ECO Yachts: recyclable and climate neutral boats
by ECO Yachts 2 Oct 2023 08:29 PDT
Announced at the Genoa International Boat Show the birth of ECO Yachts, the first shipyard in the world to produce climate neutral boats. All models of the ECO Yachts brand, including the ecoracer 30 recently launched during the final of The Ocean Race, will in fact be produced in such a way as not to alter the natural balance of CO2, methane and other climate-changing gases.
Key points:
- ECO Yachts is the first boatyard to produce boats whose climate neutrality has been verified by a third party.
- A Spin-off of nlcomp, the start-up that created and patented 'rComposite™', the first recyclable composite material for the boating industry.
- Honorable mention at the Design Innovation Awards of the 63th Genoa International Boat Show.
- The next model will be a fast cruiser, with a LOA of approximately 12 meters, and the range will also include motorboats.
Climate standard, following the methodologies described by the Green House Gas Protocol, ISO 14067 and PAS2060, will verify the climate neutrality of the boats.
In line with the transparency and sustainability values embodied by the brand, ECO Yachts has publicly released emissions data of the ecoracer30, along with the offsetting strategy and emission reduction plan.
The founders of ECO Yachts are the visionaries behind nlcomp, the creators and patent-holders of the recyclable composite material rComposite™, which will be used in all of the brand's boats. The boats will be manufactured in Monfalcone, Italy. A second ecoracer30 is currently in production, with delivery scheduled for the end of October.
During the Genoa International Boat Show, Eco Yachts won his first prize: an honourable mention in the Design Innovation Awards for "demonstrating what it means to take a prototype and move it into
industrial production, using experimental techniques and sustainable materials."
Fabio Bignolini said: "After the launch of the ecoracer30, we believed it was time to introduce a brand dedicated to sustainable boats. We will manufacture these boats by applying the expertise our team gained during the development of rComposite and the production of our first prototypes.
In addition to using a recyclable composite material, we have taken a further step towards comprehensive sustainability. This includes the use of recyclable molds, state-of-the-art sails, and advanced propulsion systems.
We have also calculated the emissions generated during the production of the ecoracer30, and we will offset these emissions by investing in selected projects. However, measuring and offsetting is just the first step. With the support of the climate standard team, we will implement an emission reduction plan that will be made public."
The philosophy of the range
The next model of ECO Yachts will be a fast cruiser, with a LOA of approximately 12 meters, that will set a new standard for environmentally friendly sailing. A motor yacht range will also be developed, to be announced in 2024.
The hulls of these boats will be designed with the aim of facilitating end-of-life dismantling, following the principle of 'designing for disassembly'. Thanks to the adoption of rComposite technology, available for licensing to every shipyard, it will be possible to recycle and give a second life to the composite material used to build the hulls.
Every aspect of the design process, including the selection of materials, will be aimed at minimizing weight to allow optimal sailing in all conditions and reduce the use of engines.
On board, the equipment and systems will be powered by renewable sources: solar, hydraulic and wind energy.
The use of solar panels is now widespread on many sailing yachts and catamarans, while hydro-generation is finding more and more applications. This is a system in which the electric motor, powered by the motion of the water, recharges the on-board batteries. Hydrogeneration has also found application on large sailing yachts, including the Baltic 142' Canova.
Among the choices that will reduce ECO Yachts' emissions are partnerships with One Sails and Breton. One Sails supplies 4T Forte™ sails, currently the only recyclable sails on the market. They can be easily recycled and reused for the production of accessories such as sail components, markers or sunglasses. Breton, on the other hand, will guarantee the recyclability of the moulds used to produce the boats. Thanks to the Genesi 3D printer, Breton will in fact be able to produce easily recyclable moulds through additive manufacturing.
For the design of the new fast cruiser, ECO Yachts will rely on the expertise and experience of Matteo Polli, who also designed the ecoracer30, the first boat to carry the new brand's logo.
