ACCIONA and DDB Melbourne have teamed up to launch the first product from ‘Turbine Made’, a surfboard co-designed and developed in collaboration with renowned Aussie pro surfer Josh Kerr and his team at Draft Surf.
Turbine Made is an initiative transforms retired turbine blades into new materials and products, saving the blades from landfill.
The project, which was unveiled and broadcast on Seven Network’s Sunrise, has already gained cultural traction across the globe with features on publications such as swellnet and SURFER Magazine.
“Surfers have an unbreakable bond with the environment, so creating a board from recycled turbine blades helps inspire the next generation of environmentalists,” Giles Watson, DDB Group Melbourne executive creative director, said.
ACCIONA created the surfboard by taking retired fibreglass turbine blade and transformed it into the ‘Turbine Made’ particulate. The team at Draft Surf then used bespoke processing techniques to integrate the particulate into a range of beautifully crafted, high performance surfboards.
“Surfers have an unbreakable bond with the environment, so creating a board from recycled turbine blades helps inspire the next generation of environmentalists,” Giles Watson, DDB Group Melbourne executive creative director, said.
“Beyond being bloody cool, this project proves that sustainability and performance can go hand in hand—opening the door for a wave of new possibilities with Turbine Made.”
Watson said: “Beyond being bloody cool, this project proves that sustainability and performance can go hand in hand—opening the door for a wave of new possibilities with Turbine Made.”
Caroline Pinter, general manager brand and marketing, ACCIONA said of the collaboration: “ACCIONA has long been connected to the surfing community. At our first wind farm in Navarra, Spain, local surfboard shapers helped repair turbine blades because of their expertise in fiberglass. This surfboard continues that shared history and reinforces our commitment to making the circular economy a reality.”
ACCIONA’s Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm provided the perfect backdrop for the first test flight of the ‘Whatever Surfboard’.
Kerr said of the board: “The conditions at Cathedral Rocks pushed the surfboards to their limits and they held up beautifully and performed great. The Turbine Made particulate is extremely durable and lightweight, making it ideal to use in our performance surfboards.”
Caroline Pinter: “ACCIONA has long been connected to the surfing community. At our first wind farm in Navarra, Spain, local surfboard shapers helped repair turbine blades because of their expertise in fiberglass.”
The surfboard is just the beginning of an ongoing initiative that will see hundreds of businesses and individuals make their products more sustainable by using the recycled wind turbine material.
Media, influencers and the public were able to try the ‘Turbine Made’ surfboard in action for themselves at an event held at URBNSURF in Sydney last week, and is supported via an integrated campaign and a range of apparel featuring key art created by renowned illustrator Jake Foreman.
ACCIONA is currently seeking new partnerships to develop the next range of Turbine Made products.
Pinter: “This surfboard continues that shared history and reinforces our commitment to making the circular economy a reality.”
Creative Credits:
Client: ACCIONA Energía
Agency: DDB Group Melbourne
PR: Mango Communications
Illustrator: Jake Foreman (Jacky Winter)
Production: DDB’s Maker Studios & Eyre films
Photographer: Hayden Richards
Sound: Bang Bang