In Santa Cruz, California, Swellcycle is working to make surfboards more earth- and ocean-friendly by leveraging 3D printing and renewable and recycled materials.
Most surfboards are carved out of blocks of petroleum-based foam, and estimates suggest nearly half of the foam goes to waste. Swellcycle’s boards, however, are made from bioplastic 3-D printed filament made of the common bioplastic polylactic acid.
According to CBS News Bay Area, Swellcycle works with board shapers like Spina and Iconoclast. After printing, the boards are laminated with a 30% biobased epoxy resin.
In addition to environmental benefits, the boards receive good marks from surfers.
“They’re really fast, they’re really fun,” said surfer Keaton Mayo, who tested a Tigre Bona-shaped board. “If the surf culture doesn’t kind of make changes towards sustainable surfboards, it’s going to be a problem.”