[Courtesy of Samsung Electronics ]
Samsung said it has partnered with Royal DSM, a Dutch company active in the fields of health, nutrition and materials, to gather waste fishing nets along the coastlines of the Indian Ocean. Collected fishing nets were cleaned and extruded to develop an eco-conscious material that consists of a minimum of 80 percent recycled polyamide, or nylon.
With the help of Hanwha Compound, a polymer compounding company in South Korea, the recycled material was transformed into high-performance polyamide resins with a minimum of 20 percent repurposed fishing nets. By the end of 2022, Samsung said the use of recycled ocean-bound material could prevent more than 50 tons of discarded fishing nets from entering the ocean.
About 50 percent of ocean waste in South Korea comes from fishing nets and plastic buoys. The Seoul government has launched a campaign to use biodegradable fishing nets and prevent ghost fishing that damages fish stock. Ghost nets can destroy underwater habitats such as coral reefs and benthic fauna, which are common spawning grounds for marine animals.
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