The eQFOiL | Exploring Sustainability Through Olympic Windsurf Board Design.
Recognising the ever-increasing need to undo the damage that humans are having on the planet, Starboard, the designers of the iQFOiL, have been working to turn the negative impacts of their equipment board into positives.
Through planting 22 mangroves for every full senior set up, the emissions resulting from production are offset 10 times over. At the same time, 11.4kg of shoreline plastic is collected for every iQFOiL, to match the weight of the board and the materials used in its construction.
While this action tries to reverse the negative effects of the board, Starboard’s latest project seeks to reduce that impact in the first place. The objective of the new eQFOiL board is to significantly reduce the environmental impact of materials used in the iQFOiL, while maintaining the same quality and performance.
The Plan
To understand how to reduce impact, the team began by identifying where changes needed to be made. Using MarineShift360, an industry-specific software, Starboard performed a Life-Cycle Analysis to measure the board’s impact against 5 different environmental measures, such as global warming potential and water consumption.
The assessment re-affirmed the board’s carbon footprint (152.55kg CO2e) and highlighted some key impact hotspots for the team to tackle. The real challenge of the project remained the need to maintain the same top performance quality while balancing it with a criteria of business factors, such as cost, workability and efficiency.
The Approach
Informed by their analysis and directed by a clear objective, the eco and R&D teams outlined key targets to reduce the impact of the iQFOiL…
Reducing the CO2 footprint.
By far, carbon fiber is the main source of emissions in the iQFOiL board, contributing 42.8% to its overall footprint. However, finding a material to match its strength, performance and light-weight is challenging.
Basalt fiber appeared as a potential replacement, as the volcanic mineral offers a 98% reduction in carbon footprint, when compared with virgin carbon fiber. Moreover, the material is naturally occurring and plentiful, while also being easy to handle for Starboard’s factory workers. When put to the test, the team found that under certain conditions, basalt could keep up with carbon fiber in most applications, consequently providing a promising alternative.
Improving recyclability
Creating an effective end of life solution for composite boards is a problem for producers across the watersport industry. One of the major challenges in improving recyclability for Starboard is the use of PVC foam in board construction. PVC foam is difficult to recycle and can release harmful gases when broken down. Starboard explored alternatives like recycled PET foam, which uses recycled plastic bottles. Although PET foam has a lower strength compared to PVC, it reduces the impact on mineral resource scarcity and improves overall recyclability. To compensate for its lower strength, Starboard reinforced key stress areas, ultimately having to balance performance with sustainability.
Lowering toxicity
Reducing the toxicity of materials was another priority. Starboard replaced some of the fiberglass used in their boards with FSC certified pine wood. Wood is a renewable resource with a negative global warming potential due to CO2 absorption during tree growth. This change not only reduces the use of toxic fiberglass but also enhances the board’s environmental credentials.
Exploring Core Alternatives
The polystyrene (EPS) foam core at the heart of every Starboard, while lightweight and strong, is highly polluting, taking centuries to break down and spreading microplastics. Starboard explored lower-impact alternatives like recycled EPS and honeycomb cores but found them either too heavy or not scalable. The breakthrough came with a plant-based bio-additive mixed with EPS foam, allowing the material to biodegrade in landfills without creating microplastics. This solution offers significant environmental benefits without compromising structural performance or weight.
Results & Future Plans
Achievements
The innovations implemented have resulted in an 18% reduction in the carbon footprint of the board’s total life cycle and a 37% reduction in the raw material emissions. The board also sees reductions across other environmental metrics, including mineral resource scarcity (14%), water consumption (10%), energy consumption (23%), and marine eutrophication (33%).
Challenges & Trade-offs
Despite these advancements, the new board is approximately 500g heavier, representing a 4% increase in weight—a significant factor for racing boards. Additionally, the durability and feel of the board on the water are still being tested to ensure they meet the high standards expected by customers. Whilst it is not possible to use this board in iQFOiL class events due to strict class regulations, it represents the development going on behind the scenes at Starboard to reduce the impact of their entire product range.
Final Thoughts
The eQFOiL concept board is a testament to the potential of innovative design and materials R&D in advancing sustainability in windsurfing equipment. Starboard’s approach to reducing impact demonstrates to the sport and wider marine industry that considering the environment is possible in performance equipment, in line with World Sailing and the IOC’s goals for sustainability. Through utilising a similar strategy, change can be achieved across, not only the watersports industry, but also the wider sporting world. If you are interested in this topic, get in touch with Starboard here: ollie.bignell@star-board.com
