4T FORTE™ technology by ONESAILS Int. is the only Carbon Footprint certified sail in the world!
4T FORTE™ technology by ONESAILS Int. is
the only Carbon Footprint certified sail in the world!
Thanks to its revolutionary features, which quickly made it the international market leader, the 4T FORTE™ has been recently awarded with the prestigious ISO 14040 and ISO 14044 certifications.
The 4T FORTE™ was officially presented to the international press in late 2013 during the 45th Barcolana in Trieste, Italy. Produced by Flexon Composite Ltd and commercialized by OneSails, the revolutionary flexible composite material quickly became a landmark product in high performance sailmaking, obtaining important international market shares.
Thanks to the use of technologies and components developed in other highly specialised areas such as military, biomedical fields and the development of MMS (Multi Micro Structures -Pat. Pending) technology, 4T FORTE™ ensures production of high performing and lightweight sails without compromising durability and reliability. The innovative material guarantees high stiffness, free from any dimensional variation, and makes the sail humidity-proof due to a polymerisation process which remains 100% recyclable.
The 4T FORTE™ sails are produced with a minimum enviromental impact and fully recyclable, therefore, the international market recognises them as “environmentally friendly” sails.
In october 2014 the official confirmation arrived: CSQA, an Italian certification and inspection company, formed in Italy in 1990 from a long established and prestigious institute of biotechnology, certified that the life cycle of the 4T FORTE™ sails complies with the standards ISO 14040 and ISO 14044. The technology developed involves a reduction of between 33% and 66% of greenhouse emissions compared to an equivalent polyester sail, with possibility of further improvements due to increasing developments in the sails recyclability
The current certification, ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, are documents comparing emissions of greenhouse gases, CO2 equivalent, during the entire life of two types of sails built with different types of material. Assessment begins from the production of raw materials, all manufacturing processes, to the completion of the sail in the sail loft.
It has been estimated that there is about 130 million m2 of sail material on sailing boats worldwide. Comparing a 4T FORTE™ new generation polyethylene laminate (PE) sail with a sail built using traditional woven polyethylene terephthalate (PET), such as Dacron, has revealed that the production of a 50 m2 sail in PE, due to a CO2 emission equivalent of 174.75 kg compared to 338.01 kg from a PET, in just 4 months of production would lead to a reduction of around 17 tons of CO2.
There are two main factors which cause this reduction: the use of a lower mass material (the weight of the 4T FORTE™ sail is 23 kg compared with 32 kg average of PET sails) and lower CO2 contents of the PE used for the production of a 4T FORTE™ sailcompared to PET.
With the new 4T FORTE™ technology developed by Flexon Composites Ltd. for OneSails involving a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions compared to the production of a polyester sail the possibility of further improvements and future uses of PE parts to reinforce PET sails and consideration of the sails recyclability, the future of PET is also looking positive.
Looking forward, 4T FORTE™ and subsequent PE products have ever increasing potential to be less energy consuming than the equivalent process of PET. On this point, companies are working alongside OneSails to increase understanding of the recovery of used sails through recycling and reuse of the test material, with the aim of making this product fully recyclable through a collection system for used sails, recovery and reconditioning of the PE, thus reducing further emissions of CO2 equivalent.
"Going to sea with a sailing boat - said Pietro Bonato, Managing Director CSQA - is already an act of respect towards the environment. Using a sail in PE also implies a saving of 66% of emissions of greenhouse gases. We hope that this example of Italian virtuoso, other companies will develop technologies that are increasingly attentive to innovative solutions particularly in the area of recreational boating of which has always been a symbol of freedom and respect for the environment. CSQA is proud to be at the side of all those who wish to affirm their commitment to an objective and shared. "
"The use of a power boat - said Leonard Bernardelli, Environment, Energy and Climate Change & Business Developer Manager Scheme CSQA - causes an emission into the atmosphere of about 2 kg of CO2 per liter of fuel burned. If you are using the boat sailing in PE, there is a further CO2 reduction of approximately 150 kg, for each sail purchased."
