Since joining our ReSail platform in March 2023, OneSails GBR (East) has recycled, re-used, and repurposed over 250 old and unwanted sails.
Founded by not-for-profit organisation Clean Sailors in 2020, ReSail helps tackle the issue of old sails ending up in landfill*. OneSails signed up to the global ReSail ‘drop off’ platform in March 2023 to collect old and end-of-life sail materials.
John Parker from OneSails GBR (East) said, “We joined ReSail to help create a circular economy in sail-making, where old sails avoid landfill and are recycled, repurposed or re-used. To be honest, we didn’t know whether it would strike a chord with people, but the response has been fantastic. Over 250 sails in less than a year shows sailors are conscious of their environmental impact and want to reduce their waste. We have now started collecting old rope as well as sails, and we’ve found interesting and creative ways to find new uses for both.”
Resulting from the success of our ReSail scheme, OneSails has formed a partnership with a local charity named Suffolk At Play. The charity takes its ‘Scrapstore PlayPods’ filled with loose parts (tyres, pallets, rope, and other recycled items) into schools to encourage children to use their imagination at play time. The charity also offers training sessions for educational settings and it has now expanded its offering to Bristol in addition to its Suffolk network.
Holly Manvell, founder of Clean Sailors, commented, “OneSails’ results show the will of consumers to reduce waste and the need for the marine industry to create opportunities to fulfil that demand. As shown by OneSails, the ReSail scheme is a simple and effective way of making a difference in the global fight against marine waste.”
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We at ReSail by Clean Sailors are on a mission to give old sailing things a second life. With our somewhat alarming research showing that up to 97% of end-of-life sails are sent to landfill or are incinerated, we wanted to encourage the sailing industry to find purposeful and useful solutions for these materials.
We've teamed up again with our friends and partners at Waterhaul and Ocean Republic, who, since 2022, have been turning spinnakers into beach-cleaning bags.
This winter, we want your help to save 200 spinnakers from landfill!
How?
Simply pack up your old spinnaker and post, or drop off, to Team Waterhaul, at:
Let's sail mighty, tread lightly, and tackle end-of-life 'waste', together!
#sailmightytreadlightly
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OneSails GBR (East) has opened the doors of its Suffolk sail loft for the collection of old and end-of-life sail materials, joining Clean Sailors’ global project, ReSail. The partnership underlines OneSails’ commitment to leading the way in sustainable practices.
Sails are strong and durable, made to withstand Earth’s toughest environments including UV light, saltwater, and wind. Made from complex synthetic materials, sails aren’t formally recycled anywhere in the world and currently 97% of sails end up in a landfill or are incinerated at the end of their life.
To date, OneSails is the only sailmaker to create a high performance, durable, ISO-certified recyclable sail membranes, named 4T FORTE™. The glues, resins and solvents used in the sail making process have been replaced by heat fusion, and the base polymer is 100% recyclable in a standard waste separation process.
OneSails GBR (East) is now turning its attention to old sails and end-of-life sailcloth.
John Parker from OneSails GBR (East) commented, “Whether its recycling 4T FORTE™ sails, lowering the carbon footprint of the sailmaking process, or upcycling and re-selling second-hand sails we are improving our efforts towards achieving a circular economy.”
John continued, “A lifetime of sailing and being on the water comes hand in hand with a respect for the sea. Joining ReSail is the natural next step in helping to reduce our impact on the environment.”
ReSail by Clean Sailors was launched globally in March 2022, following a successful pilot in the South West UK, in 2021. ReSail allows sailors around the world to search for and find local drop-off points for their old sails, sheets and lines, materials which are then used as a raw resource for a variety of different products and businesses. The ReSail project now has ~30 partners in over 15 countries around the world, welcoming OneSails GBR (East) as a major partner in the UK.
"OneSails has already been a trusted partner through our EcoOpti project because of their attention to interrogating the sailmaking process for more sustainable opportunities. We are really delighted to welcome them to our ReSail platform, also, and to have them continue to encourage the industry’s commitment to reducing waste, and to evaluate end-of-life opportunities, alongside virgin sail production” says Holly Manvell, founder of Clean Sailors.
