Innovative nylon fiber-to-fiber recycling for fishing nets on trial

Toray Industry, Nitto Seimo and Taiyo A&F will expand a program launched in last November to solve marine plastic issue by recycling materials from fishing nets into new ones, recovering materials from used nylon fishing nets.

The recycling program launched last year was accordingly limited to nylon scraps and process waste from net production. It is challenging to reuse in new nets as the strength and durability of fibers deteriorate during spinning owing to debris and algae contamination from immersion in the sea.

Toray thereafter leveraged a proprietary technology employing nylon fiber-to-fiber recycling technology – some nylon from discarded fishing nets to develop a recycled fiber which is comparable to virgin material.

Toray has developed recycled fiber from discarded nylon fishing nets.

Nitto Seimo manufactures nets with such recycled fiber and Taiyo A&F’s offshore purse saine fishing vessel Taiyo Maru No.21 will deploy the nets in the Northern Pacific Ocean on a trial basis.

Newly developed fishing nets will be deployed by Taiyo Maru No.21.

The three companies will confirm the commercial practicality of these new fishing nets. They will draw on trial results, verify materials scopes, ratios and other aspects of expanding their usage and expand the new nets to market in December 2023.

Toray and Nitto Seimo will develop and manufacture innovative fibers and fishing nets made from process scraps and other pre-consumer materials and post-consumer materials such as used fishing nets, with Taiyo A&F testing the results.

These companies will collaborate to deepen efforts to develop technologies and create advanced materials to build a system for recycling old fishing nets into new ones.

They will also keep collaborating to reach two key sustainable development goals – Goal 12 ensures sustainable consumption and production patterns, and Goal 14 conserves and uses the oceans, seas and marine resources.