“WE WANT YOU TO VISIT THIS MYSTERIOUS AND INSPIRING WORLD. WE WANT YOU TO FALL IN LOVE WITH IT AND RESPECT IT. JUST LIKE US.”
The story of Waterproof is also the story of the founders; two brothers who grew up by the sea on the west coast of Sweden. Completely different personalities in most ways, but sharing the same passion. Björn Ehlmé, CEO, an inventive and creative businessman. Göran Ehlmé, Head of R&D, a passionate diver leading expeditions to the polar regions as well as an underwater photographer for the BBC and National Geographic.
In order to survive the harsh Scandinavian climate, our ancestors learned the importance of paying attention to the smallest details. They learned that their equipment must be able to stand up to the reality of their climate. That is why we at Waterproof control our own R&D, have our own production facilities and do our own sourcing of materials. We test our products and ideas on our expeditions at Antarctica and the Arctic, as well as other challenging places around the world. And all of this under the most rigorous quality control, in order to meet the toughest standards and challenges posed by the real world. This is our heritage and we are proud of it. At Waterproof we simply call this Facing Reality!
We have more than 35 years of experience as a producer and developer of high-end diving gear. The Waterproof story has grown during the years and now includes a dedicated development team and multiple awards for best diving suits. We have independent distributors in every country where diving matters and production facilities, service stations and retailers worldwide. We are represented on every continent and in every ocean!
Our purpose and our mission is to enable you to experience the amazing underwater world that covers more than seventy percent of our planet; our oceans. We want you to visit this mysterious and inspiring world. We want you to fall in love with it and respect it. Just like us.
SUSTAINABILITY
“OUR VALUES ARE GUIDED BY THE BELIEF THAT QUALITY IS THE STRONGEST PATH TO SUSTAINABILITY.”
We make products that enable mankind to witness the conditions we have created in our oceans from the first row. Dead oceans lead to no diving. A fact we can´t hide from. Sustainability must therefore always be the main priority.
Most of our suits and accessories are made out of neoprene. Even though neoprene is material derived from fossil fuels, it offers divers unique qualities. It is extremely durable, which means that a well-designed diving suit will last for years, in many cases decades.
The “green” alternatives currently on the market are not ideal from our point of view. You get an inferior product, with short durability, leading to overconsumption – which we don’t see as true sustainability and not an option for us.
We are well aware that neoprene use is an imperfect solution. But at the moment it is still more sustainable than the alternatives. We need to get away from the disposable product mentality and the short life of goods and move towards sustainable production.
• We actively choose not to support the disposable product mentality.
• We source our materials with great care and only of the best quality, ensuring a long lifespan of our products.
• We are removing all single-use plastic from our packaging.
• We choose our factories carefully based on environmental considerations.
• We have a global service organisation to work on repairs and maintenance.
