Environment: Upcycling, Recycling and Repurposing Sails
The need to be more environmentally aware of our affect on the planet is becoming more critical and cruising sailors are not immune to having to think about recycling and upcycling as they travel the oceans and seas of the world.
Published 2 years ago, updated 1 month ago
With the majority of old sails ending up in landfill, there is now a growing interest in upcycling, recycling and re-purposing old sails all around the globe. Here we look at a number of organisations and companies that are giving life to old sails, whether it’s re-purposed and donated to fishing communities, up cycled into a fashionable “must-have” accessory or used in artwork.
Using Retired Sails to Help Commmunities
Sails Ocean Sails Sails (SOS) is a self-funded program that was started in 2005 by Australian Peter Gately and since then has helped island fishermen in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, Timor Sea and in Africa with donated sails.
“Despite COVID-19, the response has been outstanding to our requests for used sails” Peter told Noonsite. “The main issue we face is the mode of delivering the sails and equipment to countries in need,” he said. “Our latest trip to Tonga was put on hold two years ago when COVID struck and then our carrier aircraft country went into liquidation dishonouring all airfares.
“However, S.O.S. has received a multitude of offers worldwide with people offering to drop-off sails, and our response usually is to ask them to see where the most urgent need is closest to them and try and arrange delivery of sails and other boating equipment. Currently we have a request to have further sails delivered to Samoa, as well as to Tonga and other Pacific Island nations”.
Peter said the need for supplying recycled sails to people who fish for their living has never been greater than at present, particularly with the price of petrol for the outboard motors constantly rising and the need for food in fishing community forcing them to venture further afield than they would normally as fish stocks become depleted nearer to their islands and normal fishing grounds.
“Boats can be made locally and masts made from Bamboo, but the good quality sails provided give both young and older people a chance to provide food for themselves, their families and communities.”
SailstoShelter is a Hawaiian based organisation that repurposes and upcycles large racing and superyacht sails for humanitarian aid and ecological sustainability and is actively exploring new uses for retired sails.
Founder Angela Abshier told Noonsite that by repurposing sails, Sail to Shelter reduces the impact of the sailing industry and creates a more sustainable economy for sails.
“Upcycling cleans out harbours, creates jobs, reduces the risk of microplastics entering the environment and serves communities in need,” says Angela. “Sail to Shelter is creating solutions based on second uses. Success will be measured by how much sail material is kept from landfills and how many people are helped. We are currently working to establish a global inventory of sails that can be converted into useful and functional solutions. This exercise focuses on different sizes and shapes of mainsails.”
The organisation is currently working with fire survivors and local community builders to help restore Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui which was devastated by fire in August 2023. They are building shade, shelter and wind diversion systems using retired superyacht sails.
“Sailors have been looking for an innovative and purposeful way to reuse sails for decades. Contact us today to donate your stash or let us know when you are scheduled for a refit. We can use these all over the world. They don’t need to be in Maui. Let us worry about where they are. We have partners to help. Please help us keep sails out of landfill and put them to very good use.”
Turning Old Sails into Something Else
Another way to deal with used, torn or unusable sails is to turn them into something else and this is what an Australian company is doing.
Sail Exchange, based in Sydney, Australia has repurposed hundreds of sails in the last few years and are currently in the process of expanding their sail recycling program.
“We are very passionate about recycling sails,” company spokesperson Bettina Crafoord told Noonsite. “Our newly appointed Environmental Scientist John Crockett will be researching and sourcing a machine that will be able to shred second hand sails that are beyond hoisting and not sailable or sellable.
“This shredded material will then be repurposed and John is investigating this. Currently 90% of our used sails are re-sellable and we have customers worldwide that purchase from our extensive stock on our website. The remaining 10% of sails that are not sellable go on our donation pile. Artists and creative individuals repurpose the sail cloth into amazing artwork or products such as crew gear bags.”
Also in Australia, but based in southern Tasmania, Recolab (repurposed, eco-friendly, collaborative laboratory) is a small business making bags from repurposed materials, primarily sails but also billboard skins, abandoned festival tents, pond liner off-cuts and anything else they can get their hands on that they can turn into a bag!
