Environmental impact of skateboard gear manufacturing

[padded_shorts]

These dudes are doing cool stuff. I've been wanting to try this. Once I have saved up enough broken decks.
https://www.prismaguitars.com/
http://www.skateguitar.com/

[Francis Xavier]

There's hundreds of ways to reuse old decks, dudes make record adapters to play 45s out of old decks, one guy makes handles for suicide clutches on choppers, shelving etc. Fucking go to a woodshop and have em chop it down to dust and use it to clean up spills idk.

Grind your trucks down to the fucking axle if they don't snap. Give em to someone that casts their own shit if you can't find a recycling dump.

We ride toxic shit,CA prop 65 life.

[Roisto]

How about wax? Was just thinking of it as I just made a new batch from a bunch of candles. Skate wax is mostly paraffin, isn't it? Paraffin is 100% fossil based. Anyone has any idea how soy wax slides? I don't think I've ever come across soy wax but they apparently make a whole bunch of candles from the stuff and it isn't as hard as stearin which is way too brittle for skate wax. 🤔

[woodinbrine]

Got curious about soy wax, looks like there’s someone selling soy based skate wax already:
https://magictoast.com/products/skateboarding-soy-eco-magical-go-go-skate-wax
I’ve never bought premade skate wax, should be able to get soy wax from an arts and crafts store though, could be a fun thing to try.

[ohnowisee]

I actually started using boards that are fully focused to make new wedding rings for myself or giant rings to hang stuff from.  Any board that isn't focused I'll use for a shelf or save it and scrap some boards together for my son to mess with, but I still find myself just tossing a lot of stuff out.

I'm not like Bachinsky or anything, but that would be sick to learn how to do that crazy woodwork.

[43]

I give my old decks to kids at the skatepark and they’re always stoked. I set up a new one every 6 weeks or so.

Trucks I never change until I have to and they last forever.

Wheels last forever, too. I rotate them and keep my bearings clean and lubed.

I leave trucks and wheels at the park as well.

I reuse my mounting hardware - never understood those who need a fresh set every time.

Shoes are the things that get me down. Canvas shoes get wrecked within a few sessions so I use suede and it’s wild throwing away animal skin every month or so instead of using them for the long term like my walking shoes.

[Roisto]

Got curious about soy wax, looks like there’s someone selling soy based skate wax already:
https://magictoast.com/products/skateboarding-soy-eco-magical-go-go-skate-wax
I’ve never bought premade skate wax, should be able to get soy wax from an arts and crafts store though, could be a fun thing to try.

That's awesome. Gonna check it out at some point for sure.

[AssFea]

There was wheels that were “green” they might have been made from olive oil or something like that.

I might be making some of that up. Maybe it was all a dream

[Bongwater Mojito]

The individual level consumer solutions presented in this thread are useful (and kind of common sense too), but I still wonder how can it be that ecological values are basically non-existent in mainstream skate product marketing. It sounds like a no-brainer to at least try to market with environment-friendly processes, renewable energy use etc.

[BALARGUE]

The individual level consumer solutions presented in this thread are useful (and kind of common sense too), but I still wonder how can it be that ecological values are basically non-existent in mainstream skate product marketing. It sounds like a no-brainer to at least try to market with environment-friendly processes, renewable energy use etc.

skateboarding is kinda like the pinnacle of capitalism. And capitalism is a lot about generating thrash and making money out of it. The more people consume, the more they generate thrash, the more collecting and recycling companies make money. Skateboard products are already expensive. making it eco-friendly would unfortunately make skateboarding even more expensive.
Some brands plant trees when you buy shoes, others make vegan shoes (but should we use animal skins or plastics ? what's worse ?), but it's always about compromises (cost effectiveness primarily).

In the end, skateboarding is mainly for teenagers and they don't care about that. it's not a marketing leverage. Sometimes parents of these teenagers are happy to hear that boards aren't coming from China... but they don't really care as a whole.
Retail prices are the main concern
And brands want you to skate & DESTROY your own stuff and buy new stuff

[HyenaChaser]

There was wheels that were “green” they might have been made from olive oil or something like that.

