Small surf brands are leading the way towards more sustainable surfboard constructions and raising awareness among surfers. We take a look at two independent brands and how they are following their individual vision of sustainable surfboards made with our technical ampliTex™ flax fabrics.
Surfers are usually very close to the ocean and environment. Being out there, discovering new breaks, waiting for the swell, sitting on your board in the lineup next to your friends while the sun is setting. All these things create a unique connection with the oceans and our environment. Yet your average surfboard is not necessarily manufactured with sustainability in mind and traditional surfboard production actually contributes to the destruction of exactly the ecosystem that we all love so much.
The surf industry as a whole seems to have realized these issues but is rather slow at making changes towards more sustainability. It’s small companies that are quick to react, make significant changes to the ways they conduct their business and lead the way with a good example.
Predn and Ertha Surfboards are two surfboard companies from very different parts of Europe that have both fully committed to their visions of creating sustainable surfboards. And we are more than thrilled that they have both chosen to do so by using our ampliTex™ range of highly advanced technical flax fabrics.
Predn Surf Co. has its origins in 2017 when Pete, the founder, started to build his first wooden surfboards. As a passionate surfer Pete realised that the surf industry is not really an eco-friendly one, a real shame since it actually brings people closer to nature. With Predn he is now realising his own vision and leading change in the surf industry.
The beautiful “surfbordhs” from North Cornwall are all handmade in a small workshop that is 100% powered by renewable energy from the onsite wind turbine. Real sustainability has many facets one of them being high quality and durability. Combining the best materials like beautiful structural wood veneers, our natural ampliTex™ flax reinforcements and biobased epoxy resins with pure craftsmanship results in surfboards of the highest quality that will last for a long time, are easy to repair and can be handed down through generations.
“We believe that it is all of our responsibilities to look after this gift of a planet we live on and support each other in doing so.”, says Pete Clemo, founder of Predn, underlining his commitment to a more sustainable future.
Galicia on the north-western tip of the Iberian Peninsula is the home of Ertha Surfboards. Amidst the many bays and coves of this wild coastline, some of the finest and most sustainable surfboards are built. Ettore Burdese is a passionate surfer that could no longer ignore how surfers unwillingly contribute to the plastic pollution of our oceans. Seeing more and more eco-friendly alternatives like wax, resins and fibres appear, Ettore founded Ertha with the idea of bringing these single products together to create a highly eco-friendly, sustainable alternative to conventional boards that will deliver highest performance levels.
Ertha’s surfboards are crafted exclusively from the finest renewable or recycled raw materials. Certified woods are combined with 100% recycled EPS cores from local production, biobased resins, and the finest natural fibre reinforcements in the form of Bcomp’s ampliTex™ flax fabrics while traditional craftsmanship meets state-of-the-art CNC machines and parametric design to create unique pieces of sustainable surf art. But real sustainability isn’t worth much if it compromises performance and Ettore mentions: “It took us years of research to find a way to make sustainable surfboards that are light, flexible, durable and deliver the same performance as the very best conventional boards on the market.”
