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Fibreglass is a mixture of raw materials - silica sand, limestone, and soda ash, which are  melted down using fossil fuels and extruded into long, thin fibres. The fibres are then woven into a flexible cloth, which is laid on the surfboard blank, and infused with resin to create a hard shell around the blank of the board, to waterproof the foam blank.

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The fibreglass of a surfboard makes up for around 5% of the carbon footprint of the finished item.

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However, silica sand and limestone are finite resources, so I have chosen to use flax fibre and basalt fibre as the substitute for my Eco board. Flax fibre is 100% renewal and natural, its lighter, and reduces the use of regular fibreglass by one third and helps lower the boards carbon footprint.  Basalt fibre is a hard, dense volcanic rock formed by the rapid cooling and solidification of lava.  It is 20% stronger than fibreglass and is naturally UV resistant.

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I have chosen not use any plastic in my Eco board, so this meant not using fin boxes, plastic fins or leash plugs.  I used fibreglass strands to make a leg-rope bridge, and have used sustainable ply-wood fins, which we have laminated using fibreglass.