Recycling end-of-life rowing shells: Share your views
Please complete a survey about your water sports equipment, including the amount it gets used and what happens to it when it’s beyond being sold or rehomed
Recycled carbon in use
Sustainable Sailing Ltd, a world leading company in sail recycling are collaborating with the World Sailing Trust and RYA Green-Blue to launch the first nationwide, water sport survey to understand the use and recycling of marine sports equipment and clothing in the UK.
British Rowing Sustainability Lead Rachel Dulai says, “Following the launch of our Environmental Strategy earlier this year, we are keen to understand the scale and potential impact of the equipment we use. Largely made out of carbon fibre, the materials and resins in boats are often made from petrochemicals, few of which are recyclable. We would like to help Sustainable Sailing in their survey of equipment and kit, so we can work together on innovative solutions for recycling such materials IF a boat is not wanted on the second hand market first. This will significantly reduce our carbon impact, as a sport and we urge you to take part in this survey.
There are over 1.5 million composite yachts and 1 million composite dinghies globally, with about 1-2 % reaching end-of-life annually. Recently the fibres and resins that fragment from these end-of-life boats have been shown to be eaten by shellfish and cause ecosystem damage. To address this, Sustainable Sailing Ltd have developed recycling solutions to prevent water sports related textiles (such as sails, and specialist clothing) and hull composites from reaching landfill. Their solution can even recover all the chemical building blocks of these textiles, which can be reassembled to make new, durable garments.
As they scale up their recycling systems, Sustainable Sailing need to ensure their technologies meet the needs of water sports participants in the UK. They are aiming to explore the current trends, preferences, and attitudes of UK consumers towards their water sports equipment, including the amount it gets used and what happens to it at its end of life.
Please note that this survey has been designed for participants in a wide range of what are described as “adventure” water sports. While rowers might not consider that our sport entirely fits with this description, and some of the questions don’t apply to rowing (e.g. those relating to sails, ropes, or safety harnesses) and particularly not to rowing in a freshwater environment, Sustainable Sailing are interested in gathering the views of the rowing community. Just answer as best you can!
