If you walk by a recyclable trash can in the USA, the contents highlight a problem in identifying what qualifies for that option. The issue is too much trash is still trash, but this report by George Day in the Cruising Compass indicates the Europeans are turning a corner:
After spending three days at the Cannes Yachting Festival in France last September and meeting with the leaders of the major boat building companies, including Groupe Beneteau, Hanse Groupe, Fountain Pajot, and others, I saw that things on the far side of the pond are a little different than they are at home.
In Europe, the pressure to create new products – boats, cars, planes, and more — that are eco-friendly and without a carbon footprint through the whole lifecycle of the product has a wide and energized following. This concept involves the design, engineering, build, lifetime of use, and end-of-life recycling.
To practical Americans, this might seem to verge on the edge of faddishness. But the new 33-foot weekender from Grand Soleil does embrace some intriguing ideas and may be a look at what we may all choose to embrace in the future, not just for the sake of the planet but also for a stab at modern, non-throw-away product development.
It’s called the Grand Soleil Blue Zero Impact. And, it may be the pointy end of a design direction for the builder and perhaps others. To read more, click here.
Source: https://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2024/12/12/is-this-the-pointy-end-of-design-direction/
