Good Karma Projects, a non-profit organization active in sustainable solutions, and Starboard a world-leading watersports company announced their new collaboration to launch the world’s first LCA on a paddleboard. In doing so the collaboration sets a new challenge for the industry and for those who don’t want to get behind.
For the last years Starboard has been putting a lot of efforts and resources to become more respectful with the environment and reduce their overall impact. But is not only that, driven by passion, Starboard is naturally pioneering a new model where people and environment are integrated as core values.
At the same time Good Karma Projects, it’s a disruptive organization working with both businesses and people to revolutionize the boardsports industry – from surfing, paddleboarding, kiteboarding to snowboarding, skiing or skating, any outdoors lover is included.
“At GKprojects, our strategy includes developing innovative solutions and collaborations that contribute to a circular economy. We look beyond society’s current model of take-make-use-dispose and instead try to mimic nature and the circle of life. In our collaboration with Starboard we will be looking at the full life cycle of a board – from raw materials extraction to end of life – andidentify all the impacts associated with the different stages of the board’s life.”
Jordi Oliva, co-founder of Good Karma Projects
Using their slogan ‘innovation and quality’, Starboard has been able to reduce the impact of their boards by introducing new materials and using different processes. Now, they want to go even further and quantify the real impact of this changes.
“One of the most satisfying parts of our work is the challenge of redesigning our products to lower the environmental impact and achieve higher performance,” .
Svein Rasmussen, Founder and CEO, Starboard
Their latest SUP technology, called Blue Carbon,it’s the first ever Gold level ECO SUP board and it usesboth recycled and natural materials to give life to the best high-performance paddleboards.
Full deck and rails with high-density foam made 100% of recycled waterbottles, end-grain balsa wood covering the full bottom and natural unidirectional flax used on the rails are some of the materials conforming Starboard’s Blue Carbon technology.
The GKprojects’ team will then launch together with Starboard the world’s first cradle to grave life cycle assessment (LCA) of a paddleboard, based on the Blue Carbon technology from Starboard.
The project will help understand the impacts associated with all the stages of a board’s life from raw material extraction through materials processing, manufacture, distribution, use, repair and maintenance, and disposal or recycling. The information obtained can be used to improve processes, provide a sound basis for informed decisions and by consequence, to reduce the overall impact of the product.
