JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #114 - July 2017 - 40

SPORTS & LEISURE
biocomposites

An alliance based on a core vision
for sustainability
As bioresins continue to grow in popularity, manufacturers are keen to
offer customers products that deliver environmental benefits together with
high performance. French surf board manufacturer NOTOX is striving (and
succeeding) to introduce sustainable products into their manufacturing
processes.

Sicomin in 2009 to launch a joint development programme.

ver a decade ago, Sicomin and
NOTOX (Anglet, France) began to
address the untapped potential of bioresins in the manufacture of sports equipment. The two companies jointly created a
formulation that has as little environmental
impact as possible and supports greener
production methods. The resulting product,
Sicomin's GreenPoxy® 56, is now used to
manufacture the full range of NOTOX
greenOne® short boards (Figure 1), long
boards, SUP models, kitesurf boards, and
the newly launched Korko board.
A vision
When NOTOX was established in 2006,
the founders' vision was clear - to provide
surfers with boards that respect nature
while protecting the people who produce
them. The company was looking to offer the
market an alternative range of surfboards
that were not produced with standard
glass-reinforced polyester polymers and
shaped polyurethane foam cores.
Although these traditional materials deliver
clear performance benefits and help elevate
surfing to a high-performance sport, the
products release toxic substances with significant environmental and human health
impacts. Therefore, NOTOX approached

Sicomin had anticipated the rise in demand
for naturally-derived epoxy systems and was
already in the process of developing their
first bioresin, GreenPoxy 56®. The product
contained over 51% plant-based carbon, the
highest level available on the market.
Taking care of the environment
NOTOX used GreenPoxy® 56 for the
construction of the first greenOne® board
design, a 6'4 hybrid short board. The prototype boards used an EPS foam (expanded
polystyrene) containing up to 100% recycled
material and guaranteed to be HCFC free.
A quadraxial flax fabric was then applied to
minimise torsion and bending in the board,
followed by Sicomin's GreenPoxy® 56 for
vacuum lamination to promote lightness,
strength and dynamics. This system provided
a clear and waterproof coating and a robust,
hard-wearing gloss laminate.
NOTOX strives to achieve the lowest carbon footprint possible and sources 80% of
their products from France and 20% from
Belgium. The boards are then assembled at
the company's facility in Anglet under strict
quality and environmental control standards
(Ecoride Gold label). The boards are trialled
on the challenging surf beaches of the Basque
region, in Southwest France on the Atlantic
Coast.

jec composites magazine / N°114 July 2017

When comparing the eco-credentials of
a standard surfboard versus a NOTOX
greenOne® board, the results are striking.
For example, a standard board contains
0% recycled materials and is produced
from polyurethane foam, glass fibre and
polyester resin, generating around 6 kg of
production waste. The greenOne® board
made from recycled EPS, GreenPoxy®56
bioresin and flax fibres only generates 1 kg
of production waste (Figure 2).

Fig. 1: The greenOne® NOTOX board manufactured with Sicomin's GreenPoxy ® bioresins

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #114 - July 2017