France’s Sicomin has announced its new collaboration with sports equipment giant Decathlon. Sicomin will supply its GreenPoxy 33 resin to produce Decathlon’s new JIB and Block wakeboards that will be manufactured at Meditec, the specialist composite board manufacturer based in Tunisia. Sicomin is a formulator and manufacturer of advanced epoxy systems.

With a desire to produce products that are as sustainable as possible, GreenPoxy 33 resins will contribute to Decathlon’s environmental mission, deriving 28 per cent of its carbon content from plant sources, whilst also providing high mechanical properties and exceptional clarity in the finished laminates. Formulated with rapid processing in mind, GreenPoxy 33 has been seamlessly integrated into Meditec’s manufacturing process, allowing it to match Decathlon’s production demand and keep cure cycles as short as ten minutes at 100°C, Sicomin said in a press release.

Meditec combines GreenPoxy 33 with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) accredited wood cores, further increasing the percentage of responsibly sourced materials in the new JIB and Block boards. Both models, have been designed for intermediate wakeboarders looking for a rigid yet flexible board to be used at cable parks or when towed. The Block model also features a unidirectional carbon strip on the lower part to further increase its pop on the water.

Decathlon closely monitors all factors that contribute to the ecological impact of its products, including the supply chains and transport miles incurred by both raw materials and finished products. Sicomin’s manufacturing site in Southern France combined with Meditec’s location close to Europe near Tunis, also provides a reliable and low mileage supply chain that avoids extended shipping from East Asia.

“The environment is at the heart of our design. It’s a company policy to measure ecological impact yes, but it is also a desire, as outdoor sports enthusiasts, to make products that are as green as possible. We are always on the lookout for new technologies that allow us to improve our products in this sense and Meditec and Sicomin have enabled that,” Gael Gibert, product engineer, wakeboard, Decathlon, said in a statement.

“We are delighted to see Decathlon adding GreenPoxy based boards to their range, reinforcing the fact that more sustainable manufacturing options are just as possible for high volume production. We have been working with Meditec for many years now, and their success and expertise in using our GreenPoxy 33 resins for press moulded boards makes them the perfect production partner for Decathlon,” Matthieu Chaloin, Sicomin, said.