UK sailing waste campaign saves spinnakers from landfill
A campaign launched by Cornwall-based non-profit Clean Sailors and social enterprise Waterhaul aims to save 200 spinnakers from landfills this winter by collecting, recycling and repurposing them into Waterhaul’s sell-out beach cleaning bags.
Local sailors are being encouraged to donate their end-of-life spinnakers to the campaign’s drop-off point in Newquay, Cornwall, on the UK’s south coast.
With statistics showing that up to 97 per cent of all end-of-life sails are incinerated or end up in landfills, Clean Sailors launched ‘ReSail’, an online global platform connecting sailors and their old sails with projects that can give them a second life.
With over 33 partners worldwide, ReSail says it is the only global initiative looking to address end-of-life sail material at scale. It’s through ReSail by Clean Sailors that Waterhaul is continuing its mission to increase the recovery of end-of-life spinnakers, which, since 2022, they have been turning into beach cleaning bags.
No longer usable as sails but still durable and strong, spinnakers are super lightweight and as clean-up bags, they are repairable and reusable. Waterhaul says they have proven them to be the perfect solution to collect litter in, ending the reliance on single-use plastic bags for litter picks and beach cleans.
Waterhaul’s upcycled spinnaker bags are also designed to be a perfect fit for its 100 per cent recycled fishing gear bag hoops – which hold the bag open for easy litter picking. These hoops are made from 330 grams of recycled fishing nets and ropes.
“We’re extremely proud that we’re able to repurpose end-of-life spinnaker sails and transform them into durable and reusable bags which will be used to tackle the wider problem of plastic pollution in our environment when in the hands of our community and partners,” says Kieran Hill, head of B2B sales at Waterhaul. “We hope to collect 200 spinnakers this winter with the support of Clean Sailors and their ReSail campaign – saving them from landfill and giving them a greater purpose.”
Holly Manvell, founder of Clean Sailors, adds: “We are really excited to launch another campaign with our friends and partners, Waterhaul, a team whose mission is founded on the ethos of re-use and recycling of seemingly ‘waste’ material.
“We look forward to further demonstrating that sail material can sustain its integrity for decades, in a new form and beyond its original purpose. We are grateful for the support of our strong, local sailing communities in kicking off Project Spinnaker.”
Information about the drop-off points and postal addresses for donating spinnakers, sails, jibs and genoas around the UK and beyond is now available online.
The industry is gradually placing more focus on the long-term impact of materials used in sails and sailboats. Earlier this month, North Sails launched a new sail cloth constructed from more than 90 per cent sustainable sources. Renew, a North Paneled Laminate (NPL) sailcloth for cruising boats 25 to 45ft, is said to require no sacrifice in performance or longevity.
And, at boot Düsseldorf 2024, new startup Expedition Zero was launched to tackle the environmental impact of commercial adventure sailing. Aiming to ‘redefine the sailing industry by developing and leasing commercial adventure yachts with the lowest environmental impact’, Expedition Zero is pioneering change by upcycling abandoned yachts and creating a new class of expedition vessels using innovative, low-impact, fully recyclable materials for hulls and interiors, replacing synthetic fibres like fibreglass.
