Sustainable Surf Brands to Discover this World Oceans Day
Mother’s Day has always been a particularly sticky issue for me. My inner cynic begs the question: Shouldn’t you appreciate your mom everyday? Why should we buy flowers for our mothers on an arbitrary day of the year just because Hallmark tell us that it’s the right thing to do? The truth is that life is busy. The day-to-day mundane obligations of life take priority because, after all, we have to have clean clothes to wear and some groceries in the fridge to function. So we use these designated days to remind us to appreciate the things that we should truly be thankful for everyday.
June 8th marks a day to appreciate a different kind of mother that we all share: Mother Ocean. With World Oceans Day approaching, this serves as a reminder for all those using our world’s oceans for business and pleasure to question what we can do to protect the place that gives us so much joy. Being that we’re in the business of selling surfboards and surf gear, we decided to highlight some of the brands and products that we love that are doing their part to protect and support our aquatic playgrounds.
Vissla
To the modern day surfer, the brand’s name and the idea of sustainability in the surf industry should be nearly synonymous. Vissla vows “to protect and surf”, making efforts to reduce the negative environmental impacts of the creation of their products with a focus on upcycling, or transforming waste into desirable products.
One approach for doing so is by researching and implementing the use of more sustainable and natural materials in their apparel designs. Vissla utilizes “Cocotex”, a method that transforms waste from coconut husks with polyester to create an activated carbon fabric (which just happens to be the perfect boardshort material). The brand also improves upon the classic neoprene wetsuit that we all have come to know, by utilizing earth-mined limestone to replace petrochemicals found in the material, as well as by pyrolyzing carbon black (a key component of neoprene) from discarded rubber tires. This reduces energy consumption and cuts carbon dioxide emissions.
You can shop the line here
Patagonia
Another stand out in the industry for implementing sustainable business practices is Patagonia. These eco-minded products utilize natural materials like hemp, organic cotton, Tencel® Lyocell and Yulex® to create distinctive, durable looks. Tencel is a branded lyocell fiber that is derived from the pulp of trees, dissolved in a non-toxic organic solvent, while Yulex is a renewable, plant-based alternative for neoprene that is Forest Stewardship Council certified by the rainforest alliance.
Patagonia has also launched Worn Wear a program that facilities the trading and sale of used Patagonia gear. The makers over at Patagonia recognize that one of the best practices that we can hold as consumers is to save, repurpose and reuse the items that we buy through upcycling, continued use and repair. Worn Wear will buy your used goods, repair damaged products and trade in the pieces that you have decided you are ready to part with to be repaired or recycled.
You can shop the line here
Bing
In 1958, Bing Copeland and Rick Stoner sailed the open seas to New Zealand, bringing with them the modern surfboard and surfing to the locals of the land. After Stoner opened the brand’s first shop in 1959, he worked alongside Bing for the following year, until deciding to sell his share of the business to his partner. Thus, Bing Surfboards was born. Since that time, Bing worked alongside the likes of world-class shapers including names like Dick Mobley, Mike Eaton, Dan Bendiksen, John Mobley, Wayne Land, George Lanning, Dick Brewer and eventually Matt Calavani.
Currently, Bing Surfboards has teamed up with Monarch Green, a company in Newport Beach, CA that works to collect foam dust and repurposes the waste into products that assist in the recovery of oil spills. So far, thousands of pounds of polyurethane foam waste created as a byproduct from these shapes have been utilized in the aid of cleaning up both large and small scale oil, petrochemical and hydrocarbon-based spills. These materials products have been reviewed successfully by the E.P.A. and the California Department of Fish & Wildlife and have been deemed as being safe for use on any body of water, as well as on land.
Shop Bing shapes here
Ways to Buy Truly “Green” Surf Products
One simple way to test the sustainability of your favorite is to research if they are bluesign® system partner certification, which guarantees that a brand in the textile industry monitors the use of chemicals in the production of goods, has efficient energy and water resource use and has top-notch waste disposal. Both Vissla and Patagonia have received this certification for their products.
