Did you know that 13 to 24 million surfboards are sold annually globally?(1) That’s a huge number of surfboards, every year. Let’s say that each one of these surfboards gets 5 bars of surf wax per year, leading to 400 grams, per year. Rounding the number to 18 million surfboards, if each one gets only 400 grams of surf wax on it, that means 7200 tonnes of surf wax. Per year. That’s the weight of around 70 blue whales or around 1000 elephants, in surf wax (2). Can you imagine that? I can’t.
As you may know, “typical surf wax (all the most popular and most commonly used brands) is real evil stuff. Most of the average surf waxes are derived from bi-products from the crude oil and petroleum industry. This means they contain chemicals such as paraffin wax, petroleum jelly, microcrystalline wax, vistanex as well as synthetic glues, resins, dyes, and fragrances. All of which are highly toxic to both the human body and the ocean ecosystem. Many of these chemicals are (…) highly harmful to marine life and coral reefs.” (3)
All of this combined, just for having grip on our surfboards and enjoying our passion for surfing. Fortunately, several brands start to be aware of this and are moving to more eco-friendly solutions, while others have been there for a long time, like Matunas, and Kaloca among others. As we stand on our principles, we believe in “fair play. And all those who make their own wax, or who disclose how to do (or sell) it in a more sustainable way, are our friends and not our competitors.” (more here).
But should also be considered the transportation impact that fast-consuming and single-use products have on the environment. Negative impacts of transportation on the environment can be listed as degradation of air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, increased threat of global climate change, degradation of water resources, noise and habitat loss, and fragmentation. (4)
So, if you prefer wax to give traction to your front foot and have grip on your surfboard, we truly ask for you to search around for local solutions, or try to make your own surf wax. Also, we love the concept behind the Orange Peel, just check it out because it can be a cool solution.
Can be as fun as surfing and you will have that proud feeling of having your own stuff under your feet :)
Sources:
(2) https://www.themeasureofthings.com/results.php?amt=8000&comp=weight&unit=tns&searchTerm=8000+tons
(3) https://www.utopiarotelodge.com/pack-consciously-for-your-next-surf-trip/
(4) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0011916408001604
