Environmental impact of skateboard gear manufacturing

[HyenaChaser]

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.

That actually made me feel a lot better.

[Roisto]

^That was a great video. Happy to be supporting BBS. Of course you can always do more and this is marketing material so it should be taken with a grain of salt but it doesn't seem too bad at all.

[Pappy Jones]

Can we get this thread pinned?

[patrick c.]

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.

BBS makes solid boards and I think skating a stronger board that might last a bit longer is a smart move sustainability wise.  But I'd be really skeptical of anything coming from the company directly(ie public relations).  The fact they are manufacturing in Mexico should tell you something about their environmental footprint.

[Sila]

I wonder what the wages are for those people working the BBS woodshop

[Sloppy Krooks]

That’s why something like a flight deck may be the most ecological and ethical decision.

Lib Tech is also made in the US (by skaters) and they have an amazing recycling/mulching program.

[Mr. Stinky]

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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.

[close]

That actually made me feel a lot better.

Interesting video, but "We replaced the workers with machines to save the workers' wrists" is a work of spectacular genius. 

[Wonderful Whizzplank]

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suprised no one makes skate shrink wrap thats vegetable based or easier to degrade. i would back that.

[close]

Same, or it would be nice if there was an option to buy boards without the shrink wrap, or just wrap the boards in recycled packaging paper too keep the graphic safe.

Speaking of graphics, heat transfer film is thrown away once the graphic is printed, right?

Griptape is another thing, what do you do with griptape when it is no longer grippy? I'm in hopes to see eco-friendly/biodegradable or at least reausable griptapes that don't destroy shoes that much someday.

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Habitat shoes were made out of water-based glues. I still have a few pairs. Not sure if any other shoe companies do this now, though.

[close]

SoleTech use water-based glues, Don Brown mentioned this somewhere, I am pretty sure.

Etnies is doing something called "Bloom": https://soletechnology-catalogues.cld.bz/etnies-BASPAT-info-sheet/14/
I haven't looked into this much, but seems like it's an eco-friendly alternative to rubber.


Cool thread.

The new Lovenskate Alex Hallford pro model looks to be sold in a paper bag, not shrink wrap. So that's a start.

I remember hearing vulc shoes were appalling for the environment because of the high temperature used to bake them.

I think it's a shame that there aren't any refresh programs for the obvious hardwoods (trucks, wheels, bearings) as most of the material is intact when the item is "done"

[ClownOfTheDay]

I'v seen people using old skate wheels for garden decorations, I saw one with like a swirl.

[S.]

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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.

[close]

That actually made me feel a lot better.

[close]

Interesting video, but "We replaced the workers with machines to save the workers' wrists" is a work of spectacular genius.

Yes. What usually happens is that a company is more likely to buy a machine if the manual work it replaces is more expensive. Unfortunately what usually happens is that the work, which requieres more skill is usually targeted first for automation, because those workers are usually more expensive. It seems that might have happened here.

[artskool]

Everything we use as skaters has a negative environmental impact. However, unlike practically every mainstream culture, skaters have always celebrated using stuff 'til it's completely thrashed. Its so deeply ingrained in our heads that stuff like grinding through the axle, ollie holes in shoes, etc. that we take it mostly for granted. Every time I set p a new deck, which I don't technically need since I never actually break boards I feel guilty, and ask myself if I can skate what I have a little longer. We make fun of mall completes, since we know every real skater is always cobbling together a bunch of worn gear. There's a lot to learn from us. Even the act of street skating is a re-use vs. build to suit ethos.

[HyenaChaser]

Everything we use as skaters has a negative environmental impact. However, unlike practically every mainstream culture, skaters have always celebrated using stuff 'til it's completely thrashed. Its so deeply ingrained in our heads that stuff like grinding through the axle, ollie holes in shoes, etc. that we take it mostly for granted. Every time I set p a new deck, which I don't technically need since I never actually break boards I feel guilty, and ask myself if I can skate what I have a little longer. We make fun of mall completes, since we know every real skater is always cobbling together a bunch of worn gear. There's a lot to learn from us. Even the act of street skating is a re-use vs. build to suit ethos.

