Our Commitment to Enduring Quality

Since our founding, we have prioritized quality and durability, ensuring that our surf, foil and kiteboards not only perform exceptionally but also stand the test of time.

This journey began with the vision of brothers Wieger and Jorrit, passionate surfers who believed that their boards should be built to last. In 2006, they began experimenting in a shed and an old caravan on the apple orchard where they grew up, setting the foundation for Appletree Surfboards.

 

The Origin of a Sustainable Vision

In the mid-2000s, as kitesurfing grew in popularity, traditional surfboards couldn’t keep up with the sport’s demands. Boards frequently buckled or snapped, prompting the brothers to develop a new manufacturing technique in 2014.

This innovation not only made our boards more durable but also laid the groundwork for our sustainability vision. A longer lifespan for our boards means a reduced environmental impact.

As a family business, we are not driven by the pressure of large investors. Allowing us to keep sustainability at the heart of our operations.

 

Moving Beyond Durability 

While our reputation for manufacturing long-lasting boards is well-established, Appletree is committed to much more. From the start, we set ourselves sustainability goals, but we now recognize that our initial goals were too vague and not easily measurable. We operated largely on gut feeling, confident that we were doing the right thing. However, we lacked the data to validate our actions and communicate our progress effectively. As a result, we are shifting towards a more strategic approach, aligning our sustainability efforts with measurable outcomes.

 

Aligning with Global Standards

We are currently establishing a baseline measurement to guide our actions and support future data-driven decisions. Although we are not required to, Appletree has chosen to gradually align with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). These frameworks, part of broader European regulations, help us work towards a more just value chain in a transparent, organized, and innovative manner.

 

Beyond environmental concerns 

Sustainability at Appletree extends beyond environmental concerns. The CSRD/ESRS encourages reflection and reporting on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) topics.

We are currently focused on thorough data gap assessments, re-mapping our value chain, and identifying material aspects of our business. This integral part of our strategy demands substantial time and effort, ensuring we address core issues rather than just the easy wins.

 

Practical Steps and Future Plans

At Appletree, actions speak louder than words. We are doers at heart, committed to making tangible progress. Here’s what we’re working on:

 

The Appletree Factory and Team

Our factory, now a 3500 square meter facility in Portugal, is home to a close-knit team of 35 people. We prioritize good working conditions, fair treatment, and a motivating workplace. Moving forward, we will report transparently on things like wage gaps, working conditions, and more, ensuring accountability and continuous improvement.

 

Product Design Rooted in Ecodesign

Our product design is grounded in Ecodesign principles, a cornerstone of the circular economy. One of the first principles is to already reflect at the product design stage whether the product and or material is really needed.

We focus on creating durable and repairable products that solve real problems or ensure a real improvement, avoiding unnecessary seasonal products. Our unique manufacturing technique and the waterproof foam ensures our boards are more durable than average production boards.

 

Energy Efficiency and Resource Management

Efficient use of energy and resources is vital to our operations. We minimize energy consumption with energy-efficient machines and source 95% of our materials from Europe.

We return all leftover foam, such as cut-offs from the CNC machine but even dust from the shaping bay, to our foam supplier, who then recycles it right back into new foam with no loss of quality.

As of December 2023, our factory runs almost entirely on renewable energy, thanks to solar panels installed on our roof.

 

Production practices with impact

We are proud to be Ecoboard certified by Sustainable Surf, supporting the board-riding community in creating, buying, and riding high-performance sustainable boards.

Our vacuum infusion technique optimizes the resin-to-fiber ratio, using fewer materials while producing stronger boards. Additionally, we use 40% bio-based resin in all our boards.

 

Partnering for a more just Future

What we hope is that we can serve as an example of how you can also produce Ecoboards on a larger scale, as long as you design your production process accordingly and keep innovating.

We are now working with several OEM partners who have chosen to have boards produced by Appletree instead of at factories that do not take sustainability (in the broadest sense of the word) as seriously.

These collaborations help us make an impact on a larger scale. We are pleased that other brands are making a conscious decision to partner with a factory that values sustainability.

It’s great to see that we are all working together towards a higher goal and don’t consider each other as competitors in this.

 

Transparency and Accountability

In line with the EU’s newly adopted Ecodesign for Sustainable Product Regulation (ESPR), we have placed NFC tags in the Appletree boards, which serve as digital product passports. We plan to enrich these passports with more data, offering greater transparency to our customers. Our goal is not just to report but to derive meaningful conclusions and actions from the process.

 

Continuous Improvement

Looking ahead, we are focused on performing Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) for our glass and carbon boards to identify areas for significant sustainability improvements. We also aim to better understand the end-of-life phase of our boards and explore more sustainable materials without compromising durability.

 

Our Collective Journey

While we are proud of what we have achieved so far, we recognize that our journey is far from over. Sustainability is a continuous effort, and we are committed to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible together, with the support of our community. While we are in the process of establishing a proper, measurable baseline, we will also increase communication and reporting on our ESG efforts in line with the CSRD/ESRS.

 

If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.