Clean Sailors, a not-for-profit, was set up in 2020 to create new standards of cleaner sailing and to better advocate and educate the global marine community on a range of environmental initiatives specific to sailing. ReSail, supported by Henri-Lloyd, is the latest platform on a growing list of conservation-based initiatives that Clean Sailors has created all with the common goal – to help clean up and protect the environment so used and loved by the global sailing community.
ReSail is a free-to-list and free-to-use platform. All applications to join can be made via the website at www.resailbycleansailors.com
About OneSails
OneSails is a global sailmaking network that develops a wide range of products and sails from dinghy classes to ocean and offshore sailing. They are the leading provider of sails for the Optimist class, as well as for ORC and IRC boats, and many one design classes. OneSails more recently provided Pip Hare’s Vendee campaign sails for her 24,000mile journey around the world in 2020-21, which OneSails’ recently recycled in a bid to improve sustainability in offshore racing.
OneSails is the exclusive manufacturer of 4T FORTE ™, a continuous yarn composite design and technology to ensure quality, durability and performance. In 2015, OneSails launched 4T FORTE ™ sails and sail recycling process. Awarded ISO 14040 Life Cycle Assessment Certification, 4T FORTE ™ are the only fully recyclable sails on the market today.
Located on the River Orwell in Suffolk, the OneSails (GBR) East sail loft is part of the global OneSails group. Overseen by experienced sailor John Parker, the team at OneSails (GBR) East specialises in custom sails and covers for boats ranging from dinghies up to superyachts.
More information: www.onesails.co.uk
About Clean Sailors
Clean Sailors is a not-for-profit, mobilising the global sailing community in conservation of our oceans. Launched in July 2020, Clean Sailors' mission is to set a new standard of sailing within our global sailing community: clean sailing, by raising awareness of ocean conservation opportunities within our sport, our passion, our pastime.
The crew's aim is to make an ocean ambassador of each and every sailor around the world, and Clean Sailor’s already counts three-time world champion and four-time Paralympian Hannah Stodel, as well as CJ Perez, the youngest ever sailor to join the SailGP league, as ambassadors to their cause.
In 2021, Clean Sailors launched Cleaner Marina with industry partners including boatfolk, MDL Marinas, savvy navvy and Ecoworks Marine, to encourage better, cleaner standards across marinas, ports and harbours, globally. Their global platform, ReSail, connects sailors and their old sailing equipment with projects and businesses around the world who have commercial use for such second-life materials.
In January 2022, Clean Sailors announced the launch of the Clean Sailors Youth Racing Team with three international Champion sailors; CJ Perez (18) the youngest sailor ever to join the SailGP league and the first latina, Lukas Hesse (22), German Champion 2020 and Swiss sailor Jann Schüpbach (20). They made it to the Grand Finale of the Youth Foiling Gold Cup in 2022 and will be competing for the same through 2023. More information: www.cleansailors.com
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In 2017 my husband and I took a year off work, took our 3 children out of school and decided to show them some of the world - under sail. So, we did the Atlantic circuit, cruising down the seaboards of Europe, across to the Canaries and Cape Verde, over the Atlantic to the Caribbean, back across to the Azores before making landfall in our favourite family sailing spot - The Isles of Scilly!!
It was a truly wonderful year that gave me time to reflect on life at home. On return I decided to leave my job in the NHS and retrain as a sail / marine canvas maker. I started by attending a wonderfully inspirational short Sail-making course at The Boat Building Academy in Lyme Regis. I then managed to get myself a job as an apprentice Marine Canvas Maker. Quite quickly, I was horrified by the amount of scrap materials that would be put in the bin and then ultimately make its way from the marina bins into landfill. So, with the permission of my manager at the time, I started to take all useable scrap home to up-cycle into bags and rapidly found that I had a busy little 'side hustle' - there was plenty of scrap and plenty of people willing to buy items made from old or end of roll marine fabrics.
I up-cycle marine canvas and sails. This is because these are the materials that use in my line of work as a Marine Canvas Maker - so, I don't set out to buy any materials to make Baggywrinkles Salvaged Bags... I salvage the scraps from my other marine cover and sail projects with the aim of reducing as much as possible the materials that get sent to landfill.
