From Israeli Olympic sails to bags

Jan 13, 2019

How do we make bags from Israeli Olympic team sails?

We simply upcycle. The upcycling of yacht sails is in fact an urgently needed response to the growing environmental problem of waste. The global recreational boating market is anticipated to exceed USD 230 billion by 2024. With this upsurge of sails, the problem of what to do with sails when they are no longer wanted or serviceable continues to grow. We proudly solved this issue.

Yes, they were Olympic sails!

When the sails - consisting of old Olympic sails & double handing boat sails were delivered to our office, excitement was in the air as we are able to turn sails that were once used at the Olympics into durable bags that provide jobs for men & women exiting the sex trafficking industry. How C O O L is that?!

Instead of being trashed, the sails that were once used to represent and bring pride to Israel are now being upcycled into beautiful bags.

Yogev Yosef, a coach at the sail club and the 2002 world sail championship winner initiated the donation of sails to kite.pride. Yosef was raised and is still living in Kibbutz Sdot Yam. From the young age of 8, he was involved in the world of sailing due to his fascination and excitement of the ocean. In 1997, at the young age of 16 Yogev won the European Championships in the non-Olympic 420-class dinghy and placed second in the European Junior Championships in the 470-class in 1999, achieving the same result at the World Junior Championship. He is currently a coach for the 470 team.

Who are the Sdot Yam sail club?

The Sdot Yam sail club is Israel's leading sailing institution. They are proud to have among its ranks, the World Champion Gal Friedman, who won the first Olympic gold medal for Israel. The sail club boasts 45 international medals, including Olympic medals, World Cup medals and European championships. The club has 240 sailors from all over Israel, 15 sailing and fitness trainers, 108 Sailboats, nine Motor boats, three boat houses, a club, an office, and classrooms. Check them out here

So, what is the process of upcycling?

While traditional recycling involves breaking down used products to create new raw materials (think old water bottles made into a new fleece vest), upcycling refers to the creative reuse of an item without so much processing (more along the lines of a table made from an old door). Sails, like all equipment, eventually need to be replaced, but major damage doesn’t have to take the wind out of your sails forever. With a little imagination, not only can you get a return on your investment, you can save most of the material from ending up in the landfill, but more importantly, you can make a social impact! So, next time you’re ready to change out your old sails, consider giving the thickly woven material a second wind and donate them to us!