Scuba diving is one of the largest and fastest growing recreational activities in the world with over a million certifications issued each year by PADI alone. Diving is also an activity that relies on specialised, well-made equipment, which fortunately has quite a long life but, no matter how good the equipment is, it will eventually come to the end of its useable life, creating waste, and having an impact on the environment.
PADI has joined forces with Decathlon Subea in a bid to create a system whereby end of life equipment can be recycled and reused, not only reducing the amount of worn-out kit ending up in landfill, but also reducing the quantity of raw materials needed to make replacements.
The system was successfully tested in 2022 and is now ready to trial in a pilot scheme which is launching in the Barcelona area in Spring 2023.
How Does It Work?
It’s simple, all you need to do is take your old fins to one of the collection boxes at a participating dive centre. Euro-Divers is proud to be helping with this fantastic green initiative and we look forward to seeing you with your fins anytime! After the fins have been collected, they are sorted, crushed, washed, and mixed with other materials before being transformed into granules, this new material will then be used to make tomorrow’s products. So, no need to be sad that your fins have had their last dive – they’ll join others and one day dive again!
The Future
The goal is to expand the scheme internationally to make fins recycling accessible to ocean adventure enthusiasts everywhere. Once the process for fins is established, Decathalon and PADI aim to continue the work with old wetsuits, masks, and snorkels, further reducing the environmental footprint of diving and snorkelling.