In France, a company is using 3D printing and biobased materials to bring the surf community a more sustainable experience. Wyve, based in the Basque beach area, is replacing the polystyrene and EPS foam “blanks” that make traditional surfboards buoyant with inner hexagons that trap air. The structure is 3D printed using polylactic acid bioplastic made from corn starch.
“We are trying to rethink the way we manufacture surfboards,” Léo Kerhir, head of sales and international development at Wyve, tells Gear Junkie. “We want to make them more high-performance and more sustainable. Using bio-based materials and the technology we’ve developed internally, we’re able to do that.”
To maintain its sustainability profile, Wyve’s expansion model calls for “micro-factories” and local distribution networks. For now, the boards are only available in Europe. The PLA is sourced from Total Corbion PLA, which has manufacturing sites in Netherlands and Spain. Wyve also uses a biobased epoxy resin produced in France.