Fabio Bignolini looks further ahead, announcing, "with ECO Yachts, we will also enter the world of motorboats. We are planning a new line, the first model of which will be a foiling boat with electric propulsion, specially designed as a tender for megayachts. Everything will be designed, engineered and produced in Italy."
Reducing and offsetting emissions
The climate-neutral strategy for the ECO Yachts models has been verified by the independent verification body Climate Standard. The assessment covers the entire production process, from the sourcing of raw materials to the delivery of the boat to the customer, ensuring that all emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases will be offset.
As part of their company philosophy that considers transparency essential for sustainability, ECO Yachts will make these certifications public. This means that not only the company's customers, but also industry enthusiasts will be able to access data on polluting gas emissions and monitor the progress of emission reduction projects.
"Over the past few years, we have successfully developed and adopted recyclable composite materials, which have served as an inspiration to other brands in the nautical industry now venturing into similar technologies. The next step we are taking enables us to guarantee that the boats we produce have no negative impact on the environment.
For us, launching a climate-neutral product is a significant declaration of our commitment to sustainability. Similarly, when boat owners choose a carbon-neutral boat, it demonstrates their strong dedication to environmental awareness."
Climate Standard verified the annual emissions in tonnes of CO2e, considering both direct and indirect emissions, including those from suppliers. This measurement will be followed by the implementation of initiatives aimed at reducing the climate footprint and offsetting unavoidable emissions. The public certification also outlines the emission reduction strategy and identifies key members of the ECO Yachts team responsible for achieving and pursuing these goals.
Pietro Spataro, CEO of Climate Standard, explains, 'Climate neutrality means that a company takes responsibility for its emissions by offsetting not only CO2 emissions but also the other five main greenhouse gases. This offsets the negative effects on the climate.'
"The European Commission issued a proposal for a directive in March that highlighted the illegality of self-declarations in environmental sustainability issues, thus necessitating a third-party verification body.
In addition to being in line with European directives, involving a dedicated company to verify this status also means being credible towards the customer. In fact, a survey has shown that 60% of consumers do not consider companies' green self-declarations to be reliable."
rComposite and the future of nlcomp
The patented rComposite technology, developed by nlcomp and available for licensing by any shipyard, is finding applications in various sectors. Currently, it's being used to prototype wind turbine blades and components for other industries such as cooling tower elements.
A new partnership with Sangiorgio Marine was announced during the show: nlcomp will build some components of a new Class40 together with Sangiorgio Marine, and will assist Edoardo Bianchi's team in analyzing and assessing the environmental impact of the boats produced.
In light of nlcomp's future plans and the goal of mass-producing sustainable boats, a distinctive brand specializing in boat production and marketing has been established: this is the reason behind the birth of ECO Yachts.
NLcomp's mission will stay consistent with what it has been until now: to address the challenge of end-of-life glass fiber composites and promote a new circular economy in the composites industry.
To achieve this, nlcomp will continue to develop rComposite and explore its potential applications, while ECO Yachts is dedicated to turning the often-abused concept of sustainable yachting into a reality.
FAQ
In line with our commitment to transparency, which we believe is a fundamental prerequisite for being able to talk about sustainability, we have prepared the following FAQ to provide further information on climate neutrality and the patented rComposite material.
Q. What does climate neutrality mean? Why is it important to be certified by an independent control body?
A. Climate neutrality means achieving a state in which a product, service or company has balanced greenhouse gas emissions with carbon absorption.
To this end, the company takes responsibility for its emissions by offsetting them in order to offset the negative effects on the climate.
The European Commission issued a directive in March that highlighted the illegality of self-declarations in environmental sustainability issues, thus requiring a third-party verification body. In addition to being in line with European directives, involving a dedicated company to verify this status also means being credible to the customer. A survey has in fact shown that 60% of consumers do not consider companies' green self-declarations to be reliable.
Q. What is a carbon footprint?
A. A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases produced by something or someone over a certain period of time, often a year.
Companies have a carbon footprint, and their products and services have carbon footprints, but we as people also have ours.
