Design Life-Cycle

 Mikail Omar Waheed

Professor Cogdell

DES 40A, Winter 2023

15th March, 2023

Waste and Emission of the Life cycle of Skateboards

Skateboarding is a popular sports activity and method of transportation. A skateboard is a short, narrow board, usually made of wood with two small wheels attached at each end; a person stands on the skateboard and pushes one foot against the ground in order to move the skateboard forward (Dictionary). Skateboarding itself is a sport or sporting activity where individuals ride the skateboard for various reasons: recreation, sporting, transport, and very recently, skateboarding made its debut as an official competitive sport. In the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan- skateboarding made its official debut in the Olympics. (Olympics)Throughout the world, skateboarding is recognized as an eco-friendly source of transportation and most traditional skateboards are completely man-powered. (Exploratorium) While skateboards create an eco-friendly, reliable source of transportation, the process of creation relies on the extraction of natural resources and chemical reactions, adding to the overall global pollution and environmental issues society faces today.

With increasing air pollution, water and soil contamination, skateboarding seems to be gaining significant recognition as a highly eco-friendly source of transportation. , it is also important to acknowledge the life cycle of a product and educate oneself on the different production methods used that may cause toxic waste which adds to the global environmental issues the world is currently facing.

 A skateboard comprises of three basic components: a deck, trucks and wheels. The deck is considered to be a very sustainable component as the materials used result in little to no toxic waste or emissions into the environment; however, some skateboard decks made using synthetic materials may impact the environment negatively. While the fabrication of skateboard decks are mostly considered to have minimal negative impacts on our environment and skateboarding promotes eco-friendly transportation- emissions and waste generated from the manufacturing of the other skateboard components add to global pollution and cause environmental hazards through chemical reactions (hardening of epoxy) as well as other manufacturing processes. Synthetic materials such as the adhesives used to join the materials and various type of paint used to make a skateboard (bottom of the deck) look aesthetic may cause damage to the environment. The wheels used for the skateboard are also produced from synthetic materials, most commonly Polyurethane.

The skateboard deck¾ the body of the skateboard¾ is usually made using wood such as bamboo, laminated maple wood as well as fiber glass sheets. Bamboo is a long lasting wood material, and its flexible properties prevent it from breaking easily; Bamboo is also considered to be a very sustainable material as bamboo trees grow very fast. As far as waste is concerned, wooden shavings are the major source of waste produced during the manufacturing of the skateboard decks. These wooden shavings are mostly recycled; however, some may be thrown away into landfill.

Although majority of the skateboards in the market use wooden decks, nevertheless, emissions of toxic air pollutants enter the atmosphere during the production of fiber glass sheets; styrene¾  a toxin produced during the fabrication of fiberglass¾ has a hazardous impact on the environment. (EPA)

Epoxy resin is the main source of adhesive used in the manufacturing of skateboards. Epoxy resin is considered a secondary raw material, the primary raw material are petroleum products which epoxy resin is made of. The fumes that epoxy resin gives off during heating while being applied may leak into the atmosphere. It is also common for these toxic fumes to leak into the ground and bodies of water. (Bamboodu)Other adhesives such as spray glues are very harmful for the person working with them but are also a cause of toxic air pollution through the excess chemical waste. According to research by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, Paints, thinners, solvents, and adhesives can release some toxic air pollutants and volatile organic compounds (VOC). Chemicals in these substances can also react in the air to form ground-level ozone (smog), which has been linked to a number of respiratory effects. (U. EPA)

The skateboard wheels are usually made of polyurethane, a flexible plastic material which may be found in many forms; it is the most common raw material used in the manufacturing of skateboard wheels. (Polyurethane.org) According to Martin Grolms, “Polyurethane waste is problematic as numerous hazardous chemicals, such as isocyanates, hydrocyanic acid, and dioxins, are released when these materials are incinerated.” (Grolms) Although polyurethane is also seen as a way to reduce the waste of rubber manufacturing waste and many manufacturers are now working with it as it is said to be more sustainable than other sources for rubber manufacturing; paint used in the production of skateboards for aesthetic purposes is arguably one of the biggest pollutant in the manufacturing process.

