Starboard receive 2020 World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award

iQFOiL International Games 2020 © Martina Orsini

Starboard (THA), the leading manufacturer of Stand Up Paddle boards and windsurf boards, including the iQFOiL, the Paris 2024 Olympic Men's and Women's Windsurfer Equipment, have won the 2020 World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award.

Four exceptional finalists were shortlisted by an expert judging panel for the Award before the public voted on who should join 2018 winner, Corpus Christi Yacht Club (USA) and 2019 recipient, The Green Blue (GBR) as the 2020 awardee.

Starboard were joined on the shortlist by the Hyundai 49er, 49erFX and Nacra 17 World Championship (NZL), MarkSetBot (USA) and Northern Light Composites (NLComp) (ITA).

As winner of the World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award, Starboard will receive a $10,000 USD prize to help further their sustainability activities, as well as an iconic trophy made from recycled carbon fibre which was sourced from an America's Cup boat and infused with bio resin.

Quanhai Li, President of World Sailing said, "The applicants for the World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award were of the highest calibre this year and represented the breadth and depth of sustainability initiatives within sailing. The finalists showcased this diversity across event management, technological advancements and creating a circular life cycle for production.

"I would like to congratulate all of the finalists with special recognition reserved for our 2020 Award winner, Starboard. Sustainability is at the forefront of Starboard's initiatives and they are a true leader in this space. It is wonderful to see their work has been recognised by the judging panel, a group of industry leaders, and by the sailing community via the public vote."

Todd McGuire, Managing Director of 11th Hour Racing said, "Congratulations to Starboard on winning this year's World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award, and to the other finalists for their efforts to implement environmentally sustainable solutions in their respective fields. This is a tangible example of how we can harness the power of sport to inspire solutions for the ocean. The introduction of the public vote to this year's edition of the Award generated broad interest and extensive support from fans, industry, event organizers and media -- proving that collectively we can push the boundaries of sustainable development across continents and communities. We will be following the progress of Starboard and the other 18 applicants as they continue in their journey and inspire other organizations to follow their example."

Dan Reading, Head of Sustainability at World Sailing commented, "I'd like to congratulate the finalists, all of which would have been worthy winners and I'd also like to thank everyone who voted to help with the final decision. The voting was very close and I'm pleased to see many sailors engaging with our finalists.

"My congratulations go to Starboard whose approach to sustainability is impressive; a B-Corp certified organisation who partner with many NGOs to help protect our oceans. Applying Life Cycle Assessment to their board production allows them to quantify and offset their plastic use as well as invest in carbon sequestration which enables their boards to be 10 times carbon positive. These initiatives are great examples for the rest of the marine industry to follow and their education programme and dedication to innovate to become more sustainable is an inspiration."

Svein Rasmussen, owner of Starboard and Tasmin Chilcott, Eco Projects Manager, added, "The 2020 World Sailing 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Award creates a platform for us at Starboard to share environmental opportunities.

"Participation means everything when turning negatives to positives, we all win with a healthy Blue Planet. Starboard's riders, partners, our environmental team, the WIF Climate Park crew and our Plastic Offset Program, shows that pro planet contributions can be executed fast and efficiently.

"We look forward to working with other classes in this area and our dream is to inspire the IOC, Paris 2024 and future games to become 10 x climate positive.

"Thank you to everyone who has voted for the health of our oceans through Starboard which has given us even more strength to win for the ocean. Keep on having fun and never give up."

Find out more about Starboard and their sustainability mission.