IS BLUE THE NEW GREEN?

I prodotti Concept Blue sono il nostro prossimo passo verso un futuro migliore e un ulteriore elemento della nostra campagna Save Our Playgrounds. Il nostro team di ricerca e sviluppo si dedica alla progettazione di prodotti con i materiali più recenti e sostenibili disponibili sul mercato. Per contribuire a proteggere i nostri parchi giochi, ci impegniamo a esaminare ciò che stiamo già facendo e a continuare a esplorare ciò che può essere fatto nel prossimo futuro e nei decenni a venire. Un'etica sostenibile guida tutto ciò che facciamo, dalla selezione e dall'approvvigionamento delle materie prime per i nostri prodotti al processo di produzione e al ciclo di vita di tutto ciò che creiamo. Concept Blue è il prossimo capitolo.

Prodotti già inseriti nella campagna Concept Blue:

How does the Unit SLS Concept Blue differ from the other Unit models?

Max: "The 2025 Unit in the new SLS Concept Blue construction bridges the gap between the Unit D/LAB and the original Unit. For excellent power delivery and stiffness, we replaced the 240-gram Dacron in the center panels with 82-gram Aluula and used Penta TX in the rest of the frame. Like this we slightly reduced the diameter of the leading edge and lowered the weight. Both materials make for greater stiffness and more grunt at reasonable costs.

Same as already in the Slick Concept Blue, the Unit SLS Concept Blue differs from our original Unit by the materials used to reduce environmental impact. We have identified three key measures to enhance sustainability in our wings.

Firstly, we eliminate color entirely from all fabrics, including the canopy, Dacron and Penta TX. Traditional dyeing involves harmful solvents and requires thousands of liters of water for rinsing, which we have successfully eliminated.
Secondly, we use a bio-based bladder, which, though not 100 percent organic, is currently the most sustainable bladder product on the market, offering up to 57 percent bio-based material and yielding approximately 30 percent CO2 savings.
The third measure involves the use of injection-molded parts. This production process typically generates substantial standard waste, ranging from 10 to 30 percent, depending on the part. We actively recycle this waste in our production to create other plastic components. For instance, the discs that house the valves or the cap of the airport valve are crafted from this recycled plastic. Each of these recycled material pieces is clearly marked with the Save Our Playgrounds logo for easy identification. While we haven't altered the valve itself, as it is a safety-critical component, that is our next planned step. This move aims to achieve maximum utilization of recycled plastic in all components."

TESSUTI NON COLORATI

Gli ingredienti chiave del Concept Blue nei kite includono canopy e dacron non tinti, che mostrano il colore naturale dei materiali non contaminati. Gli aquiloni non tinti non sono semplicemente aquiloni bianchi. Non tingendo i tessuti, è possibile risparmiare una quantità significativa di acqua durante il processo!

Aree con tessuti non tinti:

• Bordo d'attacco / Dacron

• Tettuccio

• Bordo di uscita

I nostri risparmi in cifre:

• Fino al 46% di consumo d'acqua in meno

• Fino al 35% di risparmio energetico

• Fino al 12% di riduzione dell'impronta di CO2

VESCICA A BASE BIOLOGICA

Entrambi i kite incarnano i principi fondamentali del Concept Blue, grazie all'utilizzo di un bladder a base biologica. Il bladder a base biologica non solo riduce l'impronta di carbonio fino al 29%, ma vanta anche un notevole contenuto di carbonio biobased del 57%, in linea con le pratiche e le misurazioni sostenibili.

I nostri risparmi in cifre:

• Fino al 29% di impronta di carbonio in meno

• Fino al 57% di contenuto di carbonio biobased

• Il carbonio biobased può essere misurato secondo uno standard mondiale (ASTM d6866).

PARTI IN PLASTICA RICICLATA

Inoltre, Concept Blue dà priorità all'uso di plastica riciclata nella produzione della maggior parte delle parti in plastica, con un minimo del 50% di materiale riciclato post-industriale incorporato. Questa iniziativa non solo contribuisce a ridurre i rifiuti di plastica, ma sostiene anche un'economia circolare attraverso il riutilizzo dei materiali esistenti.

Il Concept Blue di Duotone Kiteboarding testimonia la dedizione del marchio alla sostenibilità e all'innovazione e rappresenta il passo successivo nel design del kite. Integrando materiali e processi produttivi rispettosi dell'ambiente, Concept Blue garantisce le stesse prestazioni, ma promuove anche un futuro più sostenibile per lo sport del kite. Con il Concept Blue, Duotone Kiteboarding apre la strada a un approccio più ecologico e consapevole alla progettazione e alla produzione di kite.

Using undyed fabrics for the wings clearly reduces design options, how can you describe the visual approach?

