EN
Menu
Partnership with BioDesign Foundation

Why fishermen fish plastic

Cyrill Hugi
Founder, Chief Executive Officer

No one can achieve great things alone. Not even us. That's why we're joining forces with real movers and shakers, such as the BioDesign Foundation, to rid our planet of plastic waste. But this story is also about your toothbrush and an Italian fisherman.

The president of the BioDesign Foundation searches for plastic fishing waste on a boat.
Our partner Roberto Guerini, President of the BioDesign Foundation , in search of nets made from polypropylene, polyethylene and nylon, which have been in use since the 1960s. enespa is reintroducing these nets into the plastic cycle.
The president of the BioDesign Foundation searches for plastic fishing waste on a boat.
Our partner Roberto Guerini, President of the BioDesign Foundation , in search of nets made from polypropylene, polyethylene and nylon, which have been in use since the 1960s. enespa is reintroducing these nets into the plastic cycle.

Fisherman fishes plastic

The fisherman's name is Gianni Collelli. He is one of the fishermen off the coast Apulia. What is happening to many of his colleagues also happens to him: Gianni is finding fewer and fewer fish but more and more plastic in the net. He used to remove the plastic painstakingly from the net and throw it back into the sea with the bycatch. But he and his colleagues quickly realised that they would have the same waste in their nets again next time.
The Mediterranean is one of the dirtiest seas in the world: 7% of global microplastics can be found here.

Although many people are aware of the negative consequences of plastic, the boom in plastic production continues unabated. When Gianni started collecting the plastic, the police arrived. At the time, it was illegal to bring waste ashore in Italy. The fishermen were fined for illegally transporting waste. Italian fishermen have only been allowed to collect waste from the sea since 2019. However, this poses a new problem for Gianni.

Roberto Guerini, President of the BioDesign Foundation, reaches into a pile of old fishing nets made of polypropylene, polythene and nylon to throw them into a shipping container for disposal.
Fishermen can dispose of old nets and plastic waste from the sea in the container at the municipal wholesale fish market.

Where to take the plastic?

Fishermen like Gianni are often left alone with the rubbish they collect. There is simply too much of it. The plastic from the sea overwhelms the communities along the coasts, which can barely cope with the plastic waste on land.

Ghost nets account for between 30 and 50 per cent of the marine plastic. They pose a threat to many animal species.
Our partner, the BioDesign Foundation, has recognised this problem. The foundation relieves fishermen of their troublesome burden: fishing waste. As part of the "Vox Maris" project, the foundation sets up collection containers near harbours. To great success: every year, for example, in Chioggia , approx. 100,000 kg of nets and other material are collected. This makes the fishermen protectors of the sea on which they depend.

What to do with the plastic?

This is where we at enespa come in. We take the plastic from the sea for the foundation. It is not dumped or incinerated, but returned to the cycle. We produce the original product, oil, from mixed plastic waste. This closes the plastic cycle: Your new toothbrush is made from an old ghost net that would have caused many animals to die an agonising death if it had remained in the sea.

Gianni Collelli looks to the future. The Collellis have been fishermen for generations. Perhaps his children will also go out to sea. Gianni would like that. That's why he fishes plastic out of the sea today. He does it for his children. And for all of us.
Portrait of Cyrill Hugi
Author

Cyrill Hugi

Portrait of Cyrill Hugi
Founder, Chief Executive Officer
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Cyrill Hugi's passion for technology has never wavered since his first apprenticeship. Various international training programmes have seen him travel as far as the USA. His professional career has taken him to Italy and Germany, where he previously held management positions in major global corporations in the commercial vehicle sector. Cyrill Hugi fulfilled a dream when he founded enespa ag. With the support of his team and visionary investors, he strives to "make the impossible possible". The outcome is circular economy solutions aimed at protecting nature, which is something very close to his heart.
info@enespa.com
+41 71 788 33 88

Strong together

All too often it's about being the best. But in a new market, competitors should work together to get ahead. A lesson in why good business relationships are important.
Read more
Management Group

enespa Group
Schäfligasse 1
CH-9050 Appenzell

News

© enespa 2024

Subscribe to newsletter

The road to a circular economy for plastics is a long one. However, we are not travelling this path alone, but together with you. Celebrate with us when we come one step closer to our goal.

 
 
* Unsubscribing from the newsletter is possible at any time.
 
 

Subscribe to our media newsletter

The road to a circular economy for plastics is a long one. However, we are not travelling this path alone, but together with you. Celebrate with us when we come one step closer to our goal.

 
 
* Unsubscribing from the newsletter is possible at any time.