Wave Tribe is once again pushing the envelope of green surf innovation with the release this week of the World's First Eco Deck Pad. Most deck pads are made out of non-environmentally friendly EVA plastic (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate). Wave Tribe has been researching the development of a more sustainable surfboard traction pad for the last year. In Wave Tribe’s first attempt to create a new pad they used recycled material similar to their strong-like-
After attempting to use several other alternatives they became quite frustrated with the results, and one evening while drafting a new approach, Wave Tribe founder Derek Dodds cracked a bottle of red wine while reviewing the new list of possibilities that the factory had sent over. Derek looked at the cork after opening the bottle and it struck him as the perfect material to use and he was right on, the cork molds beautifully and is extremely resistant to sun and ocean exposure and the cork surface does what a surfer requires in a pad, providing stability and increased leverage. It was in this moment that the first eco deck pad was born, a pad make of organic materials without the use of plastic. Special thanks goes out to the Synergy crew for assisting with the initial materials development.
Cork Oaks live about 150 to 250 years. Virgin cork (or 'male' cork) is the first cork cut from a 25 year old tree. Another 9 to 12 years is required for the second harvest, and a tree can be harvested twelve times in its lifetime. Cork harvesting is done entirely without machinery and using cork in the production of the pads helps sustain cork farmers, reduces the use of EVA plastic, and provides a non-plastic alternative to surfers around the world. But most importantly, cork decomposes once disposed of, normal deck pads can take up to 500 years to decompose.
Wave Tribe is honored to offer this product to surfers worldwide and stoked to be on the leading edge of manufacturing sustainable surf gear. For more information see wavetribe.com.
