Qualified Materials
The ECOBOARD Project Verifies the use of Qualified Materials in boards against a set of qualifying sustainability criteria. This is the most practical and effective method to ensure that any board bearing the ECOBOARD Gold Label or Level One label: has a measurably reduced carbon footprint, uses renewable, recycled and/or up-cycled material inputs, and uses materials and processes that reduce toxicity during manufacturing.
Commencing January 1 2019, Sustainable Surf will commence random sampling of Qualified Materials. This will likely involve, cured resin/foam samples being requested from surfboard builders, comparative analysis of recycled materials, and requests for supply chain information. Sustainable Surf will discuss costs to cover this sampling process with each brand. These costs will ultimately vary dependent on the material in questions and the number of random audits undertaken.
Sustainable Surf currently qualifies board building materials from the following companies:
The tables below list the specific materials that Sustainable Surf has analyzed and qualified for use is ECOBOARDS.
Qualified Resins
| Company | Product | Bio-Carbon Content in the fully cured resin* | Level One Qualifying | Gold Level Qualifying |
| Entropy Resins | Super Sap ONE |
30% |
 |
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| Entropy Resins | Super Sap Re-Rez recyclable resin |
29% |
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| Entropy Resins | Super Sap CLR |
29% |
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| Entropy Resins | Super Sap BRT |
21% |
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| Sicomin |
Greenpoxy33 + SD 4999 Hardener |
26% |
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| Sicomin | Surf Clear EVO + SD EVO Medium |
29% |
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| Sicomin | SR GreenPoxy56 + SD Surf Clear |
35% |
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| Sicomin | SR GreenPoxy56 + SD GP 505V2 |
52% |
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| Sicomin | GreenPoxy Foaming Resin |
37% |
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| Green Room Resin | BCE Resin + any standard Green Room hardener |
19% |
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| ATL Composites | KINETIX® Eco-X R135 |
26% |
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| ATL Composites | KINETIX® Eco-X 130 |
20% |
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| Pro Link Materials | Bio-Link |
20% |
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| Advanced Resin Systems |
27% |
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| Resoltech |
31% |
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| Resin Research |
21% |
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| QR Polymers |
23% |
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| QR Polymers |
29% |
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*the sum of all component parts
Qualified Cores
| Company | Product | Bio-Carbon / Recycled / Wood Content | Level One Qualifying | Gold Level Qualifying |
| Marko Foam | Enviro-Foam | 25% recycled content | |
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| ECORE | e.CORE 25R | 25% recycled content | |
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| Approved ECOBOARD builders | Sustainably grown, reclaimed and/or recycled wood (timber)* | Constituting min 50% of finished core by weight* | |
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| Approved ECOBOARD builders | Sustainably grown, reclaimed and/or recycled wood (timber) as the entire/complete structure of a board, requiring little to no resin and/or fibreglass in its manufacture (Such as a traditional alaia made from FSC Certified paulownia)* | Constituting approx. 100% of finished board by weight* | |
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*Wood (timber) is a non-toxic, renewable material that has exemplified the concept of an ECOBOARD for thousands of years. Wood can also significantly displace the amount of foam or resin used to make a board – significantly reducing carbon emissions, provided the wood is sourced in a responsible manner.
Makers of wooden boards who join the ECOBOARD Project are required to provide details regarding how they source wood used in qualifying boards.
For more information on how to get your material listed as a Qualified Material check the ECOBOARD Project Program Guidelines or Contact us here.
Qualifying Criteria
ECOBOARD Level One makes it easy for any board builder to get started making ECOBOARDS. By using one Qualified Material (core or resin), a board will have a significant reduction in environmental footprint without affecting performance, durability, or quality.
A Qualified Material must meet at least one of the following requirements:
- Plant-based, low to zero VOC resin with at least 19% bio-carbon content in the fully cured resin (the sum of all component parts)
- Core with at least 25% recycled or plant-based content, or wood constituting at least 50% of the core by weight
Further information about getting listed as a Qualified Material can be found in the ECOBOARD Project Program Guidelines.
Informed by Sustainable Surf’s ECOBOARD lifecycle assessment, ECOBOARD Gold Level rewards the top sustainable surfboards and surfboard producers – those with the greatest environmental impact reduction.
To qualify as a material specific to the Gold Level designation, a material must meet the following requirements:
- Has been the subject of a lifecycle assessment (LCA) that has been undertaken by an independent third party LCA practitioner. The LCA should incorporate impact indicators relevant to the ECOBOARD Project’s focus areas – carbon footprint, renewable/recycled/up-cycled inputs and reduced toxicity
- Plant-based, low to zero VOC resin with at least 25% bio-carbon content and has received USDA Bio-Preferred certification for the fully cured resin (the sum of all component parts)
- Core with at least 25% recycled or plant-based content, or wood constituting at least 50% of the core by weight
- Demonstrate that qualifying material inputs are sourced from a sustainably managed supply chain
Wooden boards that require little to no resin and/or fibreglass in their manufacture (e.g. an alaia made from FSC Certified paulownia), produced by manufacturers that have been audited and have met the requirements of the Gold Level designation, also qualify as Gold Level boards.
Further information about getting listed as a Qualified Material specific to the Gold Level designation can be found in the ECOBOARD Project Program Guidelines.
Qualified Materials are currently focused on resins and cores (blanks). Our research shows that these two elements can provide the greatest environmental and worker health benefits. Of course, we encourage all sustainability improvements in boards and are always stoked to hear from people supplying and using new innovations in material sustainability.
Want to know more? Contact us here.