Sustainability at Lieuwe

A worlds first, because we put the world first.

Our ongoing efforts to reduce our environmental footprint whilst maintaining our high-performance aspects have led us to become the worlds first kite board brand that is rewarded with a Gold level certification by the Sustainable Surf foundation. Not only do we love to craft unique stories by making boards, we also intend to do it on a sustainable way. So here is a sum up of how we craft your story in a sustainable and socially responsible way!

No mass production

Overproduction is becoming one of the world’s largest environmental threats. A threat that we would like to overcome by implementing our made-to-order policy. Almost all of our products are made to order, which means that we singularly produce a board that is already sold. We only hold a low stock level for our standard kiteboards. In this way, we do not mass produce our products with the risk of having to dump any wasteful overage and conserve the natural resources we use. And thereby, we think about the future generation and environment by efficiently using our resources.

Local production

As we have the fortune to have a crazy Dutchman who invented the boards and still develops the quality of our boards each and every day, the boards are crafted at our Factory in The Hague, the Netherlands. Being able to produce in different parts of the world would surely be cheaper, but to reduce any negative impact on third world countries and have a lower carbon footprint, we will remain to do so. 

Besides, crafting custom kiteboards can become quite hectic, that is definitely a process you want to control. It also involves a labour-intensive process, that could potentially be dangerous to employees. Therefore, producing locally ensures prime labour conditions and careful craftsmanship by trusted artisans. And by following the strict European sustainability rules, there is no way of harming any direct nature around us by dumping our wastes of the production process. Crafting our boards in our own factory means that we have a zero-slavery tolerance and stand for fair wages. 

Strong. Light. Eco. Timeless

Lieuwe Boards has officially become a verified Gold Level Ecoboard builder by the ECOBOARD project since 2018.

An Ecoboard is a high-performance sustainable board. Eco boards have the same technical performance attributes as any modern water-sport board while having reduced environmental and toxic impacts, through the use of more sustainable materials and manufacturing processes.

The Lieuwe Boards include the following attributes:

• A measurably reduced carbon footprint
• Renewable, recycled and/or up-cycled material inputs
• Uses materials and processes that reduce toxicity during manufacturing

More specifically, we use a Qualified Material in our construction, which is the FSC certified wood core and a plant-based, low to zero VOC resin with at least 19% bio-carbon content, which is our Sicomin Greenpoxy bio-resin. Plus, a core made out of wood constituting at least 50% of the board by weight.

Keep the supply chain small

The global supply chain has connected us with products and services across the world, but it has also had a dramatic effect on the environment, which we cannot understate.

To reduce our environmental impact, we are maintaining a small supply chain, which mainly exists out of suppliers located in the European Union. By doing this, we reduce our carbon footprint, lessen fuel usage, and stay close to the environmental policy created by the European Union.

The durability of our products 

Our aspiration is to create boards of the highest quality, which will give you the most durable ride you’ll experience. We intend to create boards that remain its value. After a tremendous amount of feedback, we can proudly say that our boards are highly durable. Not sure about that? Ask any dealer and they’ll tell you the truth! And if your board has occurred in an accident, hit the rocks, or got hit by a car, we’ll increase its lifetime again by our repair service! So that your broken board can be patched up again. ­

With a Lieuwe, you have a ton, ultra light, eco friendly, timeless classic that will be your companion for life. 

Teamrider: Roderick Pijls

We can be very proud of our team rider Roderick, as he is a true ambassador of the environment. During his projects as a professional kite surfer, he has been quite involved with being aware of what the impact on the natural environment around us actually is. Together with Rein Rijke, they formed up a team called “the last line” to go on crazy missions. Their goal is to show the beauty of our planet by combining the impossible while emphasizing the message of our vulnerable planet and that it might actually be “the last line”.

Iceland

In this adventure, the goal was to create awareness for the melting glaciers and to show a little reminder of the beauty that nature has to offer. 

The green up: Norway

Here the team travelled CO2-neutral from the Netherlands to the Lofoten Islands in Norway to be able to kitesurf under the northern lights. After many days and 4000km of travelling, they arrived with ZERO emission and experienced an unprecedented adventure.

Tanzania

This project visually shows the impact of climate change, with Tanzania as a perfect example. Roderick and Rein travelled all the way to Africa to be able to kite on a toxic lake with a temperature of 60-70 degrees Celcius, which is a seriously dangerous task to perform!