For those who dedicate their lives to the ocean, the contradiction of riding a petroleum-based product is a familiar, often uncomfortable truth. Surfing, a sport intrinsically linked to nature and the vast untamed power of the sea, has long been dependent on materials derived from fossil fuels.
Yet, a nascent Californian firm, Swellcycle, is challenging this paradigm, offering a revolutionary path forward that aims to drastically curb the industry’s environmental footprint through the use of 3D printing and plant-based bioplastics.
The current industry standard presents a clear sustainability deficit. Traditional surfboards are crafted primarily from blocks of petroleum-based foam, typically polyurethane or polystyrene, which are manufactured from non-renewable fossil fuels.
The process of shaping these boards is largely subtractive: craftsmen cut, shave and sand the foam down to the required profile.
This results in an astonishing amount of waste, with approximately 40 per cent of the original foam block’s weight routinely directed to the landfill.
Crucially, the ecological harm does not end there.
Against the constant rigours of the sea, these petroleum-based boards inevitably begin to degrade, shedding tiny, insidious fragments known as microplastics.
These durable plastic particles permeate marine ecosystems, posing a documented threat to ocean life.
Swellcycle, founded by Patricio Guerrero (who was born in Mexico City and grew up in Los Angeles from the age of seven), proposes an elegant solution rooted in additive manufacturing.
Instead of carving away material, they employ 3D printing to extrude a plant-based polymer, namely polylactic acid (PLA).
PLA is a bioplastic derived from renewable feedstocks such as corn and sugarcane, offering a dramatically improved material life cycle.
This material is printed into a complex, semi-hollow latticework, providing strength and minimising material usage, before being laminated with a 30pc degradable epoxy. This method all but eliminates the copious waste associated with traditional shaping.
The company’s Santa Cruz manufacturing centre operates predominantly on solar energy and reuses the very small amount of leftover material, demonstrating a comprehensive commitment to minimising its environmental impact.
The company’s success, however, hinges on performance. The boards, which work with established designers such as Spina and Iconoclast, are already receiving acclaim.
Surfer Keaton Mayo described them as ‘really fast, they’re really fun’, while big wave surfer and company ambassador Tyler James offered a powerful endorsement that places the onus on the entire surfing community: “This is the future, I think, of surfing. It’s so important for surfers to understand that if we want to keep surfing, that we have to care about our oceans, we have to care about the process that’s making our boards,” he said.
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