The Story of Surfboards, Foam Production, and Environmental Hazards
Surfboards, the longboards, shortboards, and funboards we have come to trust for our fun and safety on the water, have had an extensive evolution since the early 1900’s. We love our boards, but we should also be aware that there are concerns about the environmental repercussions during their production phase.

Why should we care?
Because along with keeping our beaches and oceans clean, surfers should be aware of what they are supporting when they make that surfboard purchase. Remembering that we, as consumers, can make a better world by the products we choose to buy, we should put our money down on boards that help keep our planet safe from deadly chemical emissions, excess waste and toxic spills. We can shape our world by buying surfboards that cause the smallest possible damage to our environment in their production.

Wood to Foam
Up until the mid 1950’s surfboards were made out of solid balsa wood. After experimenting with new ways of shaping using more convenient materials, polyurethane foam replaced the heavier balsa wood and revolutionized the surfing world thereafter. Polyurethane foam is a much lighter, easier to shape, and abundant synthetic material. Foam ‘blanks’, which are the rough shape and guideline foams, started being produced at a rapid rate for shapers. The shapers would then mould these foam blanks to their, or the surfer’s,  particular specifications. This process became the industry standard and many of today’s boards come from this polyurethane foam (PU) material or similar foams.

Black Monday
 December 5, 2005 is known in the surfing world as ‘Black Monday’. Clark Foam, the main foam blank distributor based in California, which produced about half of all the blanks in the world, roughly 1,000 per day, was closed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This was because of  environmental issues concerning the production of the foam.  The main concerns are the chemicals used to produce foam compounds, specifically a toxic chemical called Toluene Di Isocynate, commonly referred to as TDI. The EPA, and many governments, and safety organizations like the Occupation, Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) monitor the use of TDI is that TDI emissions from urethane foam factories, along with other fumes, such as styrene, are highly toxic and can lead to skin and eye irritation, problems in the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems, and have also been labelled possible carcinogens. Other issues concern polyester resin, dust, trash, and chemical spills.

Clark and Hobie Alter started a revolution in the industry in 1959 when they poured hot resin over plastic foam to create a surfboard. Mass production was not far behind and the balsa wood boards were largely forgotten. Even though the day is known as Black Monday, it could lead to a Tech-Breakthrough Tuesday. this is what Mauricio Gil of Aloha Surfboards had to say, 'Overall, the shutdown was a bad pain in the beginning, but a good pain at the end, which is healthy blank competition, with new products coming out and people being much more open-minded now. It is like a new beginning with people more flexible and open to revolution in surfboard design and new achievements, and we already have a new, more environmentally friendly board coming out in two months.'

Factories are still producing PU foam and must comply with specific environmental regulations from organizations like the EPA. Gordon Clark of Clark Foam seemed to understand the situation. In a letter concerning the closing of his business and California State’s environmental agenda Clark stated, “[They] are trying very hard to make a clean, safe, and just home for their residents. This is commendable and I totally support their goals.” 

To lessen, and try to eliminate this lethal byproduct of our coveted surf sticks altogether though, many new technologies have come on the market that are a lot more environmentally friendly.

Post-Clark: New Technologies
In a post-Clark world, a lot of shapers are turning to new technologies, which are more popular than ever these days, using greener methods and materials that comply with environmental regulations and are much safer for the environment. These productions standards are becoming very popular with both shapers and the pro and recreational surfer consumers.

Starting with the core of the surfboard, many new designs are switching to the expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, which is TDI free, lighter and stronger than the highly toxic PU foam industry standard – and – it can be recycled! For laminate boards, many shapers are using more natural epoxy resins. Epoxy resin is stronger than regular fibreglass and emits fewer volatile, organic compounds (VOCs) such as toluene, styrene, xylene, and acetone, which are all deadly fumes and cause serious health problems when inhaled. Many of the regular surfboard brands have been using EPS, as well as many of the newer surfboard technologies, like Firewire, which won the 2005 EuroSIMA environmental product of the year award.  Firewire boards use EPS foam, and epoxy resin while being branded with balsa wood rails, and are quoted to release 50 times less VOCs than traditional PU boards. They also donate 1% of sales to the natural environment. Other brands using EPS technology are: Soloman S-Core, which wraps EPS around a carbon frame: Aviso, which uses a hollow core, carbon fibre technology: and Tuflite, which uses EPS foam, PVC, fibreglass and resin.

Hemp, Balsa Wood, Bamboo and Old Coffee Cups
While some companies are using high tech materials, other environmental shapers are using natural and recycled materials. Ocean Green is based in the UK and their ecofoil, hollow balsa blanks are coated with hemp cloth, instead of fibreglass, for more environmentally sound boards.  Brazil’s Ecoblanks uses 100% recycled polystyrene (such as old coffee cups). And what’s this about bamboo surfboards? That’s right. The bamboo boards out there use non-toxic, eco-friendly materials, with EPS foam, and epoxy resins, not to mention, bamboo, which is a highly renewable and friendly natural source.

Performance? – Ask Taj
As for performance, many surfers are used to the feel and price of traditional PU boards. The newer technology boards are made with EPS foam, a more rigid epoxy and are more expensive. However don’t let that put your off, last year, Taj Burrow was the first ever pro tour surfer to surf an epoxy board in contest, and ended up placing 2nd at the Billabong Pro Jeffrey’s Bay in 2006, after which, he immediately signed a deal with Firewire surfboards. This shows that, if you've got what it takes, these boards are up to the task. The performance of these new technologies is to pro standards, and hopefully will soon be leading the industry, in a cleaner, more friendly style.

Quick Facts about Surfboard Materials
Here’s a list to get better acquainted with the different kinds of boards on the market today.
           
Foams
Polyurethane Foam (PU) - releases 50 times more VOCs than a EPS foam
Extruded Polystyrene Foam (XPS) – styrofoam
Expanded Polystyrene Foam (EPS) – lighter, stronger, and recyclable, free of TDI, covered in an epoxy resin that emits 50 times fewer VOCs (volatile organic compounds, such as toluene, styrene, xylene and acetone, all toxic fumes)

Aviso - uses a hollow core, carbon fibre technology, expensive, not the same feel, people don’t want to change, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, and China, Epoxies extracted from sugar cane.

Aloha Surfboards - Oceanside, California surfboards. Website.

Bamboo – use non-toxic, eco-friendly materials to produce a board, light, durable, EPS foam core, organic substrates rather than fibreglass, and epoxy resins

Ecoblanks - a Brazilian company, uses foam from 100% recycled polystyrene (ie coffee cups)

Firewire – EPS, donates 1% of sales to the natural environment, won the 2005 EuroSIMA Environmental Product of the year, fumes are 10 times less than traditional foam boards, July 2006: Taj Burrow rides the first ever epoxy board in competition on a pro level, places 2nd, signs with Firewire. Website.

Ocean Green - UK company, Ecofoil, hollow balsa blanks, uses hemp cloth instead of fibreglass laminates. Website.

Solomon - S-Core, wraps EPS around a carbon frame

Tuflite – wrap EPS core in PVC. PVC is  a plastic which releases carcinogenic dioxines into the environment during production

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