I might be making some of that up. Maybe it was all a dream

You used to read word up magazine? Salt n Pepa and Heavy D up in the limousine?

I’ve recently resorted to art projects from old decks. Again not a solution, but it’s something.

[tom]

There was wheels that were “green” they might have been made from olive oil or something like that.

I might be making some of that up. Maybe it was all a dream

Satori vegetable oil wheels, but they were awful. They turned to octagons just from riding down the street, and they were real slick. It's a shame no one has tried to work on an alternative that works because making skate wheels is extremely toxic, and they aren't very biodegradable

[Thomas]

Expand Quote

The individual level consumer solutions presented in this thread are useful (and kind of common sense too), but I still wonder how can it be that ecological values are basically non-existent in mainstream skate product marketing. It sounds like a no-brainer to at least try to market with environment-friendly processes, renewable energy use etc.

[close]

skateboarding is kinda like the pinnacle of capitalism. And capitalism is a lot about generating thrash and making money out of it. The more people consume, the more they generate thrash, the more collecting and recycling companies make money. Skateboard products are already expensive. making it eco-friendly would unfortunately make skateboarding even more expensive.
Some brands plant trees when you buy shoes, others make vegan shoes (but should we use animal skins or plastics ? what's worse ?), but it's always about compromises (cost effectiveness primarily).

In the end, skateboarding is mainly for teenagers and they don't care about that. it's not a marketing leverage. Sometimes parents of these teenagers are happy to hear that boards aren't coming from China... but they don't really care as a whole.
Retail prices are the main concern
And brands want you to skate & DESTROY your own stuff and buy new stuff

I'm not going to launch the vegan debate, but comparing an animal life to plastic production is kinda gross to me.
Both have a high environmental impact, but only one is taking the life of an animal for you to do tricks on your skateboard.
I know this is a complex topic, but in my opinion plants are the only durable and ethical solution. I'm personally skating canvas shoes and succeed to make them last 2 months or so. I know some brands are making plant-based suede from ananas and so, but I guess it cost more than killing animals in China and make shoes out of their skin...

[BALARGUE]

well you actually launched it, i was just questionning
complex topic but i've heard plants have feelings too

[Sloppy Krooks]

well you actually launched it, i was just questionning
complex topic but i've heard plants have feelings too

Before the vegans pile on Balargue, I want to give him a chance to think through the ramifications of what he said, what he is implying, and what that means for how food is produced.

Bal, a couple starter questions

-Do plants feel ‘pain’, and thusly ‘suffer’?
-Is their ‘suffering comparable to animal and human suffering?
-Are you actually concerned with suffering? And reducing it?

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Plants have feelings, oh fuck here we go...

[Thomas]

Ahah, the good old "plants have feelings too".
I thought everybody now knows that eating meat "kills" way more plants than eating plants.

And sorry guys, but if you really feel concerned by your environmental impact you cannot avoid the meat/leather/milk topic.

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

See this is why I can’t mow my lawns without fucking plant activists picketing my yard 🤔

[BALARGUE]

Ahah, the good old "plants have feelings too".
I thought everybody now knows that eating meat "kills" way more plants than eating plants.

And sorry guys, but if you really feel concerned by your environmental impact you cannot avoid the meat/leather/milk topic.

i was joking btw

[wurfnnjs]

But another thing to consider is how small skateboarding is. Even if every skater uses sustainable materials and produces no harm to the environment, that is a small fraction of the world's population. We're only going to save the planet if non skaters start using more sustainable products in their everyday lives.
Also, plants do not have feelings, and cannot feel pain, as they lack a central nervous system.

[HyenaChaser]

But another thing to consider is how small skateboarding is. Even if every skater uses sustainable materials and produces no harm to the environment, that is a small fraction of the world's population. We're only going to save the planet if non skaters start using more sustainable products in their everyday lives.
Also, plants do not have feelings, and cannot feel pain, as they lack a central nervous system.

Agreed, these are not cars, but if you’re the kind of person who does their individual part for the environment, which also does nothing in the big picture, then you would probably also like to see the goods you consume making an effort as well. Small bites to eat an elephant.

