Home / Environment / Ocean Nets Become Skateboards: Chile's Green Innovation
Ocean Nets Become Skateboards: Chile's Green Innovation
5 Sep
Summary
- Founders met in Australia, launched Net Positiva in Chile in 2013.
- Collected 10 tonnes of fishing nets in the first year.
- Recycled nets are now used for skateboards, sunglasses, and textiles.
Three friends, Ben Kneppers, David Stover, and Kevin Ahearn, founded Net Positiva in Chile in 2013 after meeting in Sydney. Observing the environmental damage caused by discarded fishing nets, they established the first program in Chile dedicated to collecting and recycling this waste. Fishermen were incentivized by payment per kilogram of nets they surrendered.
Net Positiva collected approximately 10 tonnes of waste fishing nets during its inaugural year. This collection effort rapidly grew, expanding to 17 coastal collection points in Chile and later reaching 62 fishing communities. The company, renamed Bureo, sources its recycled material, marketed as NetPlus, from these collections.
Bureo's initial product was the Minnow cruiser skateboard, made from approximately two square meters of recycled net. The company's name, 'Bureo,' originates from the Mapudungun word for 'the waves.' Patagonia invested in Bureo in 2014, utilizing the NetPlus material for products like hat brims.
NetPlus has since been incorporated into a diverse range of items, including sunglasses, chairs, and even a Jenga game. Conservation International aims to replicate Bureo's model in Peru, Ecuador, and Mexico, targeting 4,000 tons of nets by 2026. Bureo has also expanded its operations to California and Asia, supported by investments from entities like Toyota Tsusho Corporation.
