The BIRSARE project will develop 4.0 tools for the circularity of marine plastic waste
The BIRSARE project will develop 4.0 tools for the circularity of marine plastic waste
The BIRSARE project will develop 4.0 tools for the circularity of marine plastic waste
Through the development of tools based on 4.0 technologies, the BIRSARE project aims to consolidate new recycling and reuse chains for used fishing nets
The collaborative innovation project BIRSARE, with the participation of Aclima, Leartiker, Mondragon Unibertsitatea Business Faculty-MIK, Birziplastik, Plásticos Clossa and the Spanish Plastics Center (CEP), is currently underway, with the aim of developing data and information exchange tools based on 4.0 technologies to consolidate new recycling and reuse chains for used fishing nets.
The management of marine plastic waste and more specifically that generated by fishing gear can become a new source of plastic raw material that is currently not being exploited and generates a great environmental impact on marine and coastal ecosystems. The BIRSARE project is based on this reality, which is also an opportunity to generate new value chains for the blue economy and environmental sectors.
Although there is great awareness of the presence of plastic waste in the oceans and its impact on both species and marine ecosystems, waste from fishing activities, which represents the majority of the macroplastics that accumulate in the sea, continues to be less relevant to public opinion and the mass media, focusing more on microplastics and their final impact on human beings.
According to the latest reports on the situation and the marine plastic footprint of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), if the current way of managing the waste present in the sea continues, it will double by 2040. Fishing nets are the biggest plastic pollution in the oceans and are responsible not only for the unintentional capture of marine species, but also for damaging ecosystems due to their high toxicity and prolonged presence, which can last more than 600 years.
To begin with, BIRSARE plans to develop a systematic and quantitative method to assess the environmental impact of plastic from used fishing nets. In addition, it will develop a traceability platform to identify and track the materials through the different processes involved in the collection and recycling of this waste, since the need for transparency and reporting of environmental information is key for companies that want to compete in terms of sustainability.
The project contemplates the formulation of a new product following the UNE EN 15343:2008 standard based on net waste from the maritime sector, adapted to the requirements demanded by the automotive and furniture sectors. With this raw material derived from the recycling of plastic waste, new circular components will be manufactured for these sectors.
The BIRSARE project has been funded by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism through the aid program to support Innovative Business Groups (AEI), under the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, in order to improve the competitiveness of small and medium enterprises, in the call published in the BOE of April 15, 2023.