The hollow core of our surfboards is made from sustainably grown plantation Paulownia timber. A remarkable tree known for it's superior carbon sequestration ability and rapid growth rate, whereby it attains a harvestable size within only 6 years.
Natural materials
Paulownia timber
A plant based bio-epoxy
For the lamination and waterproofing of our surfboards we are using Kinetix Eco-135, a bio-epoxy synthesised with a 26% vegetable component.
Natural earth pigments
As a compliment to the natural wood grain we are using ochres to colour our surfboards. Ochres are natural earth pigments that usually comprise of ferric oxides with various amounts of clay and sand.
Minimal waste and 95% biodegradability
From paper cups to our use of natural rubber gloves, we are minimising the waste we produce in every way possible. This amounts to less than 0.5 kg of industrial waste, primarily in the form of excess resin.
The only non-biodegradable components in our surfboards are our fin boxes and our bio-resin. This makes our boards more than 95% biodegradable.
Better than net zero emissions
Embodied carbon is the total CO2 emmissions produced during the manufacturing of a product. This is often measured in kilograms of CO2 gas and is calculated by multiplying a material quantity by its carbon factor.
Our boards begin by growing a Paulownia tree. Trees absorb CO2 and emit O2 throughout their lifetime in a process known as photosynthesis. A full grown Paulownia tree is known to absorb 22 kg of CO2 per year, a relatively large amount compared to other trees of similar sizes. This carbon is stored within the wood of the tree where in most wood 50% of it's dry weight is carbon. So the use of a wooden material takes CO2 out of the atmosphere!
We then have to consider how our other raw materials, material transportation and manufacturing processes effect our surfboards embodied carbon. The main CO2 emitters were found to be the epoxy resin, the Paulownia transportation and the electricity usage from our machinery. By considering all of the embodied carbon components over our surfboards lifetime, we can conclude that our manufacturing takes more CO2 out of the atmosphere than it emits. In other words we are climate positive and go beyond achieving net zero emissions.
