Seabase has announced it is to distribute Green Foam® in Europe beginning this summer! Green Foam blanks are made with a patented process using recycled foam and foam waste. The effect on the blank as the foam is recycled is akin to that of recycled paper. You might notice some “flecks” throughout the blanks but that is all predicated on the cleanliness of the recycled material. Unlike the original Green Foam blanks there is no stringer material (pieces) in the foam and all large chunks of foam are filtered out beforehand to be reground and reused. The density is the same as US blanks blue density foam.
US Blanks has reached an agreement to manufacture Green Foam® blanks using their large range of surfboard moulds and their expertise in foam blowing to further enhance their own green credentials – they are already producing surfboard blanks with some of the lowest emissions in the world from their EPA approved factory in California. Green Foam blanks will be available from Seabase outlets in France, Portugal and the UK in the most popular blank sizes at a slight price premium over regular foam. Green Foam has a density around that of the current blue density US Blanks foam.
“Using Green Foam blanks with our new ISO 10NP resin, the far safer and solvent free Resin Research epoxies, and our water based finish coatings will produce more sustainable surfboards and help placate our own in-house manufacturing concerns with the environmental impact surfboard production causes” says Seabase European Manager Pani Bundy. “We’re excited to be part of this major change in surfboard manufacturing”.
US Blanks Jeff Holtby says "We are not claiming to be changing the world with these blanks, rather it is a small effort to do our part and lessen the overall impact at landfills, etc"
Seabase will shortly announce a new water based resin with excellent strength, whiteness and cure qualities. We fully expect this resin to change the way surfboards are made forever.
Available in July 2010 in the following plugs: 6'02"A, 6'02"P. 6'04" EA, 6'05"A, 6'06"EA, 6'09"EA, 6'10"A, 7'01"EA, 7'06"EA. Longboard Blanks 9'03"Y and 9'08"Y will be available this autumn. All bulk orders are special order only. We do not stock the full range. Download the full US blank catalogue, including the new Green Foam range here