SWELLCYCLE: CIRCULAR BY DESIGN

As we inch closer towards a quarter century of living in this new millennium, human beings know more about our environmental impact on our treasured Earth than ever. While great progress has been made to undo the wholesale destruction wrought by the industrial revolution and our current technological age, things are still looking grim. 

The destruction of pristine habitats resulting in the extinction of flora and fauna, wholesale rape of precious natural resources, unbridled emission of carbon dioxide and other pollutants, and much, much more, continue at alarming rates. Considering the lack of scientific understanding concerning our detrimental global impact say, a hundred years ago, it doesn’t make sense to harbor exorbitant resent towards those generations past. 

These days, however, there’s no excuse for our inaction in righting these wrongs. We’re balanced precariously on a precipice, and time is running out. It’s all very concerning, however we can find some solace in the fact that there are countless intelligent individuals working together to turn the tide, hopefully for good. 

Considering our love for the ocean and the sweet waves it gifts us, it should be a no-brainer that surfers would be at the forefront of these efforts of conservation and preservation, yet almost every product we use is extremely horrible for the environment. Thankfully, this contradiction has, in recent years, urged forward thinking surfers to devise practices and technologies to address this unpleasant truth.

One such individual is Patricio Guerrero, the founder of Swellcycle Surfboards, and he’s on a mission to transform our wasteful and toxic surfboard building industry. Swellcycle specializes in crating sustainable surfboards using 3D printing techniques and recycled materials, and has recently, and deservedly, received acclaimed for their forward thinking approach.

I recently met with Guerrero to find out more about his exciting and promising campaign. I hope his crusade provides you comfort and hope in a world gone mad!

Give me a little background about you. Where did you grow up? School background? How long have you been surfing? Had you been active in environmentalism prior to launching this business?

I was born in Mexico City and moved to Los Angeles at the age of seven. Growing up in the Santa Monica/Venice area, I became involved with environmentalism through an afterschool project called Team Marine. Here, I led a transformative project converting a 1971 VW convertible bug into an electric vehicle, marking a pivotal experience during my junior and senior years of high school (2011-2012). After high school, I attended community college for two years where I self-taught 3D printing and began designing prosthetic hands.

I later transferred to UC Irvine to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering. During my time there, I lived in Newport, enjoying the prime surfing spots at the jetties and river mouths, and even organized my university schedule to accommodate morning surf sessions. I completed my master’s degree in mechanical engineering with a focus on design and fabrication in 2018, and soon after, I secured a position in robotics at an entertainment company in Burbank, CA.

During the pandemic, I founded a company that produced over 52,000 face shields for 48 hospitals in the greater Los Angeles area. After this intense period, I chose to relocate to Santa Cruz, a place that resonates more with my appreciation for art and surfing. Two years into living in Santa Cruz, I co-founded Swellcycle with my partners Nathan and Pol, continuing my journey of innovation and community engagement.

When did this idea to make surfboards out of recycled materials first enter your mind? From that first idea to the completion of your first prototype, how much time did it take? What were some of your biggest challenges in the early days? Parts of the process that turned out easier than you’d expected?

My realization of the excessive waste in surfboard manufacturing came while repairing a broken board, which generated a significant amount of non-recyclable trash. This issue, we discovered, is widespread in the industry. As surfers and inherent environmentalists who cherish clean oceans, we were motivated to find a sustainable solution. My background in 3D printing and advanced manufacturing led me to explore additive manufacturing, which optimizes material use by adding rather than removing. We utilize thermoplastics like PETG, which can be recycled and reshaped multiple times.

The journey to prototype was lengthy. Inspired by the Dolphin board, an awesome project from Santa Cruz and Stanford, I pursued the integration of my passions for advanced manufacturing and surfing. The challenge began with developing a printer large enough to create a surfboard in two halves, reducing assembly complexity and weight. After overcoming these hurdles and creating our unique internal geometry to enhance strength and decrease weight, we also tackled the glassing process, thankfully with the help of partners.

The community’s positive response to our 3D printed boards was unexpectedly uplifting. Despite initial doubts, the support and feedback from the Santa Cruz community has been incredibly encouraging, affirming our innovative approach in an industry ripe for change.

How did you raise the capital to get your business off the ground? 

Initially self-funded by the three founders, our business quickly progressed to manufacturing three printers and ten prototypes with our startup capital. Soon after, we enhanced our strategic approach and network by participating in the Santa Cruz Works accelerator program. Leveraging our printers and board MVPs, we successfully secured an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round. This influx of funds facilitated a move to a larger facility, where we have been advancing our technology, refining our software and hardware, perfecting our surfboard designs, and pinpointing our market fit. We are now engaged in raising our Seed round to introduce our second-generation printers and expand our capabilities to meet increasing demand.

