Transforming lost and discarded fishing nets into high-quality products and giving waste materials a new purpose is core to the mission of Waterhaul. Alongside their sunglasses, they have created a range of litter picking equipment, turning waste materials into a resource that people can use to tackle the issue of plastic pollution themselves. However, their litter picking range was missing one thing; a sustainable, reusable, durable bag… until they met Rory. By teaming up with local Cornish maker, Rory McKellar from Ocean Republic, and friends at Clean Sailors, they found the answer in a local collaboration!
After discovering more about how so many sails end up in landfill (97%!), they knew they had found the solution to the missing litter picking bag. The lightweight, thin material of spinnaker sails is strong, easy to wash and perfectly fits within our 100% recycled fishing net bag hoops, making it the ideal material for a reusable beach cleaning bag.
Sails are made from incredibly high-performance plastics, but due to their mixed-material construction they’re deemed non-recyclable. Although they are no longer functional as sails, they are still in great condition to be reused and repurposed. And thus began our sail upcycling scheme!
After some trial batches, it was quickly realised that spinnaker sails were the best material for the job, and they got going on the full production and the launch! 8-months later, their upcycled sailcloth bags are constantly in demand and incredibly popular. They just can’t get hold of enough material to keep up with it all!
Waterhaul are proud to be working locally with Rory from Ocean Republic to provide an end-of-life solution for sails, which go on to have an added positive impact when used again and again on litter picks and beach cleans across the UK.
If there is anyone with any unwanted sail cloth, particularly spinnaker, then Waterhaul would love to hear from you! Find a full list of Waterhaul contact details on the Waterhaul website.
