Ep. 23 - A Sailor and a Scientist on Recycling Old Sails

Sails. There are millions of them in circulation on our planet, and just as many heading into landfill each year. Currently, there aren’t any formal recycling schemes to be found anywhere in the world, but many small organisations are working with sail material to make new things. Whilst these efforts are noble, it’s clear this isn’t the long-term sustainable opportunity - environmentally or economically, and legislation is now rapidly changing.In this episode, Dr. Joe Penhaul Smith and Sam Penhaul; one scientist and one sailor, discuss the chemistry of sail material and their efforts towards recycling sails, in the most direct meaning of the term ‘recycle’.