Salt Legacy is a company born on the water.
Meaghan McDonald’s passion for the sea led her to start the Victoria-based upcycling business, which is dedicated to protecting the waters of the west coast.
“I just fell fully in love with the marine environment and all of the ecosystems kind of interacting together gave me a better perspective and just the current conditions of some of these ecosystems really pushed me to preserve what I love,” says McDonald.
From an idea to reality in a matter of months, McDonald collects donated sails and turns them into weatherproof backpacks.
“With sailcloth, it is extremely durable, it’s UV resistant, abrasion-proof and they’re built for the rigors of the sea,” says McDonald.
“So once they’re discarded and they’re at the end of their life span they still have a lot of natural life to give,” adds McDonald.
As an added bonus, each pack comes with its own history lesson.
“I ask the donor to provide me with where that sail has been in terms of sailing across oceans, locally sailing and also any kind of fun and historical stories that go along with that particular sail and what type of sail,” says McDonald.
While it is a for-profit venture, there is a broader goal driving McDonald and her team. She wants to connect her customers with nature.
“Connection to me is getting individuals involved and thinking about their own personal connection within the environment themselves,” says McDonald.
“So that to me is kind of what is driving the background of Salt Legacy and making a profit along the way is great, but also I want to aim to reduce the impact of marine debris entering into the ocean again as well,” she adds.
The backpacks are currently in the final stages of development.
To find out more about how to donate a used sail, visit Salt Legacy’s website.
Meaghan McDonald’s passion for the sea led her to start the Victoria-based upcycling business called Salt Legacy, which is dedicated to protecting the waters of the west coast. (CHEK News)
McDonald’s company collects donated sails and turns them into weatherproof backpacks. (CHEK News)
Each pack comes with its own history lesson, such as information about where the sail had been and other details. (CHEK News)
The backpacks are currently in the final stages of development. (CHEK News)
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Cole Sorenson
