Sails made of recycled materials
In development since 2020, Elvstrom Sails' recycled material-based products have passed a new milestone. Presented to the French public at the end of 2021, the new XRP Cruise range from the Danish equipment manufacturer has taken a new step by offering sailors sails made from recycled plastic-based polyester laminate. Both the UV protection film, the taffeta and the polyester fibers are derived from recycled materials to arrive at this product that the manufacturer describes as high-end.
The XRP Cruise is available in 3 weights, from 200 to 600 g/m². According to the brand, this corresponds to 20 to 30 recycled water bottles for one square meter of sail. The black recycled fibers give the sails a slightly gray appearance by combining with the white taffeta.
Eco-responsible and economically viable sails
Elvstrom Sails insists that protecting the environment does not have to be a cost to the boater. The price of XP Cruise recycled sails is comparable to that of sails made from new fibres. We hope that the fact that there is no real pricing issue on these sails will make the decision to go to a more sustainable version very easy," explains Flemming Christensen, project manager at Elvstrom Sails.
A global ecological approach
Beyond the choice of recycled materials, Elvstrom Sails highlights its environmental initiatives with the Ekko initiative. For the purchase of a sail of the range, the manufacturer finances the recovery of one kilo of plastic in the ocean. It also insists on the origin of the energy of its factories, 100% produced by Danish wind turbines, by taking into account in the purchase of energy that consumed by its subcontractors outside Denmark.
While keeping the known materials, Elvstrom opens a way to limit the ecological impact of sailing. A necessary element, the sail being a wearing part for many boats. It remains to be seen how best to move from recycling to recyclable...
