In their latest joint venture, Schaffhausen surfboard design international teamed up with surfboard designer and entrepreneur Hayden cox to create a unique concept — the world’s first floating surfboard design studio. The very Australian design is also intended to highlight the brand’s recent efforts to reduce its impact on the environment, for example by reducing the amount of plastic in its current packaging by 90 per cent. 
Members of the press were taken to a scenic flight around Rose Bay in NSW in a seaplane emblazoned with the IWC logo and replica watch motif, before landing on Palm Beach and disembarking onto the floating design hub, aptly named ‘Remote’.
Hayden Cox then treated guests to a masterclass in “upcycling”, a process in which manufacturing waste, such as glass fibre, chopped carbon, bio-epoxy resin waste, foam dust and an upcycled custom fibreglass cloth made from factory offcuts, could be fashioned into lightweight accessories like tail pads and fins for surfboards.
Cox’s surfboard label, Haydenshapes Surfboards, and IWC are both steadfast in their goal to reduce manufacturing waste, and both organizations are constantly trying to find innovative ways to upgrade their products to make them greener.
IWC Schaffhausen’s objective of improved environmental efficiency and commitment to waste reduction has come along in leaps and bounds of late, with the Swiss watchmaker’s recently completed manufacturing centre boasting a suite of environmental technologies.
“There is still so much work and research to be done in our industry when it comes to creating a more sustainable product and one key issue is that at least 30 per cent of foam and fibreglass is wasted through off-cuts in manufacturing,” Hayden explains. “The ‘Remote’ studio is a space where I can work on some new ideas outside of the day-to-day work and distractions, in order to come up with new creative ideas which I will then be able to bring to life either through my brand or by making them available to the industry.”
Actually, our new top-quality packaging concept uses 90 per cent less plastic than previously. We are proud to see our efforts recognised by the WWF, which recently recognised IWC Schaffhausen as top among 15 Swiss replica breitling watches.” The WWF report explores how companies can take responsibility for the environmental impact of their activities and how these efforts can be transparently communicated. Congratulations to the IWC and to this creative and meaningful activity.