My proudest moment in this journey so far was the realisation that my 'Side Hustle' had the potential to be a business in its own right, leaving my employment with another Marine Canvas business and setting up as a sole trader.
The worlds resources are finite - Use what we already have in existence. We don't always need new, it is by far better to reuse, recycle, up-cycle. I try to live my life in general like this not just my business...for my children and my children's children.
Find out more at www.baggywrinkles.co.uk
Instagram: baggywrinkles_sewing_solutions
Facebook: Baggywrinkles East Cornwall
Or See the bags that are for sale at Calstock Boatyard's Honesty Box Cafe or Weir-Quay's The Yard Cafe - All the bags are unique, made from genuine up-cycled sails and boat canvas and a percentage of each sale goes to the very small Cornish or Devon boatyard in question.
For a very long time, we had been wondering how we could add to our range of litter-picking equipment that is made from 100% fishing nets and provide a reusable bag that also utilised waste material, but we just couldn’t find a solution. That was until we started speaking with Rory from Ocean Republic, who already made products from upcycled sailcloth, and asked him the question, “Do you think you could make a reusable beach clean bag out of sailcloth?”. Luckily, he could and did!
After some trial batches, it was quickly realised that spinnaker sails were the best material for the job, and we got going on the full production and the launch!
6 months later, our upcycled sailcloth beach clean bags are constantly in demand and incredibly popular. We can’t get hold of enough material to keep up with it all!
The material we require the most is spinnaker sails. This material is perfect as it’s lightweight and thin, meaning it can fit within our 100% recycled fishing net bag hoops easily. It’s also very strong and easy to wash, making it the ideal material solution for reusable beach cleaning bags.
Overall, we are proud to have found a positive use for end-of-life sails, which go on to have added positive impact when used on litter picks and beach cleans. We’re also proud of the fact that we are working with Rory from Ocean Republic, a local partner in Cornwall, to create these impactful products.
As a business that turns lost and discarded fishing nets into high-quality and purposeful products, giving waste materials a new purpose is why we’re here and our core mission. If discarded waste materials, like fishing nets and sails, are transformed into new products with purpose, it prevents them from remaining in the environment and causing harm to wildlife, or just being sent to landfill.
We are currently working on a page within our website that will highlight the project directly and link to the ReSail initiative but in the meantime, we have the product page, linked below.
https://waterhaul.co/products/upcycled-beach-clean-bag
We have also posted on social media about the project so you can find them on our Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn pages.
I had an old A-Symmetric sail myself that was too big for my boat and wasn’t suitable to be re-cut. It wasn’t worth any money and I couldn’t bare to through it away so I decided to made some bean bags with it because my boat is steel and therefore hard and cold. It was a great idea and made helming that much easier… and things led form there.
We are very pleased to work with Waterhaul and make for them reusable beach cleaning bags, this is a great repurposing project and for a good cause too.
Waste is rubbish!
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Currently, 97% of sails end up in a landfill or are incinerated at the end of their life.
Cornish social-enterprise, Waterhaul, produces beach cleaning equipment including litter pickers and bag hoops, made from 100% recycled plastic fishing gear collected from the British coastline. These tools are put to good use by over 10,000 litter pickers and community groups all across the UK, however the missing link until now, was a durable and reusable alternative to single-use bin bags.
Waterhaul has teamed up with Falmouth based maker Rory McKellar from Ocean Republic, and Clean Sailors’ ReSail initiative, to give old sails a second life.
Waste sails are collected through Clean Sailors Resail scheme and are then hand-made into the beach cleaning bags by Rory and his team from Ocean Republic in their Penryn-based sail-loft. Rory’s specialism has so-far been in creating surfboard covers made from upcycled sails and wetsuits, but the new partnership will enable him to expand his operations.
Rory said: “I’d admired the work Waterhaul does, transforming this problem of plastic pollution into part of the solution with their recycled litter pickers. It’s a fantastic opportunity to be able to use my expertise around upcycling and Clean Sailors collection program, to be part of this impact. The ocean for me is something I’ve always been in love with. I live in it, swim in it, surf in it, and I think we should all protect it.”