“We have been in business in one form or another for the past ten years, so quite a few folks in the Tasmanian sailing community know of us, said Lyn Hellewell. “We receive sails by donation and, in return, the donor gets one of our Sou’Wester Utility Bags as a thank you gift. We are happy for donors to drop off their sails on their way past or we collect them from around the Greater Hobart area.
“Recently, we received a shipment of sails from a salvage company in New South Wales. They paid the freight and we provided two of our Roaring 40s Gear Bags in return as a thank you gift. We are happy to provide this service for any mainland or overseas donors and also happy to make their bags from their own sail.”
Lyn said they can use almost all types of sail fabric, including Kevlar. “Our only limitations are mouldy material or delaminated material which is too far gone to resuscitate!”
Eco Circle – Sailed, Saved, Sewn
Another company that also encourages trading in old sails for a bag are Devon, UK based company Sails and Canvas. For every usable sail donated they will trade a bag: for small sails – a bottle bag; for larger sails – a storage bucket; and if you don’t want a bag they will make a donation to the RNLI on your behalf. Their motto is “every sail we recycle means less sailcloth ends its life in landfill and that has to be a good thing for everyone.”
Another company that will trade sails for bags is Sea Bags based on the east coast of the USA in Maine. Since starting their Sail/Trade programme, they have taken in nearly 7,100 sails that would have otherwise gone to a landfill.
One sail at a time
And then there are individuals such as New Zealand kite-boarder, wing-foiler and ocean adventurer Valerie Lubrick who bought a sewing machine and began her business – Kite Kete – where kitesurfing gear is repurposed into upcycled bags and pouches that are strong yet super light, artistic and functional.
“Buying and using an item made from a re-purposed sail – whether it’s a ripped spinnaker from a yacht or torn kite surfing sail, is a step toward a more sustainable way of living,” said Valerie.
“I am a keen ocean adventurer and kayak guide and biologist in Antarctica and the High Arctic and my love for polar regions and wild spaces all over the world drives me to also protect these places. I love to play in the ocean – surfing, kite-surfing or wing-foiling – but I struggle when I see how much environmental waste is created by our activities. I teach about conservation and sustainability and I encourage teachers and students to rethink about waste. So that’s what I did with obsolete kites that are headed for landfill – I give them a second life.”
Network for Donating Old Sails
Clean Sailors is a not-for-profit organisation, raising awareness of ocean conservation opportunities within the sailing community. Research into sailmaking is continually showing us that sails can be upcycled on a more industrial scale and repurposed into industries such as manufacturing, construction and automotive.
Clean Sailor has established a ReSail platform which shows drop-off points around the world, where old sails will be used to create new products by Clean Sailor’s partners. Many of these partner companies of create lifestyle goods from old sails, from bags and deck chairs to interior pieces, whilst others make affordable, repurposed sailing parts. One of their latest partners is exploring turning old sail fibres in new boat hulls!
Recycling Sails – DIY
A search on ideas search engine PinInterest shows many individuals who are re-purposing sails themselves, so why not try it yourself?
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Related News
- Recyling Sails to Save Lives – (Noonsite 2019)
- Sail Recycling Scheme Launched in the UK (Yachting Monthly)
- Upcycling your Old Sails (Cruising World)
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Companies using old sails to avoid landfill:
Australia:
Canary Islands:
New Zealand:
Spain:
USA:
Hawaii:
USA, UK and Europe:
Greece/Mediterranean:
Germany:
- Windsack
- OneSails GBR
Sail Recycling Artists:
If you know a company that should be included here, please send details to [email protected] or post a comment at the bottom of this report.
Related to the following Cruising Resources: Environment, Equipment, General, Global Yachting Services, Sails & Rigging
Thank you for this great article! I love my bag made out of an old sail, painted with children’s wishes for the future by Sailafuture (http://www.sailafuture.org). In Spain we organized an activity with Sailafuture. Talens supplied the paint; one of our fellow-sailors donated a sail, local artists supervised and the children did a marvelous job in painting the sail. Theme: ‘Rio Guadiana: el paraiso natural’. The sail will now serve to provide shade for the children playing and remember them (and their parents) of their dreams of a clean and healthy river. There’s so much you can do with used sails!