Mulching: giving our coconut fibre shade net offcuts a new lease of life
When a shade sail is cut custom to size, certain fiber offcuts remain unused. Rather than throwing them away, we have chosen to give them a second life. Mulching with offcuts from coconut shade sails allows this natural material to be reused in gardens, flowerbeds, or around plantings.
Why use coconut fiber offcuts in green spaces?
Mulching involves covering the soil surface around plantings. It can be done using various materials: fallen leaves, straw, wood chips, dry grass clippings, or plant fibers.
Coconut fiber shade sail offcuts can also be used to create a ground cover. Placed around plants, they act as a physical barrier.
Mulching serves several functions in the garden: it helps retain soil moisture by slowing down evaporation, reduces the impact of rain and wind on the soil, and can inhibit the growth of unwanted weeds by limiting the light reaching the ground.
In summer, as temperatures rise, this protective cover can help limit direct soil exposure and slow down drying. In winter, it also helps protect the earth from cold and frost by preventing sharp temperature fluctuations around the roots.
This is not about transforming offcuts into an entirely new product, but rather reusing an existing material by simply assigning it a different function.
Depending on their size and exposure, offcuts can remain in place for several months. Like any plant-based material, coconut fiber gradually evolves over time under the influence of weather conditions.
They nevertheless maintain a lifespan similar to that of our shade sails, lasting up to 3 to 4 years before naturally degrading and becoming suitable for composting.
A mulch that gives coconut fiber a second life
Reusing shade sail offcuts above all allows us to push further in our commitment to upcycling coconut fiber.
When manufacturing a custom shade sail, cutting generates pieces that no longer match the dimensions needed for a new sail fabric. Yet these offcuts consist of the exact same natural coconut fiber.
Rather than regarding these pieces as mere waste, we actively seek solutions to provide them with a new purpose.
Mulching is one of those solutions. An offcut that can no longer serve to shade a terrace or courtyard can become a useful feature in a garden, particularly for shielding the soil against summer drought and winter frost.
This logic of reuse aligns with a broader philosophy: extending material longevity, limiting waste, and finding new uses for already available resources.
It is also a way to raise awareness about alternative consumption habits. Materials do not necessarily have a single purpose: a resource designed for a specific application can often be reused differently once that initial use comes to an end.
Reused coconut offcuts, rather than discarded
Reusing offcuts is one of those small everyday actions that help curb material waste.
We have specifically chosen to donate some of our offcuts to non-profit organizations that can find new uses for them. They can be used to furnish animal enclosures, create climbing structures, or serve as mulching material.
This effort rests on a simple principle: an offcut is not necessarily trash.
The coconut fiber composing our shade sails comes from the coconut palm and is a natural plant material. Once cut, it can still prove useful whether in a garden, a community space, or for other reuse initiatives.
Mulching with coconut shade sail offcuts is therefore a straightforward way to extend the lifecycle of this material and grant it a second life, while helping to protect the ground against intense sun and frost.
What if your coconut offcuts could also become useful somewhere else? That is precisely the goal of this approach: reuse rather than discard, and value rather than waste.
Are you a landscaper, gardener, or green space professional?
Are you a landscaper, gardener, nursery owner, horticulturist, green space maintenance company, or manager of gardens and tourist sites looking for a natural solution to protect plant soils? Coconut fiber shade sail offcuts can find a second life in your mulching projects for beds, trees, shrubs, or landscape designs.
What we offer: a bale of mulch covering approximately 12 m², available for delivery or collection from our warehouse. Price: €18 incl. VAT (excluding delivery).
Contact us! We would be delighted to discuss opportunities for reusing our coconut fiber offcuts with you.
Giving these pieces a second life also means choosing to reuse rather than discard.
Les Ombrières de Provence – craftswomen of natural shading, from Provence to Kerala.