Max: "What started out as a limitation has quickly developed into a popular concept. We highlight our use of "undyed fabrics", a crucial distinction from white cloth employed by other manufacturers for further processing or printing. Unlike white cloth, undyed material is not subjected to a regular dyeing process to achieve a pure white tone; therefore, color particles are not applied in the typical dyeing process. We extensively discussed this matter with manufacturers and firmly concluded that undyed material is, in fact, a more sustainable choice than white cloth. Our undyed material maintains a relatively white appearance, albeit not entirely white. Emphasizing this aspect is essential to convey that our Concept Blue wings prioritize undyed over white, aiming to eliminate the traditional dyeing process entirely."

Klaas: "So if you know the background behind this plain undyed look of the Concept Blue wings, it’s kind of a statement to ride them and we are sure there will be customers willing to ride more sustainable products. Besides that, the design was very well received as it actually looks pretty cool and premium. Features like tape stripes to highlight the design language of the main panels create a distinctive long-distance effect. The Concept Blue wings are designed to maintain a certain appeal, even with a reduction in prints, ensuring its visual allure remains captivating."

How do you assess the potential development of demand for Concept Blue? Will it remain one of several construction methods or will we only see Duotone Concept Blue products on the market at some point in the future?

Klaas: "The current plan involves operating on two tracks: continuing with the existing construction methods while simultaneously advancing the rollout of Concept Blue. In the end, the decision also rests with the customer. Some people only shop in organic stores, others in regular supermarkets. One can always argue about taste in terms of design, but as said, this is also an ideological question. Performance shouldn’t be negatively influenced under any circumstances. We are convinced that there will be a demand for Concept Blue products – our Concept Blue wings are the best proof of that. We wouldn’t switch everything to Concept Blue, however, we see this as a development process. We are moving on a path to become more sustainable step by step.

This not only applies to Concept Blue, but also to our company's entire sustainability strategy at Boards & More. We look at our products every year and think about where we can make changes to make production more sustainable and save on CO2, waste, etc. If we observe the establishment of certain materials and a corresponding demand, we have the flexibility to expand their usage. However, it's crucial to emphasize that these more sustainable materials come at a higher cost. The bladder, for example, is more expensive, but we consciously forego margin here and will offer the wings at the same price. That means we need a certain number of units to keep the whole thing at a reasonable price level. If we reach this critical mass, it is of course possible that we will use certain materials throughout the entire range. However, this does not automatically mean that the entire product will then run under Concept Blue. In the end, it's about a certain amount of a product having to be produced more sustainably to run as a Concept Blue product. If only a fraction of the used parts is more sustainable, it is surely not part of Concept Blue product range."

You previously touched on the topic of recycling and said that you already use recycled materials. It's one thing to build new products from recycled materials. But do you already have an idea of what happens to your products at the end of their lifespan?

Max: "We have been dealing with this exact topic for quite some time. This doesn’t just apply to Wing Foiling, but again to the entire Boards & More Group. The original idea came years ago together with a company called Teufelberger. Basically, most of our products are hazardous waste if they are disposed of. So, we thought about what we could do to collect the products at the end of their lifespan and return them sensibly so that they can be recycled so that they don't end up rotting in some cellar or on the beach. However, this is an issue that we cannot tackle alone. For this we need the producers and a network, and we also have to keep calculating how sustainable it is. For example, to send a container ship full of used wings from A to B so that these wings can possibly be recycled. This is a discussion that unfortunately cannot be answered in two sentences.

Our vision is to create something like this in the future, and we are already discussing this with our manufacturers. Of course, it is again important to have a critical mass above which it is worthwhile to implement such processes. Long story short: We're not at that point yet, but we have this idea on our agenda. We already have a good network for this with our Pro Centers and Pro Shops, but like I said, as of right now it's just a vision, and the extent to which this can be represented needs to be seen step by step. It's not just about taking back the product itself. For a wing, comprised, for instance, of 90 percent polyester, recycling only makes sense if the polyester can be repurposed into high-quality material."

What's the difficulty in recycling wings?

Max: When dealing with fibers, generating new high-quality fibers from recycled material is inherently challenging. While we are actively working on this, it is a process that will require some time. Alternatively, one can explore the avenue of upcycling, repurposing recycled wing material for different constructions. However, achieving an ideal scenario of a circular economy, where a used wing is completely recycled, and new wings are crafted from the recycled materials, poses significant challenges. The molecular structure of the material undergoes changes with each recycling cycle, making this process not indefinitely sustainable.

For example, you could mix some recycled material with some unrecycled to ensure you always maintain the same high quality. But as I said, this is a topic that we are discussing with our producer, but it is a big challenge. Perhaps we also need to think about rolling out such a concept across the entire wing industry to achieve the necessary critical mass so that it really offers meaningful added value in terms of sustainability. I think we all have a responsibility in the industry to think in this direction. We cannot absolve ourselves of this and must take these steps little by little.

When can we expect Concept Blue Wing & Foiling boards?

Klaas: "Wait and see ;-)"