Hollow Balsa Core

The most significant component of a surfboard is the blank/core. Typically this is made from either polyurethane or polystyrene. Both of these are non-biodegradable and are produced from toxic fossil fuel materials. Their production requires high levels of energy, which releases large volumes of CO₂ into the atmosphere.

The Ocean Green EcoFoil blanks are a hollow balsa construction. The wood is sourced in Nicaragua from sustainably managed forests and worked by carpenters and shapers under Fair Trade conditions. OG has planted over 5,000 trees and aims to increase this yearly, providing a natural take up of CO₂.

The lightweight design overcomes the lack of performance inherent within solid wooden boards. It also alleviates the issue of no-biodegradable foam in landfills.

100% Organic Cloth

Standard construction uses non-biodegradable fibreglass cloth. We replace this with 100% biodegradable Organic Hemp or Cotton.

Fibreglass production requires large amounts of energy compared to natural fibre cloth. Conservative estimates put the amount of CO₂ released in the production of Hemp cloth to be only 10% that for Fibreglass. Also, during it’s growth, the Hemp acts as a sink for the greenhouse gas CO₂.

The Search for Bio-Resin

Ocean Green has tested some Semi-bio resins and is in contact with various research labs. Until a bio-derived resin becomes available which matches or out-performs its cold war counterpart, we will continue to use the industry standards.