What are some of the biggest challenges that plastics pose to the health of our ecosystem and ourselves? 

Plastics, particularly polystyrene, are not biodegradable and can take up to 500 years to decompose into microplastics. Foam structured plastics are especially problematic as they easily fragment from their main structure, contributing to microplastic pollution. These microplastics enter the food chain, impacting wildlife and human health.

In the production of surfboards, a subtractive method is typically used with expanded polystyrene, resulting in about 40% of the material being wasted and sent to landfills, significantly increasing the trash output. The standard production of a surfboard can generate waste double its weight.

The environmental damage from such practices is estimated to cost marine ecosystems around 13 billion USD annually. Long-term exposure to the chemicals used in these processes has been linked to severe health issues, including cancers like leukemia.

Who shapes your boards? Are there any disadvantages to building surfboards with recycled plastics? If so, how did you work around them? 

While I have experimented with shaping surfboards, my main experience lies in repairing and modifying them, such as reshaping the rails and altering their outlines. However, I’m not a professional shaper—a craft I deeply respect for its complexity. 

Our in-house shaper, Pol Riera, is the talent behind most of the designs you see on our website. Drawing inspiration from his Mediterranean background and his experience at Pure Glass in Costa Mesa/Newport, Pol’s boards have earned acclaim from local legends like Bob Pearson and Tyler Hopkins.

Using recycled materials in surfboard production presents challenges, primarily due to the variability in the mechanical properties of these materials. We’ve identified hospital waste as a particularly consistent source of single-use plastic and are exploring the use of ocean-recovered plastics, like fishing nets. 

To alleviate the pressure on our startup, we partner with vendors to process these materials into 3D printing filament. Our long-term aim is to directly recycle local hospital waste, enhancing our sustainability efforts.

How many people are involved in the creation of one board? 

The process of creating a surfboard at Swellcycle begins with a shaper, who may be part of our in-house team or an external craftsman committed to sustainable practices. The shaper designs the board either digitally or by hand. Once the design is finalized, we convert it into a 3D printable file using a series of specialized programs. 

The printing process generally takes between three to five days. After printing, the board is sent to a third-party glasser who applies the final coat, a step that requires about two weeks to complete. This meticulous process ensures each board is crafted to meet high standards of quality and sustainability.

How have the performances of your boards evolved as you refined the process? Who do you rely on for R+D and feedback? Has their insight proved valuable?

We’ve crafted and tested 42 surfboards, ranging from shortboards to longboards. Initially, our boards were made in two halves, featuring wave lattice stringers that extended from tip to tail. These early designs are showcased on my Instagram. We quickly advanced our technique to print the boards in one piece and introduced a diamond lattice structure that more effectively distributes deck loads to the bottom surface.

Our innovation continued with the development of a software that allows for parametric adjustments to the lattice. This enables us to enhance strength in targeted areas and fine-tune the board’s flexibility and responsiveness, moving away from a uniform lattice structure. Our latest advances are inspired by nature, leading to the creation of diffused lattice technology.

Professional surfer Tyler Fox played a crucial role in the early testing phases of our surfboards. His extensive feedback was instrumental in pushing our technology to meet the demands of not just recreational surfers but also professional athletes. His insights helped us refine our designs to perform optimally across different skill levels.

Where are you selling your boards, and how much do they go for? Do you make them custom as well, and could you see this tech replacing polyester boards in the future?

We’re gearing up to launch pre-orders for a select range of surfboards, with our flagship model, the Eddie, currently undergoing extensive testing. The feedback from surfers has been overwhelmingly positive! Initially, we’ll be offering pre-designed boards, with plans to accept custom orders once we’re fully operational. Our custom boards will start at $1,000 each.

Our mission is to revolutionize the surfboard industry by advancing sustainable practices. We believe our technology can replace traditional polyester/polyurethane surfboards, reducing the environmental impact significantly. We hope to inspire shapers everywhere to adopt this more sustainable, adaptive manufacturing approach to help decrease the carbon footprint and waste generation of surfboard production.

What are your hopes for the future of your brand? How about surfing in general? What other surf products could use a change in the way they are made to make the world a better place?

We’re thrilled to introduce a new, more sustainable surfing experience with our boards that offer an innovative feel in response and flex. As the surfing industry moves towards sustainability, we’re excited to see a growing awareness and refusal to accept business as usual. 

We’re proud to offer solutions to long-standing environmental issues in surfing since the 70s. There’s also progress in other areas like wetsuits, where traditional neoprene is being replaced by more sustainable materials from companies like Patagonia. The future for sustainable surfing gear looks promising!

For more on Swellcycle visit www.swellcyclesurfboards.com and @swellcycle.surfboards on Instagram!