They were destined for Hong Kong’s landfills. A lifelong sailor has given them new life
A Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club member has partnered the club with an NGO in Hong Kong to upcycle discarded sailcloth
When Hong Kong was just a fishing village, seafaring was often simply a means to an end. Today, sailing is a leisure activity for the city’s urbanites.
It is not just the nature of cruising on the water that has evolved: in the mid-20th century, sailcloth – the cloth used to make sails for ships and boats – shifted from natural canvas to synthetic fibres and plastic polymers. Although this has made them more durable, lightweight and rot-resistant, these high-performance materials are also non-biodegradable, persisting in the environment long after their original purpose is served.
“A single sail can weigh up to 50kg [110lbs],” says Ricky Lai Kai-ming, a veteran recreational sailor. “Historically, in Hong Kong, all retired sails go straight to the landfill. Hong Kong creates too much rubbish.”
According to government data, an average of 1,885 tonnes of plastic waste was disposed of every day in Hong Kong in 2024.
Stuck in landfill for ‘thousands of years’
Lai, now in his fifties, sees the disposal of retired sailcloth as both an environmental and emotional tragedy. “Today’s high-performance sails are almost a space-age material, impossible to recycle or break down,” he says. “They will stay in the landfill for thousands of years. And it’s sad to send them there – these sails have been with their boat owners and their families for many years, for recreation or international tournaments.”
Although there are established commercial operators that specialise in upcycling retired sailcloth into bags and other products, they are mostly based in Europe. The carbon footprint alone to ship the heavy material there from Hong Kong would defeat the purpose of trying to do environmental good.