Glaukos, a four-year European project that will develop biodegradable and biorecyclable textile fibres and coatings to be used in fishing gear and clothing, kicked off this month. This European research project brings together a partnership of 14 partners from nine European countries and is financed with more than €4.1 million from the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (@BBI2020), a public-private partnership between the European Commission (Horizon 2020 programme) and the Bio-based Industries Consortium (BIC).
Abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) accounts for about 27% of all marine litter found in European oceans, the equivalent of 11,000 tons ALDFG entering the marine environment each year. Evidence has been mounting that the synthetic fibres which make up much of our clothing and fishing gear, are also a major source of textile-related microplastic pollution in marine environments. Clothes simply wear off during use and in particular during washing. It was found that in a typical wash, up to 700,000 microparticles can be released. Glaukos (@Glaukos_project) aims to develop innovative textile fibres and textile coatings that are adapted to the 21st century needs. According to the organisers of the project, they reconcile excellent technical performance with a low environmental impact.
Zsófia Kádár, Glaukos Project Coordinator, said: “We are looking forward to tackling one of the biggest problems our society is facing with ocean pollution. According to the latest studies marine microplastic concentration have been vastly underestimated. “Plastic leakage can only be truly mitigated if polymers are developed that are prone to recycling and biodegrade rapidly and completely. Glaukos’ ambition is to pave the way for this transition. We have all the partners to succeed.”
Source: Bio Market Insights
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