The upcycled sail bags are designed to be a perfect fit for Waterhaul’s recycled bag holding hoops – which hold the bag open for easy litter picking. Each of these hoops are made from 330 grams of recycled fishing nets and ropes.
Harry Dennis from Waterhaul said “We’re really excited to be tackling a new waste stream, whilst finding a solution for beach cleaners – and to be doing so by working together with other Cornish businesses.”
“We are super excited to deepen our partnerships with Waterhaul and Ocean Republic! Aside from being super teams, we firmly stand alongside their missions for transforming perceived waste materials into new, useful products. Being able to join forces in our home county makes it all the more special.” says Holly Manvell, founder of Clean Sailors.
Cornish boat owners are being urged to participate in the Clean Sailors Resail initiative. End of life sails can be dropped off at multiple locations in the South West to support input of sail material into the project.
The upcycled sailcloth bags will be available online at https://www.waterhaul.co and retail at £8.50.
Waterhaul is a Newquay based social-enterprise that transforms the ocean’s harmful and abundant form of plastic (ghost gear – waste fishing gear lost or discarded at sea) into products to inspire people to connect with and protect the ocean.
For further details about Waterhaul, or to get involved with litter picking, please visit https://waterhaul.co or follow on Instagram @waterhaul_co
Ocean Republic is a environmentally conscious business that promotes and implements sustainable practices whilst developing awareness and an appreciation for the ocean. See more at https://www.oceanrepublic.com
Clean Sailors is a global not-for-profit mobilising the global sailing community in conservation of our seas. The Team launched ReSail, a global platform giving sailing things a second life, in March 2022
See more at https://cleansailors.com/ and https://resailbycleansailors.com/
To find your nearest sail donation point, visit: https://resailbycleansailors.com/
]]>A new collaboration between Cornish businesses will see waste sails collected and upcycled into reusable beach cleaning bags – ready to tackle even more plastic pollution.
Cornish social-enterprise, Waterhaul, produces beach cleaning equipment including litter pickers and bag hoops, made from 100% recycled plastic fishing gear collected from the British coastline. These tools are put to good use by over 10,000 litter pickers and community groups all across the UK, however the missing link until now, was a durable and reusable alternative to single-use bin bags.
Waterhaul has teamed up with Falmouth based maker Rory McKellar from Ocean Republic, and Clean Sailors’ ReSail initiative, to give old sails a second life.
Waste sails are collected through Clean Sailors Resail scheme and are then hand-made into the beach cleaning bags by Rory and his team from Ocean Republic in their Penryn-based sail-loft. Rory’s specialism has so-far been in creating surfboard covers made from upcycled sails and wetsuits, but the new partnership will enable him to expand his operations.
Rory said: “I’d admired the work Waterhaul does, transforming this problem of plastic pollution into part of the solution with their recycled litter pickers. It’s a fantastic opportunity to be able to use my expertise around upcycling and Clean Sailors collection program, to be part of this impact. The ocean for me is something I’ve always been in love with. I live in it, swim in it, surf in it, and I think we should all protect it.”
The upcycled sail bags are designed to be a perfect fit for Waterhaul’s recycled bag holding hoops – which hold the bag open for easy litter picking. Each of these hoops are made from 330 grams of recycled fishing nets and ropes.
Harry Dennis from Waterhaul said “We’re really excited to be tackling a new waste stream, whilst finding a solution for beach cleaners – and to be doing so by working together with other Cornish businesses.”
“We are super excited to deepen our partnerships with Waterhaul and Ocean Republic! Aside from being super teams, we firmly stand alongside their missions for transforming perceived waste materials into new, useful products. Being able to join forces in our home county makes it all the more special.” says Holly Manvell, founder of Clean Sailors.
Cornish boat owners are being urged to participate in the Clean Sailors Resail initiative. End of life sails can be dropped off at multiple locations in the South West to support input of sail material into the project.
The upcycled sailcloth bags will be available online at https://www.waterhaul.co and retail at £8.50.
Waterhaul is a Newquay based social-enterprise that transforms the ocean’s harmful and abundant form of plastic (ghost gear – waste fishing gear lost or discarded at sea) into products to inspire people to connect with and protect the ocean.
