Feb 13, 2024

North Sails’s president, Ken Read discusses NPL at Dusseldorf introduction

Last week at the Dusseldorf boat show and simultaneously around the world including in Canada, North Sails launched RENEW, a North Panel Laminate (NPL) sailcloth for cruising boats 25 to 45 ft. RENEW sailcloth is constructed from more than 90% sustainable sources, with no sacrifice in performance or longevity.

North Sails is equally committed to finding solutions for sustainable sails, low-impact manufacturing, the use of alternative fibers, and opportunities for material circularity. The launch of RENEW sailcloth therefore marks an important shift towards building more sustainable sails with the best materials.

North Sails at the show – boot, Dusseldorf

RENEW Product Director Tom Davis commented, “There’s been a lot of rigorous work behind the scenes over a number of years to ensure RENEW is a sailcloth with legitimate sustainability credentials. This product has been tested to the absolute limit, and we are confident that a sail constructed with RENEW will offer comparable, unbeatable durability and sail shape for our cruising customers without compromising on performance.”

For RENEW, North Sails was able to source recycled polyester film and yarn, and bio-based Dyneema, with no compromise on performance, to create a highly durable cruising laminate cloth that features more than 90% alternative bio-based and recycled raw materials. The supplier products for RENEW are all Bluesign Certified and ISCC compliant to guarantee the validity of the sources and processes used in their manufacture. 

North Sails President Ken Read noted, “We have been deliberate and comprehensive in vetting the authenticity of sustainability claims and thoroughly testing the materials before bringing a product to market. We wanted to be 100% certain with RENEW that North Sails could stand behind the improvements in the carbon footprint and authenticity of the sustainable materials in our sailcloth. With our wider commitment to continuous improvement and our push to strive for more sustainable solutions across the business at all levels, RENEW will not stop with panel laminates, and we will look to apply this approach to sustainable raw materials across our broader range of products.”

Under the RENEW program, North Sails will continue to partner with suppliers to identify and refine the raw materials needed to produce ever more sustainable sails for all customers. North Sails is working on new solutions for sustainable sources across all North Sails technologies, including 3Di sails. 

Davis continued, “North Sails has committed to adopting Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to learn about the ecological impact of all products and to establish goals for reducing waste and pollution. An important aspect of achieving these goals is to introduce more recycled content. By 2025, North Sails will implement a Responsible Product Scorecard for all products and will also establish measurable goals for circular products that can be recycled at the end of their lifecycle.”

To learn more about the story behind the development of NPL RENEW, the manufacturing and the integration of sustainable raw materials click here.