In partnership with Bureo, Patagonia has developed clothing made from used fishing nets, collected from local fishermen on the coast of South America.
A Patagonia cap visor and fishing nets. At first glance, there is nothing to connect these two products. It is the NetPlus thread that is the link between the visor of the cap you are wearing and the fishing net. Produced by the company Bureo, the recycled nylon NetPlus is made from unusable fishing nets recovered from fishing communities in South America.
On clothes instead of in the ocean
It is with this great recycled raw material that Patagonia has developed several products such as anorakss, the parkass, the jackets or caps. The brand is also helping to develop the NetPlus material by supporting Bureo since 2014 via its investment fund (Tin Shed Ventures).
And it's an understatement to say that there's a lot of raw material to be recovered from these unusable fishing nets, which often end up polluting the oceans rather than in recycling centres. This material is one of the most harmful forms of marine pollution, with scientists estimating that more than 650,000 marine animals are killed or seriously injured by fishing gear each year.
A complete cycle from fisherman to consumer
In concrete terms, the fishing nets are first collected from South American fishermen. More than 50 fishing communities are currently participating in this program throughout Chile, Argentina and Peru. All are paid for each net collected. The nets are then sorted, cleaned and cut up in Chile.
Transformed into recycled 100 % nylon granules (the famous NetPlus), this material then becomes fibres, components or moulded plastic products. Any company can then buy it to use in the manufacture of various objects or equipment. NetPlus is also certified by an independent body as a Global Recycle Standard (GRS), guaranteeing recycled textiles with respect to environmental and social criteria. Only products containing at least 20% of recycled material are eligible for GRS certification.
By using the NetPlus material since 2020 for part of its range, Patagonia has already diverted 35 tons of used plastic from the oceans. The goal is to gradually integrate this material into a wider range of the brand's products.
