Who we are

Catchgreen is a cross-sector collaborative research project that covers the entire fishing gear production chain, from the development of a brand-new biodegradable compound for ocean use, filament manufacturing, and testing, to piloting in real-life ocean conditions and prototype gear development through various project partners in Sweden, Norway, South Africa and Kenya.

Our technological innovation replaces harmful nylon and polyethylene in fishing nets with a biodegradable biopolymer, engineered to match the performance of conventional fishing nets. Inspired by the circular economy, our polymer, if lost at sea, will disintegrate into biomass without any toxins or micro-plastics. The ultimate goal is that, after use, our nets are collected and composted in industrial composting facilities.

What we do

** Biodegradation does not give a license to pollute. Catchgreen does not promote the dumping of biodegradable fishing nets. Old and discarded nets should be collected and industrially composted.**

Co-benefits

Reduces the amount of microplastics in the ocean - the nets will biodegrade without microplastics through weathering or degradation.

Reduces the incidents and duration of ghost fishing - lost or discarded fishing nets will degrade into biomass within 2-5 years.

Reduces the accumulation of plastics on landfills - old nets can be disposed of at industrial composting facilities and turned into beneficial agricultural biomass.

FAQs

  • The exact time for biodegradation in the ocean is still to be confirmed, but we anticipate that our fishing nets will break down into small enough particles to prevent ALDFG and ghost fishing within 2-4 years.

  • Microbes in the ocean break the biopolymer down into biomass, water and carbon dioxide.

  • Biodolomer®Ocean is specifically developed for fishing nets and is made from a mix of biobased PBS (polybutylene succinate) and PBAT (polybutylene adipate terephthalate).

  • Unlike conventional fishing nets, if lost at sea, our nets do not float around, trapping or killing marine life. Instead, due to the density of our material, these fishing nets sink to the bottom of the ocean. The microbes residing in the sediments at the lower ocean column catalyse the degradation process.

  • Catchgreen fishing nets will be submitted for OK compost INDUSTRIAL (EN 13432) certification. For plastic to be considered compostable, it must break down into organic material that can offer nutrients to the soil and plants in its composting environment and within a specific time frame.

  • The biodegradable fishing nets are being piloted in South Africa and Kenya in 2023. If all goes as planned, our nets should be commercially available by 2024/5.

  • Try only to buy fish that is sustainably sourced and put pressure on your local fishmonger to source fish from fishing companies that are sustainably focused.

  • Gaia BioMaterials

    Material Development

    website

  • ALNET

    Fishnet and Rope Manufacturers

    website

  • Fish SA

    Policy Development & Commercial Fisheries Liaison

    website

Catchgreen is implemented by project partners GAIA Biomaterials, Kompost-It, Alnet, and FishSA and has been awarded a grant by the UK Government through UK International Development. The grant has been provided through the Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution (SMEP) Programme. The SMEP Programme is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) and is implemented in partnership with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).