure you agree with a worthwhile one.
Conclusion
SUMARPO is at the cutting edge of triathlete technological advancement, sparing no effort to provide something extraordinary to every swimming stroke you make in training and racing. We've discovered we can do that and simultaneously counter environmental missteps and threats working against our missions. The 1% for the Planet organization is the perfect rallying point for us and our customers to function at an optimal level without compromise. Every SUMARPO wetsuit sold signifies another notch in the fight against entities that flood the markets with merchandise in the opposite direction. So, be an environmental hero and consider our brand the next time the buying decision enters your mind.
