It is no secret that industrial activities have
largely contributed to the pollution of seas over the years and fishing, even
when carried out by villagers and not by big companies, has a larger impact on
marine ecosystems than one would
imagine: every year approximately 64,000 tonnes of fishing rods and nets are
thrown into the sea threatening the survival of many species and endangering
not only entire ecosystems, but also humanity, since so many people inevitably
end up consuming contaminated fish.
In 2010 David Stover, Ben Kneppers and Kevin
Ahearn came up with an idea that not only appeared as a solution to the issue
of plastic pollution in the sea, but also developed into an original
mission-oriented business: they started producing skateboards out of abandoned
fishing nets and that is how Bureo was born.
Bureo means “waves” in Mapuche, the language of
indigenous people in Chile, and it is exactly in the centre of this country
that the company started out. The Chilean coastline presents one of the most
productive marine ecosystems in the world and the main revenue for many locals,
therefore it must be protected: Bureo’s circular economy project definitely
gives a large contribution to the preservation of the country’s marine fauna
and flora.
The production process
Since the beginning the company has collected
more than 80 tonnes of nets. It is estimated that it takes 3m2 of
nets to make a skateboard. After they’ve been collected, the fishing nets are washed
and prepared for a mechanical recycling process: within this process, they
are shredded and fed through a 'pelletizer', where they are melted and cut
into small recycled pellets. These pellets are then injected into steel molds
to form the final products. Compared to the production of traditional
skateboards, the method reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 70%. The wheels are
30% vegetable oil and have a 100% recycled mechanism. Once finalized, the
boards in the shape of long fish with coloured scales sell for between 130 and
200 dollars.
The business’s mantra, “From the sea to the
street”, clearly conveys the founders’ dedication to the protection of the
environment and their commitment towards forming a new business mentality which
regards the improvement and preservation of natural ecosystems as a source of
revenue instead of as an additional expense.
bureo.co
eu.patagonia.com
At present Bureo is thinking about expanding
its range of products, in particular by producing sunglasses and surfboard fins
made from recycled fishing nets. The company’s website also contains a blog which actively
contributes to the mission by spreading awareness and stimulating other
businesses to follow Bureo’s example by undertaking greener policies and
adopting a circular economy mindset.
One of the most recent exmples of the startup’s influence is given by
its partnership with Patagonia. Starting from 2020, the company decided to integrate
Bureo among its main suppliers by establishing the “NetPlus project”, an initiative
that aims to clean the oceans in collaboration with local fishing communities
by providing financial incentives for the nets collected. The project, on the
one hand, is aimed to draw attention on effective solutions that companies can
undertake to fight the ocean plastic problem and, on the other, it helps Bureo
deal with the increasing number of fishing nets that are collected from the sea
every day.
Patagonia’s most popular NetPlus products are hat brims, Trek bike
parts, Humanscale office chairs and even
sustainable Jenga sets.
All Patagonia’s hat brims now use Netplus, accounting for 60 tonnes of
recycled material. Matt Dwyer, who leads Patagonia’s materials innovation and
development team, says the hats are just the beginning.
“We have to provide whatever economic incentive we can for these
materials to get recycled into high-quality durable goods, like a jacket you’re
going to wear for 25 or 30 years,” he explains. “It’s about proving it can be done.”
Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/24/ocean-plastic-recycling-patagonia-chile
https://www.livingcircular.veolia.com/en/eco-citizen/sea-street-sustainable-skateboards-bureo