Now THAT’s an interesting thought. Cities really could save a lot of money on a skatepark if they just allowed public spaces to be multi-use. Architects in Norway actually designed their opera house with skateboarding in mind, using materials to curate usage (I.e. rougher ground where the sound would be echoey)

[whatsreallygood]

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Everything we use as skaters has a negative environmental impact. However, unlike practically every mainstream culture, skaters have always celebrated using stuff 'til it's completely thrashed. Its so deeply ingrained in our heads that stuff like grinding through the axle, ollie holes in shoes, etc. that we take it mostly for granted. Every time I set p a new deck, which I don't technically need since I never actually break boards I feel guilty, and ask myself if I can skate what I have a little longer. We make fun of mall completes, since we know every real skater is always cobbling together a bunch of worn gear. There's a lot to learn from us. Even the act of street skating is a re-use vs. build to suit ethos.

[close]

Now THAT’s an interesting thought. Cities really could save a lot of money on a skatepark if they just allowed public spaces to be multi-use. Architects in Norway actually designed their opera house with skateboarding in mind, using materials to curate usage (I.e. rougher ground where the sound would be echoey)

Something similar happened with the "cult" park in Seoul. It used to be strictly a park but all the marble attracted skaters. The city eventually allowed skaters to use it freely. I wish the city where I lived did something like this with some of the public parks downtown.

[S.]

Everything we use as skaters has a negative environmental impact. However, unlike practically every mainstream culture, skaters have always celebrated using stuff 'til it's completely thrashed. Its so deeply ingrained in our heads that stuff like grinding through the axle, ollie holes in shoes, etc. that we take it mostly for granted. Every time I set p a new deck, which I don't technically need since I never actually break boards I feel guilty, and ask myself if I can skate what I have a little longer. We make fun of mall completes, since we know every real skater is always cobbling together a bunch of worn gear. There's a lot to learn from us. Even the act of street skating is a re-use vs. build to suit ethos.

        Yes, that is an interesting idea. I generally agree with you. However how long you skate your boards and shoes for most people also depends on how much money you have. I stayed in Bogotá, Colombia for a few months and skated one park alot and I was surprised how long they used their set-ups.
They would trade and sell old beat-up skateboard parts all the time. What was surprising to me was that decks and trucks which in Germany would have long been thrown away still were worth quite a bit of money.

I gave a guy a fairly good used deck, because he skated really well on a deck with literally 2 inches of nose and tail. I have never seen anyone so happy over such a small gift. Three months later another kid was skating my used deck and its tail was about 2 inches long. He had skated the deck for two months until he won a new deck in a contest and he gave my deck to a friend of his. His friend skated it for a few sessions and sold it to a kid for ten dollars. Most skateboard parts were traded like that until they were completely destroyed.

I like your idea that street skating is re-using parts of the city. I actually think street skateboarding is using shit that other people only look and have no use for at all. The city environment is an artificial environment to begin with. Skating is definitely way better for nature than snowboarding for example, which takes place in a more natural environment.

[cuckflip]

Everything we use as skaters has a negative environmental impact. However, unlike practically every mainstream culture, skaters have always celebrated using stuff 'til it's completely thrashed. Its so deeply ingrained in our heads that stuff like grinding through the axle, ollie holes in shoes, etc. that we take it mostly for granted. Every time I set p a new deck, which I don't technically need since I never actually break boards I feel guilty, and ask myself if I can skate what I have a little longer. We make fun of mall completes, since we know every real skater is always cobbling together a bunch of worn gear. There's a lot to learn from us. Even the act of street skating is a re-use vs. build to suit ethos.

Isn’t that kind of wishful thinking though? I get wearing shit to the ground may seem better than buying something and using/wearing it once then never again, but people buy clothes/shoes (that are NOT fast fashion brands) and wear them down that don’t skate and that probably lasts untold times longer than skaters shoes.

I get the idea though, I feel shitty about setting up a new board if it’s not broken but feeling off when your skating an old soggy board can be so infuriating too.

Skating is a pretty wasteful hobby by nature so you can market things however you want, but at the end of the day it’s a hobby that thrives on shit breaking, toxic chemicals, and probably subpar working conditions and wages at best.

[ClownOfTheDay]

Actually I was wondering about the recycled wheels. Satori? correct me if I'm wrong, but say if they melt down those wheels to use the urethane, wouldn't that mess with their urethane formula? I don't really understand that, like if they took other wheels urethane and mixed them, like isn't that just like a franken wheel? Can someone explain it to me? Like what if they had a 99d wheel and a 101d wheel mixed, what would that be?

