Recycling sails

At Resail, we’re passionate about sailing and the planet. That’s why we research all possibilities giving used sailcloth a new purpose.

Recycling of sails however is virtually non existant today for many reasons:

Economically: The influx of cheap virgin material prohibites a healthy return for recyclers

Technically: Recycling of sailcloth (Bringing it back to its original virgin raw form) is challenging for the same reasons valid in the textile industry:

Sails are coated and/or coloured and therefore difficult to bring back to virgin material
Laminated sails consists of glued layers are difficult to separate

Which Institutes are at the forefront of Recycling?

For carbon reinforced sails:
The University of Bristol (Bristol Composites Institute) has defined a recycling pathway for the recovery of EOL (End of Life) 3Di sails. Carbon Fiber is reclaimed via a superheated steam pressure/ swing process. Full details can be found at: https://extricko.com/

For coated sails (polyester):
The REACT project (REcycling of waste ACrylic Textiles), funded by the EU (Cordis/ Horizon 2020) has successfully shown that finishing and chemical substances can be removed from acrylic fibers (post-industrial and post-consumer). The finding can also be applied to other yarns and woven materials such as polyester. https://curetechnology.com/ is active in the polyester recycling

For nylon (spinnakers/ gennakers):
A solutions seems readily available but has not been implemented yet. Aquafil.com is offering virgin and recycled nylon from their factories, they are successfully partnering with companies like Napapijri and Tarket. There is an opportunity here to be explored.

What we do at Resail

Having received support from various parties that have done research in the past, Resail has asked high school NHL Stenden (in co-operation with the University of Groningen) testing into chemical recycling of polyester sails.

The results are very encouraging; up to 85% of the residual material can be turned into PET. We envisage further testing in the future with the aim to start scaling up as soon as economic reality changes for the better. Keep following us for future developments on our blog or LinkedIn.

Sails from recycled materials

Recycled PET bottles are a source for new sails from recycled materials:

Elvstrom Sails uses PET for their EKKO label, a sustainable choice for cruising laminate sails

Challenge Sailcloth uses rPet (Recycled PET) for their Green-Tec label to produce
sustainable textiles and laminates

RENEW is North Sails label for cruising laminate made from 90% bio-based materials and recycled raw materials

Final thoughts

Recycling sails is not there yet but you can make sailing smarter and greener. At Resail, we’re proud to offer high-performance gear that’s kind to the planet.

Ready to upgrade your sail wardrobe sustainably? Check out our non-recycled sails today!