Who we are

Catchgreen is a commercial company that designs, manufactures, and sells biodegradable fishing gear that has been tested and proven in real ocean conditions. We manage the full production chain, from filament manufacturing, gear production, and performance testing. Our products are piloted with fisging partners in real working environments before being brought to market, ensuring they meet both environmental and commercial fishing requirements.

Our biodegradable fishing gear replaces conventional nylon and polyethylene with an advanced biodegradable polymer, engineered to deliver the strength and performance fishers expect from traditional nets. in fishing nets with a biodegradable biopolymer, engineered to match the performance of conventional fishing nets. Guided by circular economy principles, our material is designed to break down naturally in the marine environment if gear is lost at sea, without forming microplastics or releasing toxic residues, ultimately returning to water and CO2. After its working life, our ideal pathway is for the nets to be collected and processed in industrial composting facilities, closing the loop of fishing gear materials.

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 and ropes will biodegrade without microplastics through weathering or degradation.

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

Reduces the accumulation of plastics on landfills - old nets and ropes 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.

  • Scientific evidence suggests that biodegradable nets in PBS, such as nets in biodegradable bioplastic break down into CO2 and water by the microorganisms found in the ocean. More research is needed to fully understand the degradation of PBS in different marine environments.

  • Our biodegradable compound 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.

Catchgreen has been funded by 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).