Going green is pretty en vogue in the business world these days. Tell people whatever you’re making is better for the environment and you’ll have a built in market the moment your product hits shelves. We all want to be more responsible in what we buy and where we buy it from, so even if environmentally friendly purchases don’t drive your every decision you’re still liable to think twice when given the option (or the guilt) between buying something that devastated Russia’s remaining Spoon-billed Sandpiper population or a product that didn’t do that, well, you get the picture.
Athletes aren’t really like this with our gear though. It’s ok to buy a new surfboard or wetsuit every year, knowing neither is biodegradable in any way. And even though there are greener options on the market, none of them really take off because we can’t be convinced they meet the standard in one key demand: performance. “Eco friendly” doesn’t exactly tickle your performance fancies when it comes to something like a skateboard, which is why a majority of companies who work to build a more environmentally conscious product tend to struggle with the bottom line. They’ll still try to sell us on the performance though, guilting us into thinking that if it performs as well as the status quo then we’re just Earth hating, selfish jerks for not coming over to greener pastures.
Uitto isn’t playing that game though. The Finnish makers of skateboards and skimboards have a process of making skateboards that are 100% recyclable and non toxic. The Kareline natural fiber composite can be reused specifically for making another board all over again. They even go so far as to source wood fibers for each deck from “nordic forests where the rate of tree growth outweighs the rate of forestry.” According to the Uitto team the board itself is waterproof and more durable than traditional boards, which is good and all, but you know we still have to get to that performance part of the equation, right? “It’s neither the stiffest, the smallest nor the lightest board on the market,” they say. Yes, they believe they have a more durable and all around better cruiser, but no need to promise the best board you’ve ever set foot on. Kudos to these guys for setting out to make something green and not getting sucked into selling us on the performance game.
Editor’s Note: Learn more about Uitto and their new kickstarter campaign here.
