Starboard SUP Moving Towards Sustainability

SAN DIEGO, California - In the 2016 Annual Starboard Dealer Meeting held during the first half of this week in San Diego, California, Starboard not only introduced their new products (which look GREAT by the way) and what to expect for 2017 but also they showcased their move towards becoming a more sustainable company and to make their contribution to keeping our oceans and waterways clean.

How they’re doing it:

To start, during the meeting Starboard brought up their newest partners Watertrek, Trash Hero, SUPkids and Parley who are all working together to make the world, especially the water world, a better place.

Mastermind at Starboard, Svein Rasmussen, introducing their eco-push to a packed room. | Photo: Georgia Schofield

With one huge step to becoming sustainable, Starboard announced their goal of becoming carbon neutral by the end of 2018. What is being carbon neutral you might ask? In short, it’s having a zero carbon footprint. How do they do this? The crew at Starboard looks at the life cycle assessment (LCA) of the core product line and how they can design products that will have a smaller footprint through its life cycle.

What are they actually doing to achieve this goal? First, they will be eliminating all plastic in their packaging materials. Instead, they will be using double layer cardboard and bio tape. There is even a message on the packaging asking that if you see any plastic or have an idea on an even better way to package these products to contact them directly with your ideas.

Photos: Georgia Schofield

Second, Starboard has committed to planting one mangrove tree for every board that is sold. Mangrove trees naturally help to eliminate carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by storing the carbon. Because of this, replanting more mangroves to replace those that have been destroyed can greatly help with keeping the atmosphere healthy.

Third, Starboard has been working on creating all-natural products and products made out of recycled materials such as recycled EPS that has been found in the ocean, cork pads, a cornstarch core and using wood from the fastest growing tree in the world. They’re also sourcing recycled fabrics and materials to make their board bags and paddles.

Starboard unveils its "recycled" board made from recycled materials. | Photo: Georgia Schofield

The presentation from Starboard was quite impressive and motivating. To see the thought and motivations behind why the products from Starboard are the way they are was great to see and it is wonderful to see a brand trying to make a positive impact as well as being conscious about what products they are making and how they’re making them.

To see more from Starboard, click HERE