Sustainable plastic alternative on surf boards
Surfing through algae on algae
Surfing and the water world are inextricably linked, but the latter is unfortunately under great threat: our fossil fuel-based economy releases vast amounts of carbon, which among other things increases the water temperature and leads to harmful algae blooms. The surfboard brand CALA and the company BLOOM™ want to counteract this and have jointly developed surf mats made of sustainable algae foam, with which all CALA stand-up paddling boards are currently equipped. More infos at www.calaboards.de and www.bloommaterials.com.
Surfboard mats made from algae foam
American company BLOOM™ began researching algae as a novel, sustainable resource to replace non-renewable, fossil-based materials back in 2007. Sebastian Grazzini, founder of CALA, and Ryan Hunt, co-founder of BLOOM, first met in 2019 to explore the development of more sustainable stand-up paddling products using BLOOM foam. In 2020, the project gained momentum and together the two companies began prototyping and testing premium pads on CALA boards made from BLOOM foams with customers.
Environmental problem algal bloom becomes sustainable product material
Algae are the oldest photosynthetic organisms on earth and the origin of all plants and trees. Excessive CO2 emissions, global warming and water pollution are causing excessive and environmentally harmful algal blooms. BLOOM has developed a practical recycling method for this: Algae can be an excellent substitute for some conventional plastics for many products. They grow up to a hundred times faster than plants and trees, produce more oxygen and sequester more carbon than all forests combined. BLOOM harvests algae from lakes and sewage treatment plants and dries them. Through extrusion, this algae biomass is combined with polymers to produce resin pellets, which in turn can be used to make sustainable products.
Surfers bear responsibility for the waters
Clean water and a healthy underwater world are not only vital for surfers, but for all of humanity. By using BLOOM’s algae foam surf pads, CALA is taking an important step towards protecting and improving the habitat on and under the water. “We hope that all water sports enthusiasts will not only be enthusiastic about the fun and feeling of freedom that they can also experience on our boards, but also actively support the conservation of the oceans. We at CALA are happy to be a role model for this,” Sebastian Grazzini explains the self-image of his CALA brand. “The cooperation with CALA is exciting for BLOOM because it offers the opportunity to support the water sports industry in developing more sustainable products using regenerative materials such as algae,” adds Ryan Hunt.