A weekly source of outdoor(ish) companies, causes and communities doing inspiring things.
Founded by surfboard shaper Marcelo Gagliardi, this Californian-based company creates custom skateboards from the production waste of surfboards. “A typical 6 ft. surfboard creates 6 lbs. of trash during the manufacturing process. Guess where all that ends up? You guessed it, in a dumpster which ends up in a landfill”. The name ‘Shred’ comes from the granulation of everything used in surfboard shaping, from foam to wood stringers, stir sticks, disposable gloves, fiberglass, and even dried resin.
Ponch is for those who like bold colours, lightweight materials and to stay dry in sudden downpours. Wanting to find a middle-ground between high-tech waterproofs and festival garbs, founders Sophie Mollison and Alexander Edwards created the company to serve those who rate convenience and style as well as sustainability. Each jacket is made from 100% recycled post-consumer plastic bottles and they work with a number of artists to create limited run designs.
This social enterprise makes eyewear and knives from recycled plastic. As Surfers Against Sewage alumni, they saw first-hand the amount of waste washing up on UK beaches and decided to intercept the material and use it create ‘functional products for adventure’. Having hit their Kickstarter target funding, their new project sees them tackling single-use facemasks. Watch this space.
This UK-based swimwear company, run by founder Sandra Palmer, design and create inclusive, body-positive swimsuits for all shapes and sizes. They manufacture in the UK to maintain a small carbon-footprint and avoid waste by digitally printing to size with water-based inks.
Made by paddlers for paddlers, this nifty app tracks your movement on the water so you can record your progress, set goals and connect with other water-users. You can log and measure things like distance, splits, speed and how many times you’ve fallen in. Okay, maybe not the last bit. The PaddleLIVE® feature also enables you to set a session duration and will alert emergency contacts if you’re out longer than expected.
