Rethinking how you restock for the new season

We all want to lower our environmental impact while on the water, but many of us just aren’t sure where to start. This World Earth Day (22 April 2024) we take a closer look at how some of our most recognisable watersports brands are now building sustainability into their product’s design and lifecycle, making it easier for you to make greener choices. 

Rediscovering resources 

Sustainable Sailing is the world's leading sail recycling company and one of only a handful of companies that are delivering closed-loop recycling solutions for technical textiles and composites. They offer sail recycling bins to organisations and composites, rope, textiles manufacturing waste uplift bins to companies, to take these wastes, pass them through a very unusual recycling system, and return the building blocks of these textiles and composites back to a circular economy. 

Sustainable Sailing’s unique process recovers most of the building blocks of textiles and composites from a product at a very low carbon footprint. They are currently scaling up their systems to enable them to support more sailors across the UK. 

Fix and repair 

Supporting water users to repair and reuse clothing and equipment, the leading provider of high-quality water sports gear, Rooster, is leading the way. Rooster’s recently launched initiative, Rooster Revive, specialises in offering a comprehensive repair service to extend the life of wetsuits, clothing, and sails. 

Fixing everyday rips, tears, and holes, the Rooster team first evaluates the necessary work on an item and supplies a quote to the customer. Rooster’s repair partners, at Predator Wetsuits and Drysuits and Sandy Point Watersports, then perform expert repairs using premium-quality materials. 

All RYA members receive £25 off when you spend £150 across the entire range of Rooster clothing products online.

The future is blue 

At Marlow Ropes, they are turning the tide on every stage of their rope manufacturing. Their range of Blue Ocean® products is produced from recycled polyester yarn made from 100% recycled plastic bottles. Each of the items is Global Recycled Standard certified, which means that the products have successfully met ethical and supply chain standards and have completed an Environmental Impact Assessment. 

There are currently 6 rope products available in the Blue Ocean® range, with varying sizes available to meet the different needs of the user. 

Polyester re-imagined 

OceanЯ creates sustainable and ethical collections of clothing made using eco-friendly fabrics. They use recycled polyester produced from post-consumer plastic waste like fishing nets and discarded plastic bottles, reducing the need for new resources. Over the last few years, OceanЯ has diverted 1.5 million+ plastic bottles from entering landfills. 

Continuing their commitment to the environment, OceanЯ has recently launched the Take it Back Programme, allowing their brand partners to return used garments to their factory where they give new purpose to end-of-life clothing by transforming them into new products. 

RYA members can receive up to 35% off OceanЯ products.

Cleaning up the marine environment

Developed using the latest biotechnology in bacteria, enzymes and plant extracts, Ecoworks Marine products clean without causing harm to the environment. There is no longer a need to sacrifice performance when using greener cleaning products, Ecoworks get the job done whilst protecting the environment. 

All of the ingredients included in the cleaning products are sourced from renewable and sustainably sourced raw materials. 

You can now purchase both interior and exterior cleaning kits for your boat or yacht, including Eco-Friendly Laundry Detergent, Toilet Cleaner, and Deck & Teak Cleaner. Many of the products are available in high concentration, saving both plastic and space on-board.  

RYA members can receive up to 15% off Ecoworks Marine products and free postage to UK addresses. 

Find more sustainable alternatives

You can discover more products and services providing more sustainable alternatives on The Green Blue Business Directory.  Each of the products included in the online directory have been designed and developed to help boat users minimise their environmental impact. From holding tank digester kits, to solar panels and bio-based epoxy resins, the Directory has range of products and services available to support you in lowering your environmental impact.