Maybe YOU could put in a a bit more effort the next time you look to add your bit of expertise to a public conversation; I realize it's easy to throw rocks from behind the screen, but come on…

Maybe YOU could put in a a bit more effort the next time you look to add your bit of expertise to a public conversation; I realize it's easy to throw rocks from behind the screen, but come on…

Corran

Corran from Imagine Eco here. I'd love to know which of our claims are a stretch?

Recycled Polystyrene? This is nothing new. We just applied it to Surfboards. The technology has been here for more than a decade.

Bamboo Fiber Laminates? Bamboo, Flax, Hemp and various other natural fabrics have been used in composites also for a good decade. Nothing new here. We just applied it to Surfboards.

Vacuum Bagging. Again, 40 year old technology, and not even new to surfing and surfboards. We just applied it in conjunction with Bamboo Fiber and recycled polystyrene.

None of this is a stretch, let alone a serious stretch. Its all available technology, well proven and well documented. Someone just had to apply it to surfboards, which we did, and hoping that others will follow our lead.

This is real. Our planet is in dire straights. We need to be pro active in doing everything we can to reduce carbon emissions, and use sustainable methods in industry. Doing what we have done is a very small, but important, part in the much larger picture and reducing climate change, and saving our natural resources.

Corran

However, many of this guys claims are a serious stretch.

Really? I didn't know recycled styrofoam was sustainable.”

It is if its recycled. That's one of the definitions of “sustainable”. Another is to use natural core elements, but even this has its problems. They need to be grown and harvested. Recycling an already abundant supply of a given material is highly ecological and sustainable.

“Imagine’s recycled polystyrene technology has superior resistance to dings, has better flex properties, and is a waterproof material.

Since when did styrofoam become resistant to dings? Or have better flex properties? And waterproof?!! This is complete BS.”

Actually, this is completely accurate. For example, a 3/4lbs EPS foam is flexier and has less impact resistance than a 2lbs foam. This can be compensated for by adding more or less outer layers in the laminate. Likewise, similar density PU will have different resistance to puncture, compression and of course flex, than the same weight EPS. Using identical weight EPS vs XTR (extruded vs expanded) polystyrene will also have very different results. This is of course all very basic level engineering. Whether Imagine has actually accomplished this I don't know, but its very simple to adjust the properties as they claim to have done.

“We all want a better board, and an environmentally friendly board would obviously be great, but let's be realistic. Styrofoam is not environmentally friendly, even when it's recycled styrofoam.”

Again an incorrect assumption. Recycling something like polystyrene would have a reduced carbon fotprint of about 70% to 80% from creating new foam (once the environmental cost of extraction and process is calculated). While its base is still petrochemical, the fact that 1) Its reused rather than discuarded into a landfill makes it environmental and 2) reusing an already present material over making a new one, even from organic or Bio materials is still more ecological.

“Epoxy resin is not environmentally friendly or noncarninogenic, even without the VOCs.”

Is any product 100% Eco friendly? Of course not. But resins like epoxy emit 50 times fewer VOC than the alternative polyester resin. Is Epoxy perfect? No its not. Water would be best, but then again you can't make a board from water can you. SO the Epoxy resin is the best available solution today. Even Bio Epoxy resins are only a 30% bio content. Ultimately some way of recycling to create the epoxy would be best, but I think we're a long way from that.

” And manufacturing any product in a country with an abysmal human rights record,”

No disputing china human rights record, but you're mixing your topic. This is about whether the boards are eco friendly, not the working conditions of the employees.

“and then shipping it halfway around the world in no way qualifies as environmentally friendly.”

If a board is made in California and then shipped to the customer in England or Australia, how is this any different. All the large companies from lost to firewire to CI etc all make their boards somewhere and then ship elsewhere. The key is to be smart about it, make manufacturing centralized, and then offset the shipping (carbon credits is one way). Even a board made in California and shipped to Florida by truck is problematic. So unless you're always buying from a local shaper, and that shaper is ALSO doing all the thigns Imagine is doing, you're still better off getting the Chinese made board that's eco over the local made board that's not – carbon footprint against carbon footprint.

“Quit jumping on the green bandwagon, you're a long ways off. And while we're at it, why don't you put a local shaper to work, and a local glasser, sander and airbrusher?”

This is a completely different discussion. This is about making an Eco board. Convince your local shaper to make an eco board and you have a valid argument. I all for employing local labor, but this is a global economy and ultimately most of what I use, from my traction pad, board bag, leash, wetsuit and board are all made somewhere else. Then of course there is the computer you're typing on (made in china), your cell phone (made in China), your shoes (made in china), your car to drive to the surf (made in Korea?) or your bike to ride there (made in China). Why are you so willing for all this to be made in china, but not your board, and especially if the made in china board is more eco?

So . . . exactly how many Cali shapers have you seen? Sounds like you’ve done a lot of homework. Or not. Buy as many carbon offsets as you want, there are many people who believe that purchasing offsets is one more way of polluting, but feeling no guilt, because you “purchase” offsets. Yay, capitalism. Business as usual.

Really? I didn’t know recycled styrofoam was sustainable.

Imagine’s recycled polystyrene technology has superior resistance to dings, has better flex properties, and is a waterproof material.

Since when did styrofoam become resistant to dings? Or have better flex properties? And waterproof?!! This is complete BS.

We all want a better board, and an environmentally friendly board would obviously be great, but let’s be realistic. Styrofoam is not environmentally friendly, even when it’s recycled styrofoam. Epoxy resin is not environmentally friendly or noncarninogenic, even without the VOCs. And manufacturing any product in a country with an abysmal human rights record, and then shipping it halfway around the world in no way qualifies as environmentally friendly.

Quit jumping on the green bandwagon, you’re a long ways off. And while we’re at it, why don’t you put a local shaper to work, and a local glasser, sander and airbrusher?