Apr 26, 2020 07:55 AM
https://science.howstuffworks.com/enviro...a-hats.htm
EXCERPT: . . . a startup called Bureo — founded by three North American surfers — is collaborating with fishermen [...] to keep hundreds of tons of discarded nets out of the ocean each year. ... recycled polyester and nylon pellets, called NetPlus ... is used in Patagonia's hat brims, Trek bike parts, Humanscale office chairs — and even sustainable Jenga sets.
[...] an estimated 8.8 million tons (8 million metric tons) of new plastic pollution enters oceans every year. The oil industry is investing in a huge surge of plastic production, which is expected to grow by 40 percent by 2030. ... If current trends continue, by 2050 there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish by weight...
[...] budding companies [...are producing...] clothing entirely from ocean plastics. ... "Ocean plastic is not one type of plastic that can be used for high-value products. It is mixed and degraded and needs to be separated," says David Stover, who founded Bureo alongside Ben Kneppers and Kevin Ahearn. Durable products need to be made from quality substances. Wading through masses of ocean trash and sourcing key material is time-consuming and financially draining.
The company met with ... communities in Chile to vet different materials. They found that rather than smaller plastics such as bottles and six-pack rings, coastal communities were particularly burdened by fishing nets [...] Heavy and cumbersome, they choke land mammals and pollute seabeds and beaches. And fishermen in Chile were desperate to get rid of them.
[...] Kneppers spent two years ... working ... to flesh out how to collect and process the nets. ... Curbing global plastic production, however, may prove the bigger challenge, especially given a likely surge in cheap new plastics resulting from falling oil prices. ... In the meantime, Bureo is making a dent in Chile's net waste problem... (MORE - details)
EXCERPT: . . . a startup called Bureo — founded by three North American surfers — is collaborating with fishermen [...] to keep hundreds of tons of discarded nets out of the ocean each year. ... recycled polyester and nylon pellets, called NetPlus ... is used in Patagonia's hat brims, Trek bike parts, Humanscale office chairs — and even sustainable Jenga sets.
[...] an estimated 8.8 million tons (8 million metric tons) of new plastic pollution enters oceans every year. The oil industry is investing in a huge surge of plastic production, which is expected to grow by 40 percent by 2030. ... If current trends continue, by 2050 there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish by weight...
[...] budding companies [...are producing...] clothing entirely from ocean plastics. ... "Ocean plastic is not one type of plastic that can be used for high-value products. It is mixed and degraded and needs to be separated," says David Stover, who founded Bureo alongside Ben Kneppers and Kevin Ahearn. Durable products need to be made from quality substances. Wading through masses of ocean trash and sourcing key material is time-consuming and financially draining.
The company met with ... communities in Chile to vet different materials. They found that rather than smaller plastics such as bottles and six-pack rings, coastal communities were particularly burdened by fishing nets [...] Heavy and cumbersome, they choke land mammals and pollute seabeds and beaches. And fishermen in Chile were desperate to get rid of them.
[...] Kneppers spent two years ... working ... to flesh out how to collect and process the nets. ... Curbing global plastic production, however, may prove the bigger challenge, especially given a likely surge in cheap new plastics resulting from falling oil prices. ... In the meantime, Bureo is making a dent in Chile's net waste problem... (MORE - details)