We can’t skate if there’s no Earth left to skate on. This is why, here at Foster Skateboards, we make sure we are doing everything we can to have as little impact on the environment as possible. We have vetted all of the materials we put into our boards to make sure they are the most eco-friendly options while still producing a strong and quality skateboard.
The wood we use is sourced from a sustainable mill in the US that partners with different organizations to replant trees used for veneers. The glue we use is a water-based PVA glue which is also manufactured in the USA. Water-based glues are far less toxic than the solvent based glues that are often used for skateboards. Our graphics are printed with water-based non toxic acrylic inks, a far more eco-friendly choice from the oil based and solvent based inks used in the industry. Because we screen print our graphics, we also do not have the plastic waste that is created by using heat transfers which unfortunately is industry standard in skateboarding. Lastly, we use a water-based topcoat to seal our boards that has low VOC levels.
For our boards that include reinforcement fabrics, we choose to use Basalt Fabric or Fiberglass. The reason we use these fabrics instead of Carbon Fiber and Kevlar is because multiple studies have shown that both of these materials are pretty terrible for the environment. The emissions caused from the production of Carbon Fiber and Kevlar make them significantly worse for the environment than Fiberglass or Basalt. Additionally, Fiberglass is typically made from sand and Basalt is made from volcanic rock, two very abundant and renewable sources.
Building durable boards is the last piece of the puzzle. The longer a board lasts, the less boards will end up in a landfill. We want to make sure that our boards last as long as possible because of this.
We have also partnered with One Tree Planted to help us contribute to a better future. For every order we receive, we will plant one tree. We believe that by doing this and all of the things listed above, we are making the best effort we can to make sure we have a better future for skateboarding and the planet.