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There are multiple materials used to produce wetsuits and can be grouped into two (2) basic categories that include synthetic polymers (rubber) and natural, plant-based polymers such as hevea, guayule and dandelion.
Neoprene or polychloroprene produced from petroleum feedstock (developed by DuPont) and the manufacturing of it consumes harsh chemicals and produces some rather nasty emissions linked directly to cancer. In the USA it’s made but Denka who purchased the factory from DuPont.
Neoprene or polychloroprene produced from limestone feedstock which like petroleum based neoprene uses limestone as the feedstock to make the polymer base, and is not natural or sustainable. Limestone undergoes acidification to produce acetylene gas which in turn is used as the feedstock for synthetic rubber. It is a high energy consumer and has led to considerable environmental issues caused by the mining of limestone. For the record, Geoprene (the brand name of one of the neoprene foams) doesn’t contain any limestone in the foam.

Both 1 and 2 are non renewable sources and although the feedstock are different to produce the base rubber (polymer) the end result is the same.

Blends of neoprene, EPDM and/or SBR can be blended together to create different materials, the primary use of EPDM and SBR are for cost reduction.
YulexPure which is an all natural polyisoprene based originally on guayule rubber and now uses hevea natural rubber which is a specially purified form, was developed and commercialized by Yulex. Yulex purifies the natural rubber in the liquid or latex state, removing over 95% of non rubber impurities and proteins which cause can allergies. The rubber latex is dried to form a solid that is used to compound the wetsuit foam in a variety of densities, thicknesses and hardness. Patagonia launched the first wetsuit as a blend of guayule + neoprene (60/40 ratio) in limited production in 2012 and then switched to YulexPure 100% polymer base globally in 2015 across 10 of their wetsuit models. In 2016 they launched all 21 models with 100% YulexPure.

Yulex has 8 brands using their YulexPure in water sports applications including surfing, kite sailing and kayaking as well as ongoing sales in footwear and apparel. In 2018 the company launched their medical grade closed cell foams for use in orthopedic braces. All natural rubber used by Yulex are sourc s from FSC certifies plantations globally. (Company newsletter)

Limestone is as renewable as petroleum (very long timeframe) and both are highly energy intensive to produce. Plant-based polymers are carbon neutral, renewable, sustainable (if grown according to FSC regulations) as well as globally available. Enjoy.