SPOTLIGHT: Harry & Kieran of Waterhaul in Cornwall, UK
In our 'Spotlight' series, we speak with some of the people and teams working to give sails a second life.
In this edition, we speak with Harry and Kieran from Waterhaul in Cornwall, UK, who, alongside making sustainable sunglasses from ocean plastic, have found a way to incorporate old spinnakers into the clean-up process...
Tell us about your ReSail project, how did you get started?
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!
What materials do you most look for, and why this in particular?
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.
What has been your proudest achievement so far?
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.
Why is it important for you that we give old things new life?
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.
Where can we find out more about your project?
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.
