Recycling sails

Simon Currin | 08/10/2024

Just 0.1% of our sails are currently repurposed into tote bags etc. Some enterprising sailors and chemists are working hard to develop new ways to recycle sail cloth.

The Penhaul brothers, Joe and Sam, have developed a method to recycle old yacht sails into new textiles and sails. They use a process called pressolysis, which applies superheated steam to separate the materials. This method can apparently recycle 99.9% of sails, including dacron, mylar, and carbon.

Despite producing an estimated 13 million square metres of sail cloth annually, only 0.1% is currently repurposed. The brothers aim to expand their technology and have already scaled up their operations significantly. Their UK based company, Sustainable Sailing, is working on improving the collection of end-of-life sails to make recycling more efficient.

For the full article please click the Scuttlebutt article below.


Links and Attachments
Link to full Scuttlebutt article on recycling sails: https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2024/10/06/closing-the-materials-loop/
Sustainable Sailing: https://extricko.com/

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Simon Currin - 21 Oct 2024

Recycling sails

Simon Currin | 08/10/2024

Just 0.1% of our sails are currently repurposed into tote bags etc. Some enterprising sailors and chemists are working hard to develop new ways to recycle sail cloth.

The Penhaul brothers, Joe and Sam, have developed a method to recycle old yacht sails into new textiles and sails. They use a process called pressolysis, which applies superheated steam to separate the materials. This method can apparently recycle 99.9% of sails, including dacron, mylar, and carbon.

Despite producing an estimated 13 million square metres of sail cloth annually, only 0.1% is currently repurposed. The brothers aim to expand their technology and have already scaled up their operations significantly. Their UK based company, Sustainable Sailing, is working on improving the collection of end-of-life sails to make recycling more efficient.

For the full article please click the Scuttlebutt article below.


Links and Attachments
Link to full Scuttlebutt article on recycling sails: https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2024/10/06/closing-the-materials-loop/
Sustainable Sailing: https://extricko.com/

Hi Simon,
Good information.
Those of us who spend significant time aboard are, I suspect, among those in the UK and US with the lowest footprint causing climate change and ecological damage.
But every bit helps and it is good to keep in mind alternatives and procedures such as you reported.
My best, Dick Stevenson, s/v Alchemy