To start working to mitigate climate change, we should start by understanding how big our carbon footprint is.
A company's carbon footprint includes many different types of emissions, such as raw material extraction, electricity and fossil fuel use, food, business travels, delivery, waste, and employee behaviours.
Q. Why is it measured in tCO2e?
A. When we talk about carbon emissions, we have to think that there is more than just CO2. There are 6 major greenhouse gases, but for simplicity's sake has been decided to merge them into a single unit of measurement that takes into account their warming potential: Carbon dioxide equivalent or CO2e. With CO2e we can compare different carbon footprints regardless of whether it is CO2, Methane or Nitrogen Monoxide.
Q. How can I calculate emissions? What does Scope 1,2,3 emissions mean?
A. There are standards to follow. The most important is the GHG protocol and ISO standards, divided into ISO 14064 for calculating the carbon footprint of companies and ISO 14067 for calculating the carbon footprint of products. In each case, emissions are divided into 3 main categories: Scope 1, 2 and 3.
Scope 1 represents direct emissions that come from your company and your activities such as the fossil fuel you burn for company vehicles, heating offices or other emissions (e.g. cement production).
Scope 2 represents indirect emissions coming from the use of electricity you purchase from the electric grid.
Scope 3 represents indirect emissions from all upstream and downstream activities of your company. It means emissions from your value chain, e.g. raw materials or products you buy from others, business travel, employee behaviour, shipping before or during production and/or delivery to your customers, and more. In many cases, this category accounts for the majority of a product or company's emissions.
Q. What does offset mean? What is a carbon credit?
A. Offset is when someone use specific certificate, called "carbon credits", to counterbalance its own emissions. Therefore, to reach climate neutrality companies have to buy externally those carbon credits. Each carbon credit represents 1 metric tonne of CO2e eliminated from the planet.
A carbon credit is a certificate generated when someone implements a project that eliminates one metric tonne of CO2e. The project developer can sell these credits to support and grow the project.
There are 4 types of projects that can generate carbon credits:
- emissions avoided or reduced without storage (e.g. renewable energy, energy efficiency)
- emissions reduced with short-term storage (e.g. fight deforestation, smart agricolture)
- carbon removal with short-term storage (e.g. afforestation, ecosystem restoration)
- carbon removal with long-term storage (e.g. air capture and storage, mineralization)
Q. Why did, with the brand nlcomp, you developed rComposite? Isn't fiberglass recyclable?
A. Unfortunately, fiberglass is not easily recyclable, and there are several challenges and high costs associated with recycling this material. As a result, many fiberglass boats are burned, sunk, or abandoned at the end of their life, contributing to environmental issues. In the European Union alone, there are approximately 80,000 abandoned boats, but only a small fraction of them, around 1 in 20, are disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner.
Many people are surprised to learn about the issue of fiberglass boat disposal, as it is a problem that our industry has recently started to address, and a significant portion of the public opinion remains unaware of it. We are facing this problem for the first time, but its significance will only grow in the years to come.
As emphasized by the International Maritime Organization and the European Boating Industry, fiberglass boats have a lifespan of 40 years, which has contributed to the limited attention given to end-of-life disposal until now: many early-produced glass-fiber boats are still in use. However, the time is approaching when these boats will reach the end of their operational lives.
Projections indicate that the number of boats reaching their end-of-life in the European Union is expected to exceed 30,000 boats per year by 2030. Consequently, an average of over 23,100 tons of end-of-life composite waste will be generated annually.
The same issue arises with wind blades, which is even more concerning. After being utilized for generating green energy, these blades become an environmental issue. An article from Bloomberg highlighted the problem pointing out that "Tens of thousands of aging blades have nowhere to go but landfills."
These statistics shed light on the imminent challenge we face and underscore the pressing need to address the problem of the end-of-life- of fiberglass composites.
For this reason, we have developed a sustainable composite that is easily recyclable. We strongly believe that we cannot continue to build non-recyclable boats, justifying this because it will take 40 years before they become waste.
