Net360
Verifact, a software company, partnered with Novelplast, a recycling specialist, to enable full traceability of end-of-life fishing nets as they were transformed into commercially usable materials.
Using a blockchain-based traceability system, Verifact tracked the nets from their collection aboard fishing vessels, through each stage of the recycling process, and into the final products made from the resulting pellets.
The project began with the collection of discarded fishing nets in Greencastle, Co. Donegal. These nets were then transported to Novelplast’s facility, where they were sorted, shredded, and pelletised
Infos
Location(s): The Rubicon Centre, Munster Technological University, Bishopstown,Cork, Ireland
Duration: 2021
Funding: Novelplast
Web : www.vfact.com / https://www.novelplast.ie/
Results
10 tonnes of discarded fishing nets were successfully diverted from landfill, during the pilot phase of the project. These were transformed into polymer pellets and used in the production of baseball caps and the manufacturing of automotive components. To enable full transparency, Verifact implemented a blockchain-based traceability system, allowing the nets to be tracked from the fishing vessels through every stage of the recycling process, right up to the final product made from the pellets.
The final products included a QR scan, to allow consumers to access the verified journey of the materials, from ocean to finished goods.
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