[pdknox]

Actually I was wondering about the recycled wheels. Satori? correct me if I'm wrong, but say if they melt down those wheels to use the urethane, wouldn't that mess with their urethane formula? I don't really understand that, like if they took other wheels urethane and mixed them, like isn't that just like a franken wheel? Can someone explain it to me? Like what if they had a 99d wheel and a 101d wheel mixed, what would that be?

(99d + 101d) / 2 = 100d

idk im no sucio

[artskool]

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Everything we use as skaters has a negative environmental impact. However, unlike practically every mainstream culture, skaters have always celebrated using stuff 'til it's completely thrashed. Its so deeply ingrained in our heads that stuff like grinding through the axle, ollie holes in shoes, etc. that we take it mostly for granted. Every time I set p a new deck, which I don't technically need since I never actually break boards I feel guilty, and ask myself if I can skate what I have a little longer. We make fun of mall completes, since we know every real skater is always cobbling together a bunch of worn gear. There's a lot to learn from us. Even the act of street skating is a re-use vs. build to suit ethos.

[close]

Isn’t that kind of wishful thinking though? I get wearing shit to the ground may seem better than buying something and using/wearing it once then never again, but people buy clothes/shoes (that are NOT fast fashion brands) and wear them down that don’t skate and that probably lasts untold times longer than skaters shoes.

I get the idea though, I feel shitty about setting up a new board if it’s not broken but feeling off when your skating an old soggy board can be so infuriating too.

Skating is a pretty wasteful hobby by nature so you can market things however you want, but at the end of the day it’s a hobby that thrives on shit breaking, toxic chemicals, and probably subpar working conditions and wages at best.

You're right, it's all toxic junk. At this point in our global economic culture, I think using stuff til it falls apart, and for that matter being deeply invested in the things you buy vs. buying junk because it's cheap and /or easy. For instance, I drive an old car vs. a new Prius or something because the lifetime environment impact of using stuff you all ready have, or get secondhand is much lighter than buying something that's brand new and recycled for instance. I'd bet anything that the lifetime environmental impact of driving a secondhand Civic is a lot lighter than a Tesla.

[cuckflip]

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Everything we use as skaters has a negative environmental impact. However, unlike practically every mainstream culture, skaters have always celebrated using stuff 'til it's completely thrashed. Its so deeply ingrained in our heads that stuff like grinding through the axle, ollie holes in shoes, etc. that we take it mostly for granted. Every time I set p a new deck, which I don't technically need since I never actually break boards I feel guilty, and ask myself if I can skate what I have a little longer. We make fun of mall completes, since we know every real skater is always cobbling together a bunch of worn gear. There's a lot to learn from us. Even the act of street skating is a re-use vs. build to suit ethos.

[close]

Isn’t that kind of wishful thinking though? I get wearing shit to the ground may seem better than buying something and using/wearing it once then never again, but people buy clothes/shoes (that are NOT fast fashion brands) and wear them down that don’t skate and that probably lasts untold times longer than skaters shoes.

I get the idea though, I feel shitty about setting up a new board if it’s not broken but feeling off when your skating an old soggy board can be so infuriating too.

Skating is a pretty wasteful hobby by nature so you can market things however you want, but at the end of the day it’s a hobby that thrives on shit breaking, toxic chemicals, and probably subpar working conditions and wages at best.

[close]

You're right, it's all toxic junk. At this point in our global economic culture, I think using stuff til it falls apart, and for that matter being deeply invested in the things you buy vs. buying junk because it's cheap and /or easy. For instance, I drive an old car vs. a new Prius or something because the lifetime environment impact of using stuff you all ready have, or get secondhand is much lighter than buying something that's brand new and recycled for instance. I'd bet anything that the lifetime environmental impact of driving a secondhand Civic is a lot lighter than a Tesla.

I agree, I mean everything from my car to clothes to furniture/house stuff is used because I happen to like it, plus it’s a lot cheaper too. Besides like toiletries, skate stuff is some of the few items I buy exclusively new.

My argument is more or less this: yeah the impact is shitty just like everything else. Be aware of it and think about it when you buy stuff and evaluate things being sold to you. The impact you have on any environmental issues from personal lifestyle changes is minor compared to the impact these companies, not skating specifically but skate industry included, have on the environment.