And I have also previously read about plants being able to feel a sort of pain, though not one analogous to what humans experience.

[Yesterdays-pop]

I don’t see anyone being environmentally conscious anywhere. Skate world and every other industry create a lot of waste, average  American throws away like 4-6 lbs of garbage a day.
Gotta come up with an answer and I don’t believe technology with solve anything but more waste.
Gotta go Amish or something.
Doomsday prepping skategoods for the dark ages and Ive made some pretty bushings out of very hard woods, I keep 30 sets of bushings vacuum sealed in a freezer along with a few old boxes I got from spitfire. I’ve got enough to make 5 completes and numerous decks vacuum sealed in my walk in freezer. I just pulled out a toy machine Donny barley smoker deck and it still had the freshest pop. Been doing this for over 25 years. Skateboarding will never die

[wurfnnjs]

I don’t see anyone being environmentally conscious anywhere. Skate world and every other industry create a lot of waste, average  American throws away like 4-6 lbs of garbage a day.
Gotta come up with an answer and I don’t believe technology with solve anything but more waste.
Gotta go Amish or something.
Doomsday prepping skategoods for the dark ages and Ive made some pretty bushings out of very hard woods, I keep 30 sets of bushings vacuum sealed in a freezer along with a few old boxes I got from spitfire. I’ve got enough to make 5 completes and numerous decks vacuum sealed in my walk in freezer. I just pulled out a toy machine Donny barley smoker deck and it still had the freshest pop. Been doing this for over 25 years. Skateboarding will never die

Goddamn Mad Max over here

[Yesterdays-pop]

Someone once told me “if there is an advertisement for it, you don’t need it” they were in advertising.
When I look around our world this is all I see and for the most part it’s true.

[HyenaChaser]

Someone once told me “if there is an advertisement for it, you don’t need it” they were in advertising.
When I look around our world this is all I see and for the most part it’s true.

“Art is something people don’t need but feel is good to have around.”

-Andy Warhol

[DotGuru]

We cannot consume our way to sustainability. Recycling postpones the inevitable. The inevitable will be a difficult adjustment.

[DotGuru]

I don’t see anyone being environmentally conscious anywhere. Skate world and every other industry create a lot of waste, average  American throws away like 4-6 lbs of garbage a day.
Gotta come up with an answer and I don’t believe technology with solve anything but more waste.
Gotta go Amish or something.
Doomsday prepping skategoods for the dark ages and Ive made some pretty bushings out of very hard woods, I keep 30 sets of bushings vacuum sealed in a freezer along with a few old boxes I got from spitfire. I’ve got enough to make 5 completes and numerous decks vacuum sealed in my walk in freezer. I just pulled out a toy machine Donny barley smoker deck and it still had the freshest pop. Been doing this for over 25 years. Skateboarding will never die

Right on.

[Bongwater Mojito]

Loosely related: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1987199519/rens-the-totally-waterproof-sneaker-made-from-coffee

This is a nice example of material stream waste elimination - only 2% of a coffee bean ends up in the cup, rest is full of useful compounds and had gone to landfill in worst case so far.

I wonder what's the waste ratio in maple, urethane or aluminum alloys in trucks. Or skate shoes.

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

Expand Quote

I don’t see anyone being environmentally conscious anywhere. Skate world and every other industry create a lot of waste, average  American throws away like 4-6 lbs of garbage a day.
Gotta come up with an answer and I don’t believe technology with solve anything but more waste.
Gotta go Amish or something.
Doomsday prepping skategoods for the dark ages and Ive made some pretty bushings out of very hard woods, I keep 30 sets of bushings vacuum sealed in a freezer along with a few old boxes I got from spitfire. I’ve got enough to make 5 completes and numerous decks vacuum sealed in my walk in freezer. I just pulled out a toy machine Donny barley smoker deck and it still had the freshest pop. Been doing this for over 25 years. Skateboarding will never die

[close]

Goddamn Mad Max over here

fucking hell, this guy needs his own fallout character!

[50mm]

Just came across this video that shows how BBS makes their boards. They recycle a ton of material and use environment friendly techniques wherever they can.