UK Foreign Secretary highlights biodegradable fishing nets made from Swedish material in policy speech

The UK’s new Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, recently delivered a major policy speech addressing the climate crisis. In his speech, he highlighted biodegradable fishing nets as an example of initiatives made possible through British investments. These nets, developed in South Africa using Swedish material, have the potential to completely eliminate the problem of ghost nets in the oceans over time.

Photo: Konrad Rosén – R&D Manager at Gaia Biomaterials, with the biodegradable fishing net.

The Swedish company Gaia Biomaterials, based in Helsingborg, developed the bioplastic material – Biodolomer – which is used to produce the nets. The material is compostable and does not release microplastics. Biodolomer is used fpr a variety of applications, including grocery bags, disposable aprons,  and drinking straws.

For several years, the company has been working with South African company Catchgreen, supported by the UK Foreign Office, to develop a version of the material for the fishing industry: Biodolomer Ocean.

“Fishing nets that end up in the oceans becom ghost nets and pose an enormous problem,” says Konrad Rosén, Head of Development at Gaia Biomaterials.

“They can float around for hundreds of years, becoming deadly traps for marine animals while also releasing microplastics.”

Gaia Biomaterials’ new material has been tested in Africa for several years, and has been used in inland fishing, seaweed, and coral farming in Kenya, a country with strict regulations on plastic use.

Recently, the first complete net made from this material was finished and showcased at an international fishing exhibition in Iceland.