Supplier stories: Rikki is Wawing to fight ocean pollution

By Lottie Dalziel

For Sydney-sider Rikki Gilbey, WAW Handplanes was built out of a love not only for bodysurfing and the ocean but to create a lifestyle for his family.

"At WAW we aim to get people surfing waves but leave no trace, in fact for every barrel our bodysurfers get we want to help create a better world," Rikki explains.

WAW Handplanes create bodysurfing gear from sustainable materials that don't compromise on performance or quality, they are suitable for beginners to pros, helping to enhance the entire bodysurfing experience by creating lift and control, allowing the bodysurfer to surf easier, faster and for longer.

 

For Rikki one of his highlights to date has been the launch of the BadFish, "the BadFish is Australian made and created using recycled ocean plastic, collected directly from the Great Barrier Reef. It is the first commercial product ever made in Australia from Australia’s own traceable ocean plastic waste. A feat that saw us winning the National Geographic’s Defy Plastics – Make Good Campaign in 2019."

One entire shopping bag of plastic waste is recycled into every single BadFish Handplane, working into the circular economy. 

WAW not only produces handplanes made from recycled materials but their wooden handplanes are made using sustainably sourced timber and for every handplane sold one tree is planted. 

By 2022, WAW Handplanes is aiming to recycle 100 metric tonnes of plastic waste.

You can shop WAW Handplanes' full range here. 

About the author

Lottie Dalziel is the founder and editor in chief of Banish. She has a passion for the environment and wants to help educate and inspire individuals to make small changes towards a more sustainable future. Stay up to date with her latest challenges on Instagram @banish.au.