“If You’re Not On Tour, You Should Definitely Be Riding A Sustainable Surfboard”

Like straws or single-use plastics, the current materials used in surfboard construction will have to go the way of the dodo. Which is why for our most recent Stab in the Dark, Mick Fanning rode 11 epoxy boards that met Sustainable Surf’s ECOBOARD standards. 

But who is Sustainable Surf, and how do they define an ECOBOARD? Sustainable Surf is an environmental non-profit that has been working with the global surf community since 2011 to make surfboards, surf events, and surf culture a model of sustainability. An ECOBOARD comprises a core that is at least 25 percent recycled or plant-based materials and/or plant-based low-to-zero VOC resin, with at least percent biocarbon content. Sustainable Surf recognizes this is not a perfect solution to the toxic and carbon-related footprint associated with surfboard building, but it is a good start. 
 
“We say that choosing an ECOBOARD is a positive choice, but it still has an impact – as does traveling around the world to score good surf,” said Brett Giddings of Sustainable Surf. “We don’t want people to stop surfing, and surfers inevitably end up traveling, which is why we established our new SeaTrees program.”

Sustainable Surf launched SeaTrees to help surfers wipe out their climate impact, provide sustainable employment for local communities, and protect critical habitat for threatened species. They also helped us wipe out the impact of the SITD quiver through SeaTrees by planting mangrove trees on Biak Island, Indonesia.

“Mick’s surfing in Stab in the Dark proved that ECOBOARDS perform at the highest level,” Mr. Giddings stated. “Any surfer on the planet can order their next sled with more sustainable materials, but just like any product, those boards still have an impact on the environment. Our newest program, SeaTrees, makes it easy for those same surfers to wipe out the impact of their boards, surf travel, and more by supporting the planting and protection of ‘seatrees’ in coastal ecosystems all around the world”

Head to @sea.trees and give them a follow. They’ll be planting a mangrove in Indo for every follower they get in June.