Land Rover – Waste Made Into Surfboard – Video

With an estimated 8 million tonnes of plastic dumped in oceans every year, taking hundreds of years to decompose, Jaguar Land Rover has strengthened its commitment to achieving its zero waste goal by creating a range of surfboards made wholly from recycled plastic.

The surfboard was created in partnership with SkunkWorks Surf Co, a surf company with a focus on minimising environmental impact, and tested by the English Women’s Open Surfing Champion surfer, Lucy Campbell off the coast of Northern Ireland. It was hand-built to the exact dimensions (5’7 x 18 3/8 x 2 3/16) required by Campbell, who is currently competing on the global circuit. It has carbon fibre rails from the nose and a carbon strip from the tail for additional strength while allowing flex to push through high-intensity manoeuvres.

Polyurethane is used in the manufacture of life-size clay models which are modelled by hand at the very beginning of the car design process. The polymer forms the ‘skeleton’ of the models, which is normally destroyed once a car is launched, while the clay is recycled and re-used on site. Now, Jaguar Land Rover is ensuring that all plastic is recovered and sliced into blocks ready for a second life as surfboards or paddleboards.

 

 

The very first surfboard, which was created from a Discovery Sport clay model that was broken down in June 2017, was designed and built by SkunkWorks Surf Co in Northern Ireland. Land Rover invited Lucy Campbell, the UK’s number one female surfer, to get behind the wheel of a Discovery Sport before putting the concept through its paces on the waves of Whiterocks beach, Northern Ireland.

The surfboard debuts this weekend in London at Jaguar Land Rover Tech Fest, a free-to-enter festival exploring the future of mobility. Tech Fest is open from 8 – 10 September at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London.