For further details about Waterhaul, or to get involved with litter picking, please visit https://waterhaul.co or follow on Instagram @waterhaul_co
Ocean Republic is a environmentally conscious business that promotes and implements sustainable practices whilst developing awareness and an appreciation for the ocean. See more at https://www.oceanrepublic.com
Clean Sailors is a global not-for-profit mobilising the global sailing community in conservation of our seas. The Team launched ReSail, a global platform giving sailing things a second life, in March 2022 See more at https://cleansailors.com/ and https://resailbycleansailors.com/
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The platform, which follows a successful pilot launched in the South West in 2021, allows sailors to search for and find local drop-off points and gives them the opportunity to upcycle a range of products such as sails, bags and sheets, so that once their time on the water has come to an end, they can help give them a new life and purpose.
Whilst most materials used for sailing are built to withstand some of the toughest conditions on our planet including UV light, saltwater and wind, they don’t last forever, and they all have a time limit on their initial use. Currently, for example, 97% of all sails end up in landfill and here at Clean Sailors, we are determined to bring that number down.
But upcycling is just one way we can do this. Through ReSail, Clean Sailors will also be encouraging change at the constructional stage of sailmaking. We achieve this, for example, by working with sailmakers to better understand the science behind the materials used so that other industries outside of sailing can explore, with more knowledge and confidence, additional uses for them and ultimately prolong the life of the initial materials used.
Clean Sailors founder and sailor Holly Manvell, responsible for the creation of other initiatives including the well-known Cleaner Marina, has been passionate about sails since an early age and has witnessed first-hand the waste that they can create.
‘’As sailors, we all yearn for the freeing, nature-powered feeling that only a well-rigged sail can provide. Whether it be a colourful kite propelling you downwind, a reefed main giving you the comfort you need or a tightly trimmed headsail beating you upwind, we often forget that sails are in fact, highly engineered materials, built to last. We have a massive opportunity to help facilitate the reuse of existing end-of-life sail fabrics’’ said Holly.
‘’We launched ReSail to give sails, and other sailing materials, the chance of a longer life, whether again in our sailing world or another industry. Through better understanding the construction behind such materials, we can significantly reduce the waste that, unfortunately, is created in our industry. We’re already working with some fantastic partners on this project who share our passion and vision for making sailing a more sustainable practice, and can’t wait to do more.’’
Clean Sailors, a not-for-profit, was set up in 2020 to create new standards of cleaner sailing and to better advocate and educate the global marine community on a range of environmental initiatives specific to sailing. ReSail, supported by Henri-Lloyd, is the latest platform on a growing list of conservation-based initiatives that Clean Sailors has created all with the common goal – to help clean up, and protect the seas we sailors love so much.
For more information, visit: https://resailbycleansailors.com/
Notes to Editors:
Clean Sailors representatives are available for interview on request.
For further press information contact:
Clean Sailors
E: info@cleansailors.com
About Clean Sailors
Clean Sailors is a not-for-profit, mobilising the global sailing community in conservation of our oceans. Launched in July 2020, Clean Sailors' mission is to set a new standard of sailing within our global sailing community: clean sailing, by raising awareness of ocean conservation opportunities within our sport, our passion, our pastime.
The crew's aim is to make an ocean ambassador of each and every sailor around the world, and Clean Sailor’s already counts three-time world champion and four-time Paralympian Hannah Stodel, as well as CJ Perez, the youngest ever sailor to join the SailGP league, as ambassadors to their cause.
In 2021, Clean Sailors launched Cleaner Marina with industry partners including boatfolk, MDL Marinas, savvy navvy and Ecoworks Marine, to encourage better, cleaner standards across marinas, ports and harbours, globally.
In January 2022, Clean Sailors announced the launch of the Clean Sailors Youth Racing Team with three international Champion sailors; CJ Perez (18) the youngest sailor ever to join the SailGP league and the first Latina, Lukas Hesse (22), German Champion 2020 and Swiss sailor Jann Schüpbach (20). 2022 will see the exceptional young champions compete together in the Persico 69F, at the very highest standard of foiling and as ambassadors for cleaner, healthier seas and a cleaner sailing industry.
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