At Starboard, our mission is to not only be the best in the world, but also be the best for the world. In 2023, we’ve taken action to do exactly that.
Our boards won awards and our team riders won medals, but as we look back over the past year, it’s important that we celebrate our achievements beyond just those on the water. Let’s take a look at the ways Starboard has made a positive impact on both people and the planet.
Plastic Offset Program.
As it entered its sixth year of operation, our Plastic Offset Program (POP) continued taking action to reduce the amount of waste polluting the environment. Thanks to the amazing effort of our POP team, more than 460 Tonnes of plastic was removed from the shorelines of Myanmar and Thailand. This means that in total, since 2018, the program has collected over 800,000 kilos of beach plastic!
However, in 2023, the program went further than just protecting the environment. In Myanmar, where help is desperately needed because of ongoing civil unrest, POP launched our 4th chapter in Singaung. Not only did this create new jobs to promote financial security, but through combining clean ups with livelihood projects, the POP also promoted social stability and built climate resilience. Read more about the POP positive impact here.
Starboard X WIF
While the POP is making a difference in Myanmar and Thailand, Starboard is also creating a positive impact on a global scale. As the effect of climate change became increasingly worrying in 2023, the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions increased too.
At Starboard, we took action by continuing to remove 10 times the amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere then we release to it. Now more than ever, we know that neutrality is no longer enough. Today, we must positively impact our environment if we want to enjoy it for generations to come.
It is thanks to our partners at the Worldview International Foundation (WIF) in Myanmar, that we are able to take such radical action. In 2023, we reached our next milestone – 3 million mangrove trees! Over the next 25 years, our mangrove forests will sequester huge quantities of CO2 from the atmosphere, support biodiversity and protect local communities from the impacts of climate change. Read more about how mangroves do it here.
Like the POP, our partners at WIF are also empowering vulnerable local communities. They allocate half of the proceeds generated through carbon sequestration to livelihood projects. The Foundation aims to address challenges in food and water, education, energy, health and income. Find out more about the support from the reforestation program here.
Partnerships.
Collaboration is the key to creating real change. That’s why this year, Starboard worked with partners to join forces in taking effective action.
Across the world, 15 events were made 10X climate positive through separate partnerships between Starboard, PWA, iQFoil and the ICF. Together, the carbon footprints associated with each event, including from travel, equipment and the event itself, were calculated. Using this data, enough mangrove trees were then planted to offset the emissions ten times over. Find out how we do this from our reports.
For World Clean Up Day 2023, Starboard allied with Trash Hero as well as the Norwegian and Swedish Embassies. Around 200 collectors united to pick up litter from the streets and waterways of Bang Phli, a major suburb of Bangkok. The event epitomised the phrase ‘many hands make light work’ as in just over an hour, 655kg of rubbish was collected!
In October, Starboard opened the doors to a new group of partnerships, with a goal of bringing positive impact to a whole new sector. The Tourism Authority of Thailand officially certified Starboard as a company accelerating the country towards more sustainable practices, as part of the newly launched STAR project. With this, Starboard will be able to partner with hotels to generate environmental action in one of Thailand’s most important industries. Read more about the work here.
What’s next?
Overall, at Starboard, it’s been a busy year of improving our impact. With more mangroves planted, plastic collected, communities supported and partners engaged, Starboard has taken action to protect the environment which we all enjoy. However, just like with our boards, our work is never complete. We must continually innovate to find new and better ways of taking action.
In 2024, we will build on our current strategy of increasing our positive and decreasing our negative impact on the environment. The plan will involve searching for new eco-innovative materials, reaching for new plastic collection and mangrove targets, ensuring fair labour across our supply chain and inviting more people to become involved with our action.
How can you improve your impact?
Want to improve your impact too? It’s easy. Join our action by enjoying experiences on the water with Starboard equipment. For every board we produce, we plant 3 mangroves and collect 1.4kg of beach plastic. The only trace we want you to leave behind is the wake from your board!
Alongside your action on the water, there are plenty of other ways you can improve your impact too. Start small by becoming a trash hero and help clean up your local area. Next, take it up a level and encourage others to join you and raise awareness! Want to make an even bigger difference? We can help you to make your centre or next event 10X positive for the environment!
Please contact eco@star-board.com to find out how.