Q. How do you achieve this recyclability?
A. The recyclability of rComposite is achieved through the use of a thermoplastic resin, which is different from traditional thermosetting resins. While having similar mechanical properties, the thermoplastic resin used in rComposite offers the advantage of easy fiber recycling at the end of the product's life.
To demonstrate the recyclability of rComposite, we recorded a video in which the material is immersed in a special solvent for a period of 24 hours. This process allows the resin to separate from the fibers. Once separated, the resin can be returned to the manufacturer for reuse in future production, while the fibers can be repurposed for non-structural components, giving them a second life
VIDEO: Recycling test rComposite
Q. How is recycling done at the end of the product's life?
A. Recycling at the end of a boat's life can be accomplished through various methods. Since the boat is too large to be melted as a single piece, it is necessary to cut it into smaller pieces for further processing.
One recycling method involves a mechanical process that enables the material to be used for creating plastic components using additive manufacturing or injection molding techniques.
This method allows the recycled material to be repurposed and given a second life, for example as molds for composites or as furniture objects.
Another alternative method involves thermo-chemical processes, such as solvolysis. Solvolysis is a chemical process in which the resins used in the composite can be dissolved from the fibers. This process enables the recovery and reuse of both the fibers and the resin.
Q. Does the use of sustainable material have an impact on the performance of the boat?
A. No, the use of sustainable materials does not impact the performance of the boat. To demonstrate this, we participated in the Italian Sportboat Championship in 2022. Our prototype ecoracer25 won the Italian championship, against a fleet of 40 fiberglass competitors.
It is common for new technologies to face skepticism and resistance in the early stages of adoption. Fiberglass, which is now widely used in boat production, also experienced initial doubts and skepticism. However, over time, it gained acceptance and became the industry standard. Similarly, with our sustainable composite technology, we understand that it may take time for people to fully grasp its potential and benefits. As awareness grows and the advantages become more evident, we are confident that the adoption of sustainable composite will increase.
Q. Why nlcomp is you licensing rComposite to other shipyards?
A. When it comes to sustainability and addressing global environmental issues, it doesn't make any sense to use terms such as 'competitors.' This should be a collective effort. By sharing our knowledge and technology with other companies, we aim to inspire and empower them to make a positive change in the industry. In fact, we have made most of our suppliers public, as we encourage other shipyards to embrace the path of sustainable composites.
This approach aligns with our commitment to transparency, which we believe is essential when making claims about sustainability. Unfortunately, in recent years, the term 'green' has been overused, and while it used to capture attention, it now triggers immediate skepticism about possible greenwashing
D. Jeanneau has recently launched the Sun Fast 30, also made from a recyclable composite material. What does the entry of such a large group into the sector mean for you?
R. We are happy that a big and renowned yard like Jeanneau believes in producing recyclable boats, in fact the Sun Fast 30, like the Ecoracer30, which we launched at the final of The Ocean Race, is built with recyclable composite materials. This will speed up the adoption of thermoplastic resins in the yachting industry and more and more yards and suppliers will focus on this solution, which we have been betting on since 2019.
Q. Why did you adopt the vacuum infusion process for the ecoracer30?
A. We chose to utilize the infusion technique for every boat we built due to its significant advantages over traditional hand layup lamination. The vacuum infusion process is known for being much cleaner, resulting in a healthier working environment for laminators. We firmly believe that, in the future, regulations will require vacuum infusion to be the standard process in the industry.
Q. Who are your partners?
A. We have established crucial partnerships with several key players. One notable partner is the renowned French company, Arkema, which supplies us with thermoplastic resins that offer performance comparable to traditional resins. Another significant contributor to our project is Bcomp, providing us with natural fibers such as the eco-friendly Amplitex™ flax fibers. These fibers have a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to traditional fiberglass.
