Recycled resin used to make trays and stationary

Teijin Limited and four other specialised enterprises have developed a breakthrough solution for recycling polyester fishing nets, which have been a challenging material to recycle due to the lack of a dedicated process. This has resulted in about 1,300 tons of landfill waste each year in Japan.

The new system enables polyester fishing nets to be collected and recycled into resin that can be used to make commercially marketable trays and stationery. The partners had to overcome two major challenges: developing a technology capable of cleaning smelly, waterlogged fishing nets and stripping the polyester of coatings, and ensuring profitability.

The companies identified organic solvents that can be used in an environmentally friendly cleaning process to produce virtually odourless resin that can be recycled repeatedly. They also devised a method for manufacturing high-quality resin pellets containing a mixture of other recycled resins added to improve durability and heat resistance.

Thanks to this project’s success, commercially viable resin recycled from fishing nets is now being used to produce food trays for a restaurant chain in Japan. This achievement not only tackles the issue of landfill waste but also promotes sustainability in the fishing industry.