Sustainable Surf
It Starts with you…
The choices you make as a consumer directly impacts the waves you surf, the water we drink, the food we eat, and our entire experience on this beautiful planet. Smart consumer choices is an important step in reducing your negative impact and promoting positive environmental, cultural, and social choices. Sustainability within the surf and tourism industries are growing and your choices can help make a better world.
Know Your Products
We are working with Canadian surfboard sharpers and manufacturers to compile a sustainable Canadian surfboard quiver. Quiver Sustainability recognizes the commitments, design innovations, and overall business management practices to identify the leaders in Canadian Surfboard design. We have created a three tier recognition system identifying sustainable surfboards in Canada.
What is Quiver Recognized?
Quiver Recognized surfboards are those that are designed and crafted with environmental and social impacts at the forefront of design and manufacturing. These boards have been created with a level of commitment to reducing waste, using alternative materials with less toxic outputs (i.e. entropy resins, alternative foam cores, recycled materials, etc.), business and community commitments, as well as management plans for continued improvement in their processes. The first requirement for all of these boards are that they are made in Canada. Supporting local, Canadian sharpers is an important socio-economic factor when considering what makes a product more sustainable to its consumer. Further, this can help reduce the travel distance and environmental footprint associated to transportation and shipping of the surfboard. We have identified and create three tiers of recognition:
1) Green Warrior
This is the highest recognition type through Quiver Sustainability. Boards manufactured with the highest level of environmental design as well as a businesses commitment to their community play a role in this level of recognition. Surfboards designated as “Green Warrior” recognized must:
Made in Canada
Canadian sources materials (where possible), and a commitment to source materials as close as possible.
Use of algae foam blank, recycled foam blank, sustainable wood sources, or equivalent materials (avoiding use of traditional polyurethane or expanded polystyrene)
Use of Entropy (bio) resins for all stages of lamination and glassing
Healthy workplace environment for employees and mitigation of any hazardous materiel - proper ventilation, clean workspace, proper PPE available for employees
Minimal plastic waste in shipping process (shipping using bio-degradable and/or reusable packaging materials such as Flexi-Hex board sleeves)
Continuous commitment to community promoting environmental initiatives, educational opportunities (such as workshops), or other positive and frequent community engagement.
2) Eco-Design
Eco-design boards are manufactured with a high degree environmental design, waste mitigation, and employment safety. Surfboards designated as “Eco-design” recognized must:
Made in Canada
Use of algae foam blank, recycled foam blank, or equivalent (EPS foam is acceptable for this tier if used with entropy resin - Polyurethane planks not permitted for this recognition tier) and/or;
Use of Entropy (bio) resins for all stages of lamination and glassing
Healthy workplace environment for employees and mitigation of any hazardous materiel - proper ventilation, clean workspace, proper PPE available for employees
Minimal plastic waste in shipping process (shipping using bio-degradable and/or reusable packaging materials such as Flexi-Hex board sleeves)
3) Canadian Crafted
Canadian Crafted boards are the entry level sustainably recognized boards. These boards still have sustainability in mind, and are shaped by businesses that are promoting sustainable practices and a more environmentally friendly Canadian surf industry.
Made in Canada
Healthy workplace environment for employees and mitigation of any hazardous materiel - proper ventilation, clean workspace, proper PPE available for employees
Minimal plastic waste in shipping process (shipping using bio-degradable and/or reusable packaging materials such as Flexi-Hex board sleeves)