Work to move discarded fishing gear onto a pier is under way in the western port city of Boryeong on July 2, 2020. The waste was retrieved by local fishermen from under seas off the port in a campaign to clean the seas. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 13 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean fiber manufacturer Hyosung TNC Co. has teamed up with a municipal government to release a new nylon textile made of abandoned fishing nets.
The company signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Busan metropolitan government and a social venture Netspa on Wednesday to produce eco-friendly textile by recycling abandoned fishing nets.
The partnership was formed to reduce the pollution of marine ecosystems caused by abandoned fishing nets as well as to improve awareness about the protection of the marine environment.
The city government will establish a system for separate disposal of abandoned fishing nets, while Netspa will be in charge of washing and processing the collected fishing nets.
With the recycled fishing nets, Hyosung TNC will produce a nylon textile called MIPAN Regen Ocean.
It will also expand investment in a depolymerization facility that improves the purity of ingredients by removing the impurities in fishing nets.
By expanding the depolymerization facility by the end of this year, Hyosung TNC aims to churn out more than 150 tons of MIPAN Regen Ocean per month.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
