Some positive news where rope is concerned...

Capitalism at it's best or something very much unlike it, a not unexpected result, and in the "I don't know whether to laugh or cry" department...

I really like Dyneema. Seriously, what's not to like as it's stronger than steel, light enough to float, and doesn't stretch or creep if you choose the right diameter for your needs. Pretty much the  perfect rope except for that little issue of being fossil fuel-based.

Then again, a lot of the stuff we use on boats is based on fossil fuels and plays havoc with our carbon footprint. We might like where some of that stuff comes from but it's not like we have a lot of choice in the matter or alternative materials to work with.

As it happens, Marlow is now making Bio-Based Dyneema. Bio-based Dyneema has identical technical characteristics and performance as conventional Dyneema but uses waste from the pulp and timber industry as its primary raw material.

Better yet, every ton of Bio-based Dyneema Marlow uses, reduces carbon emissions by 5 tons compared with a ton of conventional Dyneema. The comparison with generic HMPE is even starker as 1 ton of Bio-based Dyneema produces 29 tons less CO2 than 1 ton of generic HMPE.  Which is equivalent to charging 3.7m Smartphones or the same CO2 offset by 480 tree saplings over 10 years.

All in all some very good news and here's hoping all of the rope companies will be following Marlow and transitioning to Bio-Based Dyneemas as well.

Listening to Lost in Society

So it goes...