ecoPro – Driven by nature is the company behind the most ecofriendly surf traction pad in the market. By using one of the most sustainable material and a unique design, we are the first to produce a completely functional 97% biodigradable traction pad. This traction pad is made by 100% recycled cork agglomerate, which means is made from cork industry waste.
Cross-border/international
Portugal
Germany
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It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
2017-06-01
As an individual
First name: Ruben Last name: Verdadeiro Gender: Male Nationality: Portugal Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: Rua trás do maninho 521 Town: villa nova de gaia Postal code: 4400 Country: Portugal Direct Tel:+351914626470 E-mail:rubenverdadeiro@ecopro.com.pt Website:https://ecopro.com.pt/
ecoPro – Driven by nature is a Portuguese-based brand, founded on 2015 by Ruben Verdadeiro, azorean surfer, artist and designer.
The product developed and manufacturer - the most eco-friendly surf traction pad in the market, made in cork - was patented in EU in 2016 and awarded, namely, in German Design awards, in 2019. In 2018 was ISPO Finalist.
Despite the elapsed time and international recognition, with points of sale in various parts of the globe, ecoPro continues to be a small Portuguese start-up led by its founder who cherishes the dream of expanding this concept (more than a product) to other conceptions and ways of life.
By using one of the most sustainable materials and a unique design, I was the first to produce and introduce a 97% biodegradable traction pad, made of recycled cork waste from the cork industry.
Our purpose is to show that there is a sustainable alternative for the production and use of articles, without neglecting their beauty and usefulness.
Our purpose is to provide a sustainable product for surfers and water sport lovers that are concerned to practise in a sustainable way, making a difference for the benefit of all.
In synthesis, our purpose is to give back to nature by using its materials in their purest form.
Innovation
Sustainability
Quality
Nature
Duability
Starting with the raw material used on the traction pad, we would like to highlight that cork is a natural, reusable and recyclable vegetable product, extracted from cork oaks without harming the natural development of the species, or damaging the tree.
In addition to these natural characteristics, cork has properties that are extremely suitable for the purpose and use of our product. In fact, cork is elastic, impermeable, and lightweight, which makes it the perfect material for surf or water sports.
On the other hand, maintenance of the cork oak forest contributes to the sustainability of a vast and fragile ecosystem while improving the annual sequestration of many tons of CO2, reducing its impact on global warming. Also, the cork oak is the only tree whose bark regenerates over its 250 years of lifetime and can be harvested about 15 times.
Naturally, we also took into account that Portugal is one of the world's largest producers of cork and we wanted to favour a raw material that, in addition to the characteristics already described, is Portuguese.
We would like to emphasise that the normal and classical alternative to the ecoPro's product is a traction pad made from synthetic EVA foam derived from petrochemicals, which, as recognized, has a huge impact on global pollution. Therefore, by using cork in our products, we support a natural ecosystem, that prevents the loss of biodiversity.
Since ecoPro is the pioneer in developing and producing an eco-sustainable functional traction pad, this groundbreaking achievement, we believe that our project is exemplary because no one else has done it before. We are breaking new ground, acting as a forerunner on eco Design in performance products to the planet earth future demands.
Due to the training and professional experience of the brand's founder, ecoPro has always had the assumption of designing a functional and sustainable product, but also beautiful and aesthetic.
In this chapter, in addition to be winner in the German Design Awards, in the category “Excellent Product Design - Sports, Outdoor Activities and Leisure”, 2019 (link attached) , we can refer that one of the most important design websites highlighted our product, in 2017 and it remains available and accessible at: www.designboom.com (link attached).
We can point out that keeping cork in its natural tone is a conscious choice, because in addition to being an aesthetically beautiful and appealing material we show that we are using an organic material and this is easily understood by those who see and use the product.
We are also concerned with product packaging and ecoPro was one of the first brands to remove plastic and make packaging in recycled cardboard, already in 2017. Since nowadays this concern is already present in almost all brands, we are happy to confirm that ecoPro is among the brands that, positively, contribute to a change in attitude and behaviour.
We also noticed that after our product, the first traction pad made of agglomerated cork, other surf pads started to appear on the market made of cork. Also because of this, we are happy to see that ecoPro is an inspiration to other producers and with that, more surfers choose an ecological alternative.
Besides this, we have noticed that surfboards with cork applications have begun to appear on the market, as an alternative to the classic and traditional, synthetic materials.
For these reasons, we believe ecoPro is an exemplary project, with effective impact on the market and on consumers everyday life.
ecoPro pads are being sold in surfshops at Europe,USA,Australia and New Zealand so the accessibility is high. They are also available at https://ecopro.com.pt/shop/.
Most consumers face the fact that green products are more expensive. One of our premises is to offer a real eco solution compared with one that is highly pollutant and at an affordable price tag.The product was designed and thought of, how it would be produced, I designed all the processes and the machines myself, through online research of DIY. The product was launched on the market with the initial requirement to be at an affordable price. Although the ratio of time spent to produce each unit was not economically sustainable,I choose to experience the market reaction and then improve the production process gradually. A traditional traction pad is around 50-60€ the ecoPro pad is 45€- 63€. By being within the same price, ecoPro pad is just as affordable as the rest of the market. Thus, being in the same price range, we believe the product is a real alternative and so, more consumers will realise that an eco pad is the future without plastic nor EVA foam. This concern has been present in ecoPro since its foundation and that we are always improving, through DIY machines seeking and optimising ways to accomplish a sustainable design, for the planet and for the economy.
