PHOTOGRAPH BY purpose
MORE THAN 100 MILLION pounds of plastic from industrial fishing — known as “ ghost gear ”— remain in the ocean each year , clogging harbors while threatening marine wildlife and fishing businesses alike . Fishing nets , in particular , are a pernicious form of ocean pollution , killing or injuring up to 650,000 marine animals each year . Discarded nets , lines , and ropes now make up anywhere from 46 % of the floating marine debris collection known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch , according to World Wildlife Fund , to over 75 %, according to The Ocean Cleanup .
Danish cleantech company Plastix recycles plastic fiber waste to produce a product with a 94 % lower carbon footprint compared with virgin plastic . It sources used and obsolete nets and ropes directly from the fishing and maritime industry , which doesn ’ t currently design its materials for recyclability . As regulations tighten to ameliorate the cost of virgin plastic and of micro- and nano-plastic fibers found in both the fish we eat and in once pristine waters , the demand for “ green ” plastics grows . The waste nets and ropes are processed into resin pellets that can be used to create new plastic applications , including parts for BMW ’ s forthcoming series of electric vehicles .
Gupta says HP is also experimenting with recycling fishing nets and the Styrofoam buoys that keep the nets afloat . The nets could potentially be used in place of virgin nylon to make the spring-like structures underneath each key on a keyboard , while the Styrofoam could be used to produce the keys themselves .
“ Fishing nets are a near-perfect solution for those nylon applications ,” Gupta explains .
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