BUILDING THE FUTURE OF YACHTING WITH NATURAL FIBER COMPOSITE

Sunreef Yachts Eco is a holistic concept reassessing every aspect of the yachting

experience to make it more energy efficient and responsible. Eco catamarans built by

Sunreef Yachts use the latest green tech solutions, including hi-tech electric propulsion,

custom-engineered battery banks, composite-integrated solar panels, energy-saving air-

conditioning or hydrogeneration. The shipyard’s R&D department is currently

implementing natural fibre composites to take another big step towards a sustainable

yacht building process.

NATURAL COMPOSITES

Natural fibre composites (NFC) implemented by Sunreef Yachts Eco, use flax fibre to obtain

composite structures of the highest quality and excellent mechanical characteristics. Sourced from the French Upper Normandy the high-quality fibre is paired with bio-based or recyclable resin to create truly natural composites. The NFC structures will have their Life Cycle Assessment,n showing the ecological benefits of choosing them over standard structures.

A NEGATIVE CO2 FOOTPRINT

Flax fabrics demonstrate a negative CO2 footprint, due to the absorption of CO2 during the plant growth. On top of that, Sunreef Yachts Eco natural composites can be recycled. The Sunreef R&D department is currently developing the technology enabling chemical recycling of the composites. This process involves the extraction of both the resin and the fibre, in order to give both materials a new life.

NEW POSSIBILITIES

Due to the natural translucency of flax fiber, it is possible to build lighting sources into the

composite structures to explore new design possibilities. In addition, flax fabrics can be woven into countless patterns and can be dyed into an endless variety of colours. While non-structural elements and furniture made of flax-based composite are already part of the Sunreef Yachts Eco offer, the shipyard is already working on introducing larger structures and solar panel

integration.