Sustainable surfboards: marketing ploy or environmental joy?
The idea of a “green” surfboard manufactured in an environmentally friendly surfboard factory has been thrown to the forefront in an industry that’s been using the same building materials for almost 60 years. Here are varying perspectives from four leading South Bay board builders. E-Tech’s Todd Patterson and Ryan Harris with examples of their quest for “bio-friendly.” Photos E-Tech’s green model Something doesn’t seem quite right at the E-Tech surfboard factory in Hawthorne. After a few minutes one realizes what’s out of kilter. The sweet smell of resin, the signature smell of surfboard factories dating back to the 1950s, is all but missing. “It’s one of the dirty little secrets of the surf Industry,” said shaper E-Tech co-founder Ryan Harris. “Resin fumes are carcinogens.” In place of traditional resin, Harris and partner Todd Paterson use Entropy Bio-Resin, the only USDA Certified Bio Epoxy, which replaces petroleum-based chemicals with bio-based renewable feedstock,” according to the Entropy website. An example of E-Tech’s partnership with Lost and their eco-friendly line. “I’m not saying polyurethane blank-based products suck,” Harris said. He used polyurethane blanks with…
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