Surf Wax - A Brief History
Surf Wax
A BRIEF HISTORY
Any surfer can relate to you the importance of surf wax. While many items brought to the beach could be deemed non-essential, there are two pieces of equipment that are imperative to a surf sesh: board and wax.
What is now a billion dollar business started out in a small beach town just outside of LA, Palos Verdes. In 1935, Alfred “Al” Gallant came home from a surf sesh to find that his mom had applied a fresh coat of wax to their hardwood floor. While it might have been sticky, it was also smooth enough to slide across on. Logically, Al and his friends began using this paraffin wax on their boards and were quickly impressed with the results[1].
Old-School Paraffin Wax
It was not until the 60s that surf wax became what it is today. With the addition of resins, softeners, and synthetic rubbers; surf wax could be manipulated to achieve higher performance surfing from a stickier feel. Wax companies soon created temperature dependent surf wax for a variety of different climates. Surf wax gained world attention in the 70s when board shaper, Charles Herzog III, partnered with a chemist friend to create, “Mr. Zog’s Sex Wax.” Needless to say, the new tropical scented wax was an instant hit[2].
Many surf wax companies have since entered the market: Sticky Bumps, Fu, and many local brands. All of them offer a different take on a sticky classic. While the issue of board grip was fixed by the invention of surf wax, an unforeseen problem arose. What do surfers do with the wax after it is stripped from a board?
COMPONENTS
Most surf wax is made from paraffin wax, a component of crude oil. While some wax companies claim that paraffin wax is biodegradable, they do not account for other additives such as resins, synthetic oils, and even plastics used to achieve optimal wax characteristics[3]. Paraffin wax can take years to biodegrade, leaching toxic chemicals into the environment[4]. There are wax companies that use beeswax as their primary ingredient, but these pucks of wax can hardly compete with the stick provided by their paraffin counterpart.
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Upcycled Surf Wax
When a surfer is done with their wax, why should they throw it away or make the risky decision of putting it in the compost. Why not upcycle the used wax into new bars for countless surfers to use? This is exactly what EnviroCentric does. We strive to complete the waste cycle by ensuring the longevity of consumables from cradle-to-cradle. By giving a second life to waste that would have otherwise been thrown away, we are able to reduce our dependence on other countries for materials, whilst utilizing resources in the most sustainable ways possible.