SFC Student Challenge Award 2024: Recycled and Biodegradable Wetsuits made from Ghost Fishing Nets
by Abery Chan
Challenge topic: Decarbonising Fashion, Towards Zero-Waste
As a passionate environmentalist and an avid scuba diver, I struggle with wetsuits which are dominantly made of polyester, nylon and neoprene. Wetsuits are not just a fashion statement but a necessity. It protects bodies from the cold, getting hurt, and enhances mobility underwater. Although recycled plastic fibres are a step up in reducing virgin fibre consumption,
there is still a gap in the circularity of swimwear. With wear and tear, wetsuits shed plastic microfibres that never fully decompose and remain in the ocean forever. So how can we decarbonise wetsuits and stop polluting the ocean?
An unexplored waste resource is ghost nets - discarded or lost plastic fishing nets that destroy coral habitats, and trap and suffocate marine life to death. The WWF reported in 2020 that 500,000 to one million tonnes of fishing gear is left in the ocean every year. Another academic paper by Richardson et al. in 2022 estimates that 2% of all fishing gear enters the
ocean annually. Despite ghost net removal initiatives by environmental organisations, they are sent to landfill instead of being recycled.
Aligned with zero-waste and decarbonisation objectives, my solution works with organisations which collect ghost nets to recycle them into wetsuits. My manufacturing process will also mix in biodegradable additives to produce new biodegradable wetsuits. When such biodegradable wetsuits shed microfibres into the ocean, they will break down under natural conditions within two years without leaving harmful contaminants in the environment. Moreover, such post-consumer wetsuits can also be composted instead of becoming waste. This technology hence cuts volumes of textile waste in the ocean and on land.
Like many ocean-lovers, I hope for the day I can put on my swimwear with pride, knowing it takes care of my body and our collective planetary health.