Jaguar Land Rover moves into surfboards from scrap polyurethane

Scrap polyurethane foam used in the design process by carmaker Jaguar Land Rover is being recycled into surfboards and paddle boards.

The Waste to Wave surfboard was made using recycled polyurethane armatures used in early clay design models for future vehicles. The surfboard was created with SkunkWorks Surf Co. and tested by the English women's open surfing champion surfer, Lucy Campbell, off the coast of Northern Ireland.

It was hand built to the exact dimensions required by Campbell, who competes on the global surfing circuit.

It has carbon fiber rails and a carbon strip for additional strength while still allowing it to flex and push through any high-intensity maneuvers, according to Whitley, England-based Jaguar Land Rover.

The boards are made with polyurethane from the skeleton of clay models, which are normally destroyed once the car is launched. While the clay is recycled and reused on site, the PU is often thrown away.

Now, Jaguar Land Rover said, it is ensuring that "all plastic is recovered and sliced into blocks ready for second life as surfboards or paddle boards."

The first surfboard was created from a Land Rover Discovery Sport clay model.

"When I first heard about this project I was so excited to be part of it," Campbell said.

"The ocean is a big part of my life so helping to raise awareness of the need to preserve it is so important to me. I did not know much about car design process and it has been fascinating to learn about how Jaguar Land Rover is giving a second life to its materials in this way. Getting out into the water and trying the board out for the first time was awesome."

Ricky Martin, co-founder of SkunkWorks Surf said: "I'm a keen surfer so we aim to create sustainable boards that can ride the waves is great. When Jaguar Land Rover approached us with the idea of reusing the polyurethane we couldn't wait to get started in helping reduce their waste."