November 14, 2024
1 minute reading time
Northern Lights Composites plans to transform the sport by turning old boats into new
Finding new ways to make the sport more sustainable has been one of the main challenges facing sailing in recent years. Equipment can break, become damaged, or obsolete and need replacing, but what happens to the pieces?
Winners of the 2024 World Sailing Technology Award, previously the Boat of the Year Award, Northern Lights Composites, have developed a pioneering sustainable solution in boat construction which maintains high performance while addressing environmental challenges head-on.
Over the past five years, Northern Lights Composites have worked to develop their patented recyclable composite material which can be dissolved within 24 hours. By using a thermoplastic polymer, Northern Lights Composites is tackling one of the biggest environmental challenges in the sailing industry – fibreglass boat waste.
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By partnering with top-tier shipyards like Grand Soleil and Beneteau, Northern Lights Composites’ technology is helping to drive widespread adoption of eco-friendly construction materials.
Their “ecoracer” boat has already won championships, demonstrating that sustainable technology can also be high-performing, making Northern Lights Composites a pioneer in green sailing innovation.
Collecting the award, CEO of nlcomp®, Fabio Bignolini, said, “It is really a huge honour to win.
“A celebration like the World Sailing Awards is unique, and we are grateful to World Sailing for giving us this opportunity.
“We hope that our technology will become more present in the industry, and I hope this award will helps us spread the word.
“It is really important to win this award because it gives us credibility in the sailing industry, and as a start-up it is difficult to get recognition in the market. We hope this award will give us the credibility we need to keep pushing the industry and making progress with sustainability in the sport.”