The recyclable core of the rComposite, known as the Atlas HPE Core, is supplied by NMG Europe. For our sails, we utilize the filmless 4T Forte from One Sails, which are currently the only recyclable sails available in the market. These sails can be easily recycled and repurposed for the production of accessories, such as sail headboards, markers, or sunglasses.
Lastly, Breton plays a pivotal role in our project by manufacturing the 3D printed recyclable molds. These partners are just a few among our carefully selected pool of suppliers, who have enabled us to make remarkable progress in sustainable boat production.
ECO Yachts: our vision on transparency and sustainability in the yachting industry
This March, the European Commission issued a directive that highlighted the illegitimacy of self-declarations in matters of environmental sustainability, thus requiring verification by a third party.
The term green has been abused for commercial purposes, and while it once captured attention, it now arouses immediate skepticism about possible greenwashing.
We need a way to distinguish truly sustainable solutions, certified by an independent body.
At the Genoa International Boat Show, we chose to announce a new brand dedicated to the production and marketing of sustainable boats, calling it ECO Yachts.
A brave name, which wants to underline that we build climate neutral boats. A name justified and supported by analyses, calculation verified by an independent verification body and public commitments.
Before saying the word "eco", we need to say the word "transparency".
We calculated the emissions of CO2 and other polluting gases emitted during the production of the ecoracer, the first boat produced under the ECO Yachts brand, and we asked a verification body to verify this data. Asking a third party to carry out an audit is common sense to us. Fortunately, the European Commission directive will soon make this compulsory, but it is a pity that it takes the intervention of a body to realize that self-certification is worthless.
By measuring the emission, we are more aware of them and we have identified how we can reduce them. The emissions we have not been able to avoid have been offset. We have therefore invested in projects that reduce polluting gasses in the atmosphere in order to ensure that the production of ECO Yachts has zero climate impact.
We have always said that transparency is an essential prerequisite for sustainability, which is why we have made this data and our commitment to reducing emissions in the coming years public. Everyone will be able to access the data on our pollutant emissions and monitor the progress of projects to reduce these emissions.
In awarding ecoracer25 the European Yacht of the Year prize in 2022, a member of the jury said: 'The Ecoracer 25 project points the finger where it hurts. Let's face it - leisure boats of today are not in any way the green product that the industry claims. Without changes the leisure boat market will be regulated and potentially fade away. The 100% recyclable Ecoracer 25 has shown that it's possible to turn green for real.'
The most commonly used material in boat building, fiberglass, is not easily recyclable.
Consequently, many fiberglass boats end up being burned, sunk, or abandoned, exacerbating environmental issues. In the European Union, there are 80,000 abandoned boats, with only 1 in 20 disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner.
While early-produced glass-fiber boats are still in use, their operational lives are approaching an end. Projections indicate that the number of boats reaching their end-of-life in the European Union will exceed 30,000 per year by 2030, generating an average of over 23,100 tons of end-of-life composite waste annually.
Since 2019, our mission has been to raise awareness of the pressing problem of glass fiber disposal and, after years of research and development, we have found the solution.
To make sure our message was heard, we took matters into our own hands and built our boats with this sustainable composite material. We have proven that sustainability does not mean compromising performance and we have also won prestigious awards.
We now make our knowledge and experience available to everyone in the market. The license to use rComposite is available to shipyards that not only claim to be sustainable but also genuinely prioritize sustainability.
In the interest of maximum transparency, we have made most of our suppliers public, encouraging other yards to embrace the path of sustainable composites, which some yards have already done. Jeanneau has in fact recently launched the Sun Fast 30, which is also made from a recyclable composite material. We are very happy that an important and renowned yard like Jeanneau believes in producing recyclable boats. This will speed up the adoption of thermoplastic resins in the yachting industry and more and more yards and suppliers will focus on this solution.
When it comes to sustainability, it makes no sense to think in terms of competitors, but instead we are working to ensure that this new technology is adopted by as many yards as possible, along with a strong commitment to transparency.
Fabio Bignolini
ECO Yachts and NLcomp CEO