The surf community in general is going through a transformation where sustainability is more in focus then before, which ecoPro is taking a part of as well, by giving the consumers an easy and affordable choice to be a part of this transformation.We believe that the community in general and the surf and water sports community in particular is changing, opting for products with less environmental impact and we want ecoPro to be an active agent facilitator of this change,by providing products at affordable prices, with beautiful design and high performance, whether the practice is for leisure or professional.
By reinventing the use of cork, and presenting the 1st functional and truly eco-sustainable accessory in the surf industry, we are spreading to the world that it is possible to do things differently and correctly when it comes to the future of us all. Through this project, we have seen a growing community with the same interests and concerns across the globe, people who are developing eco-friendly solutions in the world of water sports.
By using ecoPro solutions, consumers feel they are individually contributing to global change for the good of the planet, setting an example to others of the choices and attitudes they should take.
The expansion of the promotion of ecoPro and the principles that guide it, went through the choice of Ambassadors, surfers of various ages, nationalities and living in various parts of the world.
We support, also, the practitioners of para surfing and, recently, one of our Ambassadors, Camilo Abdula, became world champion in his category. https://www.instagram.com/babdula/
We also have as ambassador the first Afghan surfer in competition, Afridum Amu, currently residing in the Azores, Portugal. https://www.instagram.com/afridun25/
ecoPro was the first to develop an application of cork in contact with salt water. We believe we have increased the potential new applications and possibilities for this natural material, giving visibility to cork,which is highly esteemed by the local producers.
After the product was among ISPO MUNICH 2018 Brandnew finalists, the leading trade show for sports professionals, several Portuguese cork producers approached me with great satisfaction as they saw the cork being used in design products, on a noble use, rather than being hidden away, in construction, where it is traditionally used for building insulation.This reaction is not merely commercial, but also has a sense of joy in expanding this natural raw material to other uses that are more visible and present in consumers' daily lives. In other words, showing the world the potential of a product that nature gives us.
In this way, we believe we are contributing to the valorisation and expansion of this important national product and, in this manner, improving the local economy of the regions of Portugal where there are cork oaks and, more generally, the national economy. It is well known that Portugal is one of the world's largest producers of cork and ecoPro uses Portuguese producers.
As we have already mentioned, other pads appeared on the market after us, in Spain and France, countries which are also cork-producing. Therefore, by expanding the idea of ecoPro, we believe we are helping cork producers in other European countries and the European economy as a whole (cork production outside Europe is almost non-existent).
We also see that by supplying our product to other surfing and water sports manufacturers, European and others, who are, like us, concerned with developing eco-sustainable solutions, we reinforce their mission, which is also ours.
My experience and education in design, and surfing since I was 13 years old, allowed me to create and develop a unique, sustainable, and functional product. In fact, my 35 years of surfing practice allowed me to know how the pad has to behave.
On the other hand, my academic training in design allowed me to conceive the product, knowing the characteristics that, as a surfer, I knew were important.
Besides designing the pad, I also designed the whole production process, i.e., I also designed the machines associated with the production process which is, still today, carried out by me.
The conception of the machines associated to the production process came from my passion for engineering and product design.
By using cork agglomerate which is almost 100% biodegradable, we contribute to a more sustainable industrial ecosystem. We use waste from the industry to produce our traction pads, and then the pad can either dissolve itself.
The fact that we produce all our traction pads here in Portugal also means that in a longer term, we are going to create local jobs instead of outsourcing the production to somewhere cheaper, which is how we also contribute to the social aspect of the industrial ecosystem.
Another result on this project is, that we have proved demand in the market and we already have our pads in several surf stores around the world, in addition to individual surfers who buy our products from all over the world through our online shop.
in the ecoPro project, we are talking about incremental innovation because we have taken an already existing product and improved it, by making it more sustainable but not the least, the same or even better performance. The innovation in this project, is by using a new material that no one has used before. And to be able to make a traction pad, that can compete with other products in the market and being way more sustainable.
There has been a lot of testing involved in the innovation process, producing prototypes and testing it in the water and going back to the drawing board to make the small changes that we learned from the tests. This helped us develop the final product that we have today. But we will keep on testing and improving our products to make sure we deliver the best ecofriendly traction pad on the market.
We also have the dream of expanding the ecoPro brand to other products with the same premise of offering solutions that are aesthetically beautiful, high performance and as eco sustainable as possible.
ecoPro shows that the product is a real alternative to plastic and therefore can replace the use of plastic with cork in several areas such as industrial, automotive, marine and interior design.
ecoPro has already been approached by the toyota California team to try our technology in car prototypes. Specifically by Calty Design Research, Inc. TOYOTA Design Network CALIFORNIA.
By choosing cork as the basic raw material for our products, we are showing the world how a traditionally Portuguese raw material can be an alternative to using plastic.
By using local, ecofriendly materials and producing it ourself here in Portugal, ecoPro is avoiding to import materials from around the world, or shipping materials to another production somewhere. This contributes to lowering the CO2 pollution in the form of transportation and logistics, which is a huge global challenge. So by keeping it local, we create more value for our consumers and community, and we are helping local economy and the global environment.
