MEDASSET Greece joined the ‘Healthy Seas, a Journey from Waste to Wear’ initiative, as a local partner from 2015 until 2017. The initiative aims at recovering fishing nets from the seas and regenerating them into high-quality ECONYL® yarn, which is subsequently turned into brand-new products such as socks, swimwear and carpets.
Healthy Seas: A Journey from Waste to Wear
Why recover waste from oceans?
Marine litter is a symbol of a resource-inefficient society. Waste that ends up in our oceans is not only not being put to better use, as raw material for new products, but causes harm to marine life if they ingest it or become entangled in it. It is also very difficult and expensive to clean up. There is a growing body of evidence to show that marine litter, in particular derelict fishing nets (“ghost nets”), poses serious environmental, conservation, animal welfare, human health and economic costs that are of relevance to many stakeholders. It is a global problem that requires urgent action.
CREDIT ‘David Burdick, Marine Photobank’
What is Healthy Seas?
Healthy Seas was a joint venture of the non-governmental organisation ECNC Group with two businesses: Aquafil Group and Star Sock. They share a common mission: clean the oceans and seas of derelict fishnets responsible for the needless death of marine animals. Healthy Seas aimed for sustainability, in both an environmental and an economic sense. It didn’t just dump the waste nets into landfills. Instead, it recycleed them into high-quality raw material for brand new products such as socks, swimwear, carpets and other textiles.
- Country EUGreece
- Approach Awareness
- Theme Marine Litter & Pollution
