Is This Sustainable? CORE Kiteboarding – Lutz Englert
Features / Mon 14th Oct, 2019 @ 5:08 pm
It’s evident that climate change is happening – but what can we do to mitigate it? Rou Chater got the chance to catch up with CORE Kiteboarding’s Marketing Manager, Lutz Englert, to ask him the main question on everyone’s mind… Is this sustainable?
What are you working on as a brand to reduce your impact on the planet?
As a manufacturer of high-tech kitesurfing equipment, we still depend on synthetic materials. However, we build superior quality gear to extend their lifecycle and therefore reduce unnecessary waste.
Six years ago, we challenged ourselves to reduce the synthetic packaging we use. Since then, we’ve reduced synthetics around 60% by using more recycled cardboard. Packaging that might blow away at the beach is made from compostable material except for the plastic kite bag. We have not found a suitable alternative for the bag, so we print a suggestion on the plastic bag to use it for beach cleanup. We take responsibility for the beaches we use on Fehmarn and use our used plastic kite bags on beach cleanup days. We hope our customers do the same. We also make use of reusable bags to package our accessories. They keep your gear neat and tidy in the car and also make great travel bags.
We’ve reduced emissions by utilizing more sea freight and less air freight. And all of our facilities in Germany use certified 100% green energy. We can do more, and we will.
Why is it so difficult for us as an industry to move away from plastics and chemicals in the production process?
We depend on composites because they are durable and resist corrosion. Although we have not found better substitutes yet, our R&D team is always trying new materials and researching emerging material advances.
Is the whole sustainability issue something we can ever get on top of or are we doomed to failure?
Everyone has their own ideas on this topic! Here at CORE, we feel it’s essential to become more sustainable. 100% bio-based composites with improved mechanical properties are almost here, and we’ll be the first to use them when they meet our standards. So no, we are not doomed to failure. We think the future is bright for natural fibres and resins.
What can we do as kitesurfers to make less of an impact?
This is actually easier than you think! Consider buying a cold temperature wetsuit to extend your kite season, so if you are kiting more at home, there is less need to fly to a warmer spot. There’s a good chance you can reduce your carbon footprint just by buying your gear from your local dealer and not to order everything online.
You can also join a nonprofit like the Surfrider Foundation to help preserve our oceans and beaches, globally. You can carpool next time you go kiting or get your friends to help you organize a beach cleanup day. There are tons of little things we can do daily to improve our planet.
What steps do you take personally in your own life or when at the beach?
Philip Schinnagel, CORE’s Chief Business Officer, is the honorary president of “Watersports Fehmarn,” a local club that protects our beaches for future users. He’s also actively working on an initiative to reduce plastics in the Baltic Sea which is supported by experts from Germany’s nature conservation associations. Our team helps local beach cleanup days and some of us who live on the island ride our bicycles to work.
Are there any charities or foundations we should be aware of?
Surfrider is one of them and so is the GKA (Global Kitesports Association) Both of these organizations are worth supporting as they improve our beaches and access for future generations.
Mon 14th Oct, 2019 @ 5:08 pm
By Jen Tyler
Italian/Egyptian Jen Tyler grew up on the sandy beaches of the Red Sea and has been on the IKSURFMAG & Tonic Mag team since 2017.
