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Submitted by comet on

It's true. There is a lot of scrap from making skateboards. Luckily we have neighbors like Morgan that we can depend on to help us to do the right thing. All of the the components going into Comet boards are bio degradable. This allows us to avoid the dump. I reckon while I am telling you about this - I might as well let you know that we will buy your used Comet boards back for $5.00 and compost them as well. You can use that $5.00 towards the purchase of another deck... sort of like a deposit on a bottle or can. The concept that we are hitting here is called Cradle to Cradle or Closed Loop manufacturing. For us it goes like this.....

After pressing and cutting blanks we end up with piles of scraps. On a given day we can fill an entire dumpster. All of the materials in this could end up in a waste landfill. This organic matter instead can live on in a new form and turn back into the earth from which it came. Once we have a good pile of scrap we start sending it to through the chipper.

As the scrap gets sent through the chipper it turns into dust and wood chips.

One great thing about working with neighbors and like minded people is you don't always have to rely on cash. One can barter. That is when the economy gets truly local and the loop is closed to perfection...

We graciously thank Morgan and his assistance in helping make your skateboards high performance agents of biological change and fun!

Keep the stoke until next time!

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Comments

What about the glues? Wouldn't they be a contaminant in the composting process? Keep up the good work we need more manufacturers like yourselves.

That is a good point about the glues.
Here is some of what I know about that.
We use 2 different glues at present:

One is a soy protein polymer / bio fiber matrix that is developed in collaboration with e2e Materials. This matrix acts similar to a prepreg epoxy fiberglass combo. We have pressed thousands of decks with glass epoxy and carbon fiber and our new bio fiber matrix is reaching those performance characteristics. This "glue" is 100% natural and is similar to a soy protein smoothie. For sake of example I will call this like granola and yogurt going into your compost at the end of its use.

The other glue that we use is a commercially available water based glue. Because we heat press one board at a time we have had great success pressing with the most benign wood glue on the market. It is certified for child craft and food prep surfaces. Because this glue is commercially available we only know what the company will tell us about the ingredients. So for sake of example I will call composting this glue similar to putting a POP Tart in your compost.

Both glues will break down in nature eventually at the same rate that the maple or bamboo will. Our e2e glue might be more suitable for growing organic tomatoes while the latter has variables which would make it not suitable for "organic" gardening but is still able to break down safely in an industrial compost. Just as a side note - I use saw dust from the shop in my compost at home for my garden - it passes my test but I am trying to put out as much info as I can...

Further if you care to read on...
Both glues need to have additives so that they do not mold or rot while on the shelf. Without these preservatives they are welcoming to naturally occurring organisms "bugs" for bio degradation. Our house glue takes a natural oil that smells really nice. The commercial glue "preservative" bakes off in our curing process so that it is gone after pressing according to lab tests.. From what we now know there is nothing in either glue that would inhibit composting.

The summary definition of bio-degradable is ... " water soluble and will break down in nature with in 28 days". By that definition neither the glue nor the maple, bamboo or fiber are "bio-degradable" nor do we want that to be the case. We want your skateboard to last for as long as you want it to.

We use materials that will break down harmlessly in an industrial compost. These materials remain as biological nutrients through their entire life. Our materials are harvested from nature, skated in nature, and returned to nature. This is a complete biological cycle or Cradle to Cradle process.

Our intention is to create products to skate and not contaminate. We will always be improving and by no means would say that we have accomplished a net perfect score with our manufacturing. I believe that it will take the inspired collaboration of the next generation to pull that off. We are just one starting point to build on.
Skate to Create! until next time...

It is amazing that the technology that you are using on your skateboards is not being used world-wide. Is this type of composite more expensive? Are people afraid of using it because they think it wont hold up? What are other applications it could be used for?

It is all brand new technology. We see the e2e soy resin being a vastly used material especially in countries with a strong agricultural base. We are confident that the composite will hold up in any of the circumstances that we are using it. Applications are limitless. Furniture, building materials, and so on... maybe even lunch trays...

Bitchin! I love the fact that you'll take back the old decks and not only recycle them but give credit toward the next deck purchase. Awesome.

The Comet Team