
The Sails – How it works
Sails are mostly used for years, staying with the boat until they are replaced and many times stored for long periods after replacement. Racing sails are often replaced or sold to a less critical sailing team after a few races. Sails wear and tear from usage and under the influence from elements, sun, water and salt. The materials are durable but over time form and function degrades which causes discontinued use. Than what happens?
Use of sails – When are sails discontinued
High-end racing market
TP52, America’s Cup, Olympic Sailing: within 1 year
Local club racing
1-3 years
Surfing & Kiting
1-3 years
Cruising fleets (Charters)
< 5 years
Cruising market
< 10 years
The R’s:
Repair, Re-use, Re-sale, Re-furbish

Repair and Re-use
Sails are repaired, washed and sometimes re-coated until its form or function disappears. Racing sails of top sailors are often sold to second tier competitors in its first season.

Re-use and Upcycle
Re-use and “upcycle” of old sails into new products are widely seen but count for a small percentage. Sails that are relatively “new”
(<3 years old) are eligible for upcycling; older sails should be considered for recycling.
Up-cycling market
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 colored and therefore difficult to bring back to virgin material
- Laminated sails consists of glued layers; difficult to separate
In general only 9% of plastics are recycled (see OECD report) Recycling of sails is non-existing but the upcycle market is growing and is possibly bigger (in %) compared to the textile industry)