Carpet tile manufacturer Interface and conservation charity the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) are expanding a pilot project that turns discarded fishing nets into recycled material for carpet tiles.
The partners say their program, called Net-Works, also provides socio-economic benefits for coastal communities.
In the pilot’s first month, Filipino fishermen and their families collected one ton of fishing net from the sand and sea, where nets can harm the environment and marine life. The fishermen cleaned up beaches in four communities near Danajon Bank, a threatened coral reef in the Philippines.
Most nylon from these fishing nets is the same material used to make carpet yarn, and Interface says the collection effort will help it reduce its use of virgin raw materials.
According to the carpet company’s most recent sustainability report, 44 percent of the raw materials Interface used in 2011 were from recycled or bio-based sources, up from 40 percent in 2010, 4 percent in 2004 and just 1 percent in 1996.
Source: Environmental Leader