It is very common for the bottom of the skateboard deck to be painted or designed for aesthetic purposes. Graffiti styled art, street art, as well as various other types of art styles are often found on the bottom part of the deck to make a skateboard more aesthetic and also because it is part of the skateboarding culture. As the culture is maturing, many designer brands such as Louis Vuitton have also collaborated with streetwear brands such as Supreme to produce skateboards that sell for sky-rocketing prices. However, The paint used to create this popular artform generates one of the largest amounts of waste disposed and emissions during the manufacturing process of a skateboard. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: “Paint-contaminated wastes, including masking, overspray/floor sweepings, rags, and paint booth exhaust filters, may be hazardous because paint contains solvents and possibly toxic heavy metals.”  Similar to spray glues and epoxy resin, the paint used in this process is highly susceptible to contaminating the atmosphere. Not only can it harm the atmosphere and cause toxic pollution, through leakages, the chemicals used in these paints may harm soil and water which causes a further threat to wildlife. These chemicals, through their toxic properties and waste, disrupt the eco system by polluting the air and soil and endangering animals as well.

Despite all the toxic waste produced through the manufacturing of various skateboard components, the materials used in the largest component of the skateboard, the deck, are very sustainable and use produce minimal toxic waste. Bamboo is a long lasting wood material, and its flexible properties prevent it from breaking easily, thus the maintenance of the product is good and results in low frequency disposal of the product. A skateboard is an eco-friendly form of transportation as well as an environmentally friendly and fun form of recreation which solely rely on manpower. The major raw materials used in manufacturing the skateboard are majorly eco-friendly; However, through my research I have gained knowledge on the different negative effects the production of skateboards can have on our environments and the different toxic waste disposed into the atmosphere.

Bibliography

      I.         “Skateboard” – Cambridge Dictionary

     II.         “Skateboarding” – Olympics https://olympics.com/en/sports/skateboarding/

   III.         “skateboard science” – Exploratorium https://www.exploratorium.edu/skateboarding/largeglossary.html

   IV.         “Reducing Air Pollution From Fiberglass Fabrication Operations” - United States Environmental Protection Agency (.gov). https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-06/documents/fiberglass_oo_sheet.pdf

    V.         “Is Epoxy Resin Bad for the Environment?” – Bamboodu, October 14, 2002 https://bamboodu.com/is-epoxy-resin-bad-for-the-environment/

   VI.         “Reducing Air Pollution From Fiberglass Fabrication Operations” - United States Environmental Protection Agency (.gov). https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2017-06/documents/fiberglass_oo_sheet.pdf

 VII.         “What is polyurethan” – Polyurethan.org https://www.polyurethanes.org/en/what-is-it/

VIII.         “SKATEBOARDING” - https://reference.jrank.org/fitness/Skateboarding.html

   IX.         “Science behind the Sport: Board Materials.” Science Behind the Sport | West Virginia University, https://sciencebehindthesport.wvu.edu/science-behind-skateboarding/board-materials.

     X.         Hong, Lim Bee. “How Skateboard Decks Are Made.” Pumpanickel, Pumpanickel, 14 Nov. 2020, https://pumpanickel.com/blogs/news/how-skateboard-decks-are-made

   XI.         Grolms, Martin. “A New Method to Chemically Recycle Polyurethane Waste” – ADVANCED SCIENCE NEWS, 29 Oct. 2019,  https://www.advancedsciencenews.com/solution-for-polyurethane-waste/

  XII.         IWRC “Paint Disposal Problems...and Solutions” – University of Northern Iowa, 17 Oct. 2016 https://iwrc.uni.edu/paint-disposal-problems-solutions

 XIII.         Norton, Rocky. “How Skateboards Are Made - Raw Materials to Complete Skateboard.” Everyman Skateboards, 28 Oct. 2021, https://everymanskateboards.com/how-skateboards-are-made/.