This is coming from someone who sat through years of environmental classes that railed on personal lifestyle changes rather than focusing energy on rampant capitalist business practices

[Oldguy78]

Not to down play this topic because I don’t want to say it’s not important. My question is what percentage of the world’s population actually skates or skates enough to need a new deck every few weeks, trucks every few months? Total skaters in the world has to be something like 0.000001% So as a whole I don’t believe the skateboarding industry makes that big of an environmental impact. If it bothers you though do your part. There are recycling centers in most areas and I’m sure there’s a way to recycle even shoes.

[HyenaChaser]

Not to down play this topic because I don’t want to say it’s not important. My question is what percentage of the world’s population actually skates or skates enough to need a new deck every few weeks, trucks every few months? Total skaters in the world has to be something like 0.000001% So as a whole I don’t believe the skateboarding industry makes that big of an environmental impact. If it bothers you though do your part. There are recycling centers in most areas and I’m sure there’s a way to recycle even shoes.

True, industry and agriculture make up a vast majority of contributions to environmental damage (global water consumption for example on a private scale only makes up 8% of fresh water usage).

That said, much like recycling one can or bottle doesn’t make that much of a difference in the grand scheme of things, collective efforts would have a dramatic impact on reducing environmental impact.

No our relatively small industry doesn’t have as big of an impact as automobile manufacturers, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to do our part.

Moreover, many American cities still don’t have properly structured recycling programs, and even ones that do may have their recycling going to China to be dumped in the ocean anyway. Shoe recycling programs are few and far between (I’ve looked into it) and even something like Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program is limited in both what is accepted and drop-off locations.

Long winded, but my point is you eat an elephant one bite at a time but many still need utensils and it’s gotta get done while there’s a brush fire behind you.

[Roisto]

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Not to down play this topic because I don’t want to say it’s not important. My question is what percentage of the world’s population actually skates or skates enough to need a new deck every few weeks, trucks every few months? Total skaters in the world has to be something like 0.000001% So as a whole I don’t believe the skateboarding industry makes that big of an environmental impact. If it bothers you though do your part. There are recycling centers in most areas and I’m sure there’s a way to recycle even shoes.

[close]

True, industry and agriculture make up a vast majority of contributions to environmental damage (global water consumption for example on a private scale only makes up 8% of fresh water usage).

That said, much like recycling one can or bottle doesn’t make that much of a difference in the grand scheme of things, collective efforts would have a dramatic impact on reducing environmental impact.

No our relatively small industry doesn’t have as big of an impact as automobile manufacturers, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to do our part.

Moreover, many American cities still don’t have properly structured recycling programs, and even ones that do may have their recycling going to China to be dumped in the ocean anyway. Shoe recycling programs are few and far between (I’ve looked into it) and even something like Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program is limited in both what is accepted and drop-off locations.

Long winded, but my point is you eat an elephant one bite at a time but many still need utensils and it’s gotta get done while there’s a brush fire behind you.

I fully agree with HyenaChaser here! It is not a reason to just sit back and not do anything if there are bigger problems out there. We all must do our part and adapt on whatever area it is we are doing environmentally harmful things at.

[Fred Gerwer Frank Gall]

Skateboard decks have taken over furniture as the leading cause of the maple deforestation. I've heard this from several sources including this one  http://www.earthtimes.org/green-blogs/eco-friendly-fashion/bamboo-skateboards-bamboosk8-02-Nov-11/

[rocklobster]

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Not to down play this topic because I don’t want to say it’s not important. My question is what percentage of the world’s population actually skates or skates enough to need a new deck every few weeks, trucks every few months? Total skaters in the world has to be something like 0.000001% So as a whole I don’t believe the skateboarding industry makes that big of an environmental impact. If it bothers you though do your part. There are recycling centers in most areas and I’m sure there’s a way to recycle even shoes.

[close]

True, industry and agriculture make up a vast majority of contributions to environmental damage (global water consumption for example on a private scale only makes up 8% of fresh water usage).

That said, much like recycling one can or bottle doesn’t make that much of a difference in the grand scheme of things, collective efforts would have a dramatic impact on reducing environmental impact.

No our relatively small industry doesn’t have as big of an impact as automobile manufacturers, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to do our part.

