Planet Day goes global 

Over the last 24 years, Rip Curl’s people have spent more than 3,740 days of work – or around 18,700 hours – on Planet Day activities that celebrate our company values of ‘community and environment’.  

From planting trees and eradicating weeds to removing rubbish that threatens local ecosystems, Rip Curl’s Planet Day efforts support the sustainability of our coastal ecosystems on Australia’s Surf Coast.  

Planet Day has seen more than 100,000 plants, indigenous to the Surf Coast, reintroduced across the region. Supported by the hard work and year-round maintenance of local environmental groups, Rip Curl has contributed to a reported 80% long term plant survival rate. 

As Surf Coast Shire’s Gabrielle O’Shea says: “Planet Day makes a real difference to try and improve the quality of these areas, so they’re not deteriorating over time with urban pressures and increased development around the coast.” 

In 2023, Planet Day went global as our teams from Kathmandu and Oboz rolled up their sleeves to partner with local charities on projects in their own backyards.  

More than 110 staff from Kathmandu’s head office and distribution centre in Christchurch, New Zealand, spent a morning working hand-in-glove with the Avon-Heathcote Estuary Ihutai Trust. After weeding, mulching and planting native species to restore biodiversity, we hope to attract more birdlife to Canterbury’s beautiful estuaries.  

In Bozeman, Montana, members of the Oboz crew spent a day restoring a 6.5-kilometre stretch of the Continental Divide Trail that we adopted in 2022. Working with our partner, the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, we cleared brush from water bars and drainage dips, carefully retreading and restoring parts of the trail to ensure more people can enjoy the great outdoors.  

“Each year Planet Day gets bigger and bigger, as more regions, suppliers, customers and partners join us to contribute to our local communities and environments,” says Rip Curl CEO Brooke Farris. 

Planet Day 2024 has already taken place for Kathmandu’s Christchurch HQ and will be held on 16th and 17th of October for Rip Curl HQ in Torquay and KMD Brands’ South Melbourne HQ. In the meantime, as Brooke says, “Planet Day is a powerful illustration of what it means to think globally and act locally.”