Handcrafted upcycled sail bags meet social good
發佈日期: 2026-05-18 23:22
TVB News
St. James' Settlement teams up with the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club to transform retired sails into stylish eco-bags.
This initiative is about more than recycling-- it also empowers people with disabilities through creating crafts.
Samantha Li takes us for a closer look at how these sails are finding a second life.
Sails that once braced the winds embark on a new journey life on land under the needle of a sewing machine.
Stitch by stitch, people with disabilities are handcrafting these materials into various types of bags, such as duffel bags, dry bags, and toiletry bags.
According to estimates from the Club, hundreds of sails are discarded in the city each year.
Mostly made of synthetic materials designed to be tough, these retired sails often remain in nice condition, with potential for upcycling into durable products.
Sam Cooke, Sustainability Sub-Committee Member of RHKYC said, "Sailing can be seen as a little bit of an aloof sport, right? You need a lot of materials and people in order to do it. You need boats, you need sails. The yacht club is quite a fancy place, so we want to partner more with Hong Kong to show that this is something that is more accessible and show that we are happy to give back to the community in some ways and also reduce our waste and our footprint at the same time."
St. James' Settlement says proceeds from the sales will be used to support the participating members and fund the centre's operations.
Sonia Tsang, Project Manager of St. James' Settlement Jockey Club Upcycling Centre noted, "This is a very good opportunity to develop and co-create product to promote social co-creation and upcycling through our disabled."
These bags feature the HK initial, meaning that they are entirely crafted from locally-sourced sailboat canvas.
