How To Guides · 52 comments ·Jan 09, 2020

You Paddle, We Plant

Sustainable and Forward Facing

Back in 2018 we developed a board that was the first of its kind in the UK. And it had a purpose.

The Hardcase was created for 2 reasons, durability and sustainability.

How Is It Done

The durability aspect was easy to understand. We visited the factory, hit it a bit with some metal poles and watched them come off the production line. The sustainability was the nugget of gold that we needed to truly understand.

ABS is a plastic (stay with us here) and it has many uses - in fact, it’s so useful that when the board shape is cut from a huge sheet of ABS, the offcuts are bagged and returned to the factory that machines it.

It is then recycled - into what?

We’ll tell you as there are so many uses; most of us use it every day when typing away on a computer keyboard, power tool housing, wall sockets, and even good old Lego! It’s a very versatile material.

The only issue at the moment is the EPS foam core of the board. This makes up a large part of the board itself and to raise the percentage of recycled products used in the construction is taking time - too much time!

Inflatable Boards

By far the largest proportion of the Paddleboard market is Inflatable Paddleboards. This type of board has advantages as they are durable and fix the storage issues many people have. However, they are manufactured mainly from PVC and PVC isn't a widely recycled material (yet) this has huge implications on the environment.

It’s all very frustrating....

But for now, we just have to go with the flow and wait....right?

Wrong!

How Will We Make A Difference

We decided in 2018 that we wanted to reduce our carbon footprint as a business - hard to balance flying to China and reducing our carbon footprint...kinda contradictory, right?

We can’t deny it, however, we don’t intend on making a habit of it, but whilst these things are being created and designed until it’s right, we kinda have to be there.

So, how are we going to make this work? 2020 will be the year that FatStick will start to plant a tree for every board - hardboard & inflatable - that is bought from us in the UK...and it doesn’t stop there.

No Breaking Ground - Just Doing The Right Thing

Please understand that we’re not shouting about this because we think we’re hero’s, far from it, it’s sad that it’s taken this long. We are committed to this project and have looked at many options - from packaging (we removed the polythene bag our iSUPs arrive in and replaced it with a reusable bag), to logistics (creating orders to limit the number of deliveries and take a large order once or twice a year), Small steps, but, steps none the less.

By doing this it feels like we are part of something bigger than FatStick or SUP in general - this will continue to give something back, beyond our own lifetimes.

For those of you that want to be a part of this but don’t want to buy another board, you can still contribute!

We also have reusable coffee cups that will enable us to plant a tree for each cup bought! So you can be a part of this awesomeness without having to buy another board!

What Do You Get

When your purchase enables a tree to be planted you will receive an email asking you to 'Plant Your Tree'. When you set the wheels in motion you will get facts, figures, stats and location of the tree. You'll also be told what tree you've planted, where it's being planted and most importantly, why that particular tree is important.

Reuben bought a tree for Andy - he's that kinda guy - and this is what Andy got for his tree.

What Next

It’s fair to say that we have big plans on the horizon and this whole ‘planting a tree’ passion was because of someone in particular - but for now, we can’t mention why or who. It will be revealed, but we need to sort a few things first.