Respecting the Environment
Since our inception, we have been attentive to environmental issues, striving to engage in sustainable development practices. We’ve always favored quality brands like X Cel since 2007 and now O’neill for durable wetsuits. We collaborate as much as possible with French brands that are environmentally conscious. For instance, in stand-up paddleboarding, we are equipped with Nahskwell, a Breton brand that manufactures its boards in Tunisia (unlike most brands that produce in China). We are also developing a partnership with Starboard, which has a strong environmental approach.
We are advocates of “homemade,” having built our own outrigger canoe among friends, and the Arbousiers hut is the result of local artisans, artists, and friends.
We raise environmental awareness among our students by emphasizing waste collection. We offer them eco-responsible sunscreens and educate participants in our surf camps through workshops. During our paddle events, the local association “Damnatur” has been present.
We use a 55-seat coach to transport our students, significantly reducing travel distances. Additionally, the coach is equipped with the AD Blue system, making exhaust emissions harmless to the environment
Since our establishment, we have partnered with and donated a portion of our revenue to “Surfrider Foundation Europe” and “1% for the Planet.”
Our Partners
DUNA – Eco-Engaged Brand
Sportwear local
DUNA is a local eco-engaged surf/sportswear brand from the Arcachon Bay area, collaborating with local artisans since 2015. Working together is our guiding principle. We collaborate solidarily with those mobilized for our environment to develop textile garments within an increasingly virtuous circle.
For several years, we’ve worked hand-in-hand with local partners like Nomads, Apadev, Echo-mer, Water Family, and are proud to support the circular and artisanal economy of the Bay.
Collection and Upcycling
The textile industry is evolving towards a new paradigm where recycling will be crucial and mandatory. We are committed to establishing a new systemic production model. We collect used cotton textiles, recycling them locally.
Environmental Awareness
We cannot emphasize enough that the sea is our favorite playground. To ship your orders, we’ve chosen to repurpose our suppliers’ cartons, avoiding excessive plastic packaging.
GREEN BUSH: The Eco-Responsible French Sunscreen
Sensitive to the impacts of sunscreens on the marine environment, we provide our students with a sunscreen free from chemical filters, a natural and mineral product that preserves the oceans, especially coral reefs.
SQUID: 100% French Eco-Responsible Surfboards
Respect for the Environment
We use high-quality, eco-responsible raw materials (recycled and recyclable). We prioritize short supply chains with Vendée, French, and European collaborations. We are committed to working as much as possible with local suppliers.
100% Made in France Manufacturing
We place great importance on Made in France. Our surfboards are 100% French-made with 100% European materials. This short supply chain reduces the manufacturing distance of your surfboard by tenfold.
Respect for Our Team
Because alone we move faster, but together we go further, it’s important to work under the best possible conditions with our team, whether they are service providers, partners, suppliers, or interns. We strive to respect and value everyone involved.
Recycling
We recycle 100% of our surfboards. From construction to finishing, and including scrap materials, each raw material and technology has a dedicated recycling channel. We collaborate with major regional players to achieve this.
We advocate for controlled production to avoid waste. We make high-quality surfboards that are suited to the surfer’s level, ensuring that they keep their gear as long as possible.
For your end-of-life SQUID surfboards, we have implemented a cashback system. You return your board to us, and we give it a second life… while offering you benefits as a thank you.
ZEUS: The Breton Foam Surfboard Brand
Zeus works hard to minimize its carbon footprint through innovative and controlled actions. It is essential and urgent for them to integrate ecology and environmental concerns into every aspect of their business.
STARBOARD: Stand-Up Paddle for the World
Starboard positions itself as the best windsurf and paddle brand in the world, but also as the best brand for the world. The company takes numerous actions to protect the environment.
For each board sold, Starboard plants a mangrove tree. Each tree alone compensates for one ton of CO2 over 20 years. Thus, the carbon footprint of Starboard boards has become ten times more beneficial for the environment. Additionally, the brand has launched the “PLASTIC OFFSET PROGRAM,” which includes an internal tax on plastic usage. The funds from this tax go toward cleaning up the beaches of Pattaya, Thailand, to offset their plastic footprint.
AFS: The Breton Hydrofoil
The production of AFS foils takes place directly in our factory in France.
OXBOW : Collection Collector Made in France
Entirely designed in France in close collaboration with its long-standing manufacturing partners, the Collector collection embodies the perfect balance between French craftsmanship and the durability that made Oxbow’s historic products renowned. From fabric knitting and dyeing in the Tarn region to garment production in the Landes, the Collector T-shirts are proudly “100% local”!
Through iconic designs, pastel colors, relaxed fits, and unmistakably vintage looks, Collector revisits the emblematic pieces from Oxbow’s golden era, drawing inspiration this season from the late 1980s. To celebrate this authentic return to its roots, Oxbow is also bringing back its iconic OXBOW SURFWEAR shoulder patch.
Our Actions
Events at Les Arbousiers
At each event, we promote environmentally responsible watersports and action sports.
Stand-up paddleboarding, outrigger canoeing, sailing outrigger canoeing, wing foiling, kayaking.
Public transport: coach / 20 seats
Since 2007, we have developed our transport operations to make them less polluting. Today, we transport our students using a coach, thereby reducing the number of round trips. In addition, the coach is equipped with an AdBlue system, making exhaust emissions harmless to the environment.
Educational approach in our sessions
For all sessions, we emphasize waste collection through the “one session, one piece of litter” initiative.
Young surf camp participants are made aware of environmental and/or ecological issues at least once a week.
We offer primary school sessions with workshops focused on raising awareness of the natural environment and human impact.
Oriane runs “paddle & nature” courses.
In 2024, we aim to promote the deposit-return system for plastic and glass bottles, as applied in Germany.
In Germany, a glass bottle can be reused up to fifty times thanks to the deposit system, and a plastic bottle up to twenty times.
Educational approach through social media
In 2019, we published a series of seven posts on sand consumption, all of which can be found on our Facebook page.
- NADUFU: conservation of the old-growth forest and management of a natural cycle.
- NWhat to do when you get stuck.
- NConcrete development = flooding
- NOysters: a local and natural solution for building a pathway!
- NSand is extracted from rivers and collected offshore in the ocean, so it no longer replenishes the beaches as it once did.
- NPost objectives: scarce resource.
- NThe Décathlon car park is probably the most environmentally responsible landscaped parking area in the southern part of the bay.
ONE SESSION, ONE PIECE OF LITTER
During each session, we encourage our students to bring back one piece of litter. The goal is to create a simple reflex:
“If I see a piece of litter, I pick it up.”