Bing Surfboards + Monarch Green Recycling Partnership

April 19, 2018

written by: Lex Weinstein
photos by: Nick Borrelli

Foam waste sucks. But when it comes to oil spills,
that can be a good thing.

As surfers, the ocean is our home, our playground, our source of connection and endless bliss. So it's a strange irony that surfboard production isn't exactly the most environmentally friendly process using polyurethane blanks and chemical resins. But it's addressing these issues and taking advantage of the creative solutions now available that make it such an exciting time to be a part of an ever-evolving industry.

  One major issue in surfboard production is the toxic waste from discarded foam going into landfills. When I approached the guys at Bing to chat about what options were out there, I was stoked to find out they were way ahead of me. They've been collaborating with Monarch Green, a company based in Newport Beach that uses post-production by-products from an array of industries and repurposes them into products that assist in the recovery of oil spills. Over the last year plus, the Bing factory has had thousands of pounds of polyurethane foam dust collected and converted into products used on small and large scale oil, petrochemical, and hydrocarbon based spills. 
Matt Calvani Recycling Foam Dust
What makes Monarch Green an innovator in their field is their development of Incredisorb, a powerful 100% recycled sorbent material successfully reviewed by both the E.P.A. and California Dept. of Fish & Wildlife for safe use on any body of water – ocean, streams, lakes, reservoirs as well as on land. It is an extremely lightweight, polyurethane foam material that absorbs oil, diesel, gasoline, hydraulic and transmission fluid and more. Each pound absorbs one gallon and more of oil and other hydrocarbons, and will not sink even when fully saturated with oil and fuel. Monarch Green uses this technology to make products such as mats, drum tops, and spill kits for professional and at-home use and is distributed to an array of businesses such as resorts, airports, gas stations, numerous private industries and all levels and departments of government service. Once used, products can also be reused after oil extraction (with the ability to recycle and even resell the remaining oil) or incinerated safely and cleanly for power generation.


Lex Weinstein - Conscious Collaborator
As Monarch Green CEO Tom Rossi says, "We've come a long way as a society. We are much more aware that our future as a culture really depends on what we do about our environment today." It's the commitment to forward thinking and creative solutions that makes progress possible, and it's amazing to see Bing generously and enthusiastically take the necessary steps to turn waste into a sustainable solution to protect our precious environment. For more information on the products available by Monarch Green check out monarchgreen.com

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