Fil&Fab transforms disused fishing nets into pellets to create new plastic products

Fil&Fab logo
Type of organisation or company
Country
France
Language for original content
Scope
Submitted by
Technopolis
Description

Fil&Fab has developed a technique to transform disused end-of-life fishing nets into plastic sheets, which are then used to create a series of new plastic products. The material developed by Fil&Fab is made out of polyamide grains and called Nylo. It is used as a local alternative to plastics by upgrading nets as raw material.

The lifecycle of a fishing net is about a year. After this period, it is too worn out and can no longer be repaired, so it is left in appropriate port facilities in Brest (Brittany).

All disused nets are then taken to Fil&Fab, where they are sorted by colour and state, cleaned, dimantled to avoid mixing different plastics, and then crushed by Les genêts d'Or into a nylon powder for reuse.

Lastly, they are turned into pellets made of 100% nylon. The pellets are converted into plastic sheets with a technique developed by Fil&Fab and used to develop products that respect the values of ethical and sustainable design.

Main activity field
Main results
  • Development of a plastic material from an alternative, circular source.
  • Granulation makes it possible to obtain a basic product which can then be transformed into a multitude of objects.
  • In 2019, Fil&Fab was awarded the “Best Project Strengthening the Local Economy” prize.
  • After a successful pilot phase, Fil&Fab expects to recycle and sell 100 tonnes of discarded fishing net by 2021, a quarter of the amount discarded in the region.