Moreover, many American cities still don’t have properly structured recycling programs, and even ones that do may have their recycling going to China to be dumped in the ocean anyway. Shoe recycling programs are few and far between (I’ve looked into it) and even something like Nike’s Reuse-A-Shoe program is limited in both what is accepted and drop-off locations.

Long winded, but my point is you eat an elephant one bite at a time but many still need utensils and it’s gotta get done while there’s a brush fire behind you.

[close]

I fully agree with HyenaChaser here! It is not a reason to just sit back and not do anything if there are bigger problems out there. We all must do our part and adapt on whatever area it is we are doing environmentally harmful things at.

I'll definitely say I had a part in being wasteful growing up skateboarding, cycling through boards even though they still had life in them and even focusing a few because I was an angsty teenager.

Maybe the industry, like the rest of the world is due for a pivot. Industry and enterprise is shifting towards a state of hyper personalization with data and AI guiding how companies are designing their products. Production runs are getting shorter as trends cycle at a faster rate than before.

Instead of mass producing boards, boards can be made (maybe printed?) in shorter runs that fit your style of skating, matching your exact size specifications and graphic, so you don't have to cycle through 10 boards just to find the 1 that you like. Boards that are designed to last longer, stay stiff and don't razor tail as quickly. Lots of brands have fiber inserts which are great for breakage, but most skaters are likely to wear their nose / tails down faster than they are to snap a board. It would really shift power in the industry away from companies / distributors to the woodshops who can cater directly to the consumer without the brand markup too. Just speaking hyperbole during my lunch break.

I for one would be happy to be able to consistently get the shape I wanted every time, so I would have to go through gear madness with every tweak to my setup.

Recycling and reusing is great, but reducing is another key part of conservation that we overlook. There's probably a lot more we as skateboarders can do outside of skateboarding in our daily life that will have a greater impact n the environment than recycling / reusing our old gear.

[anon]

Can we get this thread pinned?

[j....soy.....]

Do we need all that extra plastic?  Wheels come in plastic, decks come in plastic, trucks have stupid trinkets, horrible stickers that kids don't even want. 

[HyenaChaser]

Do we need all that extra plastic?  Wheels come in plastic, decks come in plastic, trucks have stupid trinkets, horrible stickers that kids don't even want.

That’s a good point.

Couldn’t wheels come in recycled cardboard or something?
I really didn’t need a Thunder keychain with my trucks, much less one for each truck.

I was thinking maybe plant based plastics could help but my marine biologist friend told me about how biodegradable plastics that end up in the ocean create algal blooms which can be devastating to an eco system. This article was not reassuring either:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/11/are-bioplastics-made-from-plants-better-for-environment-ocean-plastic/

[FROTHY]

Skateboard decks have taken over furniture as the leading cause of the maple deforestation. I've heard this from several sources including this one  http://www.earthtimes.org/green-blogs/eco-friendly-fashion/bamboo-skateboards-bamboosk8-02-Nov-11/

I can't find the source of their information. Do you know where that data comes from?

edit: Looks like the "Science Channel" is the source of this information... Not sure which documentary though, possibly Alien Encounters.

[HyenaChaser]

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Skateboard decks have taken over furniture as the leading cause of the maple deforestation. I've heard this from several sources including this one  http://www.earthtimes.org/green-blogs/eco-friendly-fashion/bamboo-skateboards-bamboosk8-02-Nov-11/

[close]

I can't find the source of their information. Do you know where that data comes from?

edit: Looks like the "Science Channel" is the source of this information... Not sure which documentary though, possibly Alien Encounters.

I think there’s a strong case for bamboo replacing a lot of other uses for wood, it’s very regenerative and requires less water. Deluxe needs to make a bamboo deck for credibility sake, cause I sure as shit ain’t riding one of these:

[Mr. Stinky]

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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.

[close]

That actually made me feel a lot better.

[close]

Interesting video, but "We replaced the workers with machines to save the workers' wrists" is a work of spectacular genius.

[close]

Yes. What usually happens is that a company is more likely to buy a machine if the manual work it replaces is more expensive. Unfortunately what usually happens is that the work, which requieres more skill is usually targeted first for automation, because those workers are usually more expensive. It seems that might have happened here.

Yeah, I know, I was more commenting on the irony of how losing their job to automation was being presented as a mercy for the workers when it is likely, uh, considerably more complex than that.