Solution Scope: Development of biobased and/or biodegradable materials 

Target Contaminant: Plastics & Other Litter (Fishing gear)

Solution Provider or Contact Point: University of Southern Brittany (ComposiTIC & Lab-STICC),  NaturePlast  

Project: INdIGO – INnovative fIshing Gear for Ocean

ITS Description: The ITS is a direct result of the EU-funded INdIGO project, and it is represented by biodegradable fishing nets with a controlled lifespan to reduce marine plastic pollution. The project involved a comprehensive approach, covering the production chain of the fishing gear from formulation to prototype net development, deployment at sea, durability tests, technical and economic analysis, and a life-cycle analysis. The innovation in the filament produced for these nets stands in the 2-years durability, as well as the capacity to biodegrade (if lost at sea) in the span of the following 3 years. Biodegradability is the key feature of this fishing gear technology, and it has been tested both under lab conditions and through real-life testing with local fishermen. Real life testing from the INdIGO project has acknowledged that sustainable fishing nets holds higher costs for the sector, and fishermen feedback in the project identified that fishermen would be willing to pay a bit more, provided that they are also supported by national and European funding. At the end of the project, formulations of biodegradable plastics were developed, and prototype nets were produced on a laboratory scale. Meanwhile, Mussel net prototypes were manufactured at industrial scale by using the biodegradable materials. Biodegradation and ecotoxicity tests scientifically verified that the nets are assimilable by microorganisms without impacting the marine environment at the end of their lifespan. This ITS will now require follow-up activities including scale-up and further testing.

Correspondence with BMM OIR (sectoral priorities, R&I activities, gaps, needs): This ITS responds to an R&I need for new research in plastics pollution prevention via employment of alternative materials. It also responds to technological challenges listed in the BMM OIR for the Plastics Industry when developing equipment for the Fisheries & Aquaculture sector. These include the need to tackle plastics and microplastics contamination and impacts from fishing gear as well as minimizing plastic waste. This is translated into tangible development of circular economy-principled and fully biodegradable materials for fishing nets under marine conditions and in the short term.