A pen from AKVA group. Photo: AKVA group
AKVA group will, together with Plasto and Oceanize, break the barriers to using recycled plastic in fish farms. The entire pen will now be composed of recycled materials in a development project that has just been allocated funds from the Norwegian Retailer´s Environment Fund (Handelens Miljøfond).
The Norwegian Retailer´s Environment Fund supports projects that aim to increase the use of recycled plastic resources, and the organization has now chosen to support the project for the establishment of circular value chains within pen production in Norway.
Recycling of discarded plastic pens
Due to requirements for material quality that are regulated by a technical standard (NS 9415 (2009)), mainly virgin plastic is used in load-bearing structures in the pens. The project will challenge the standard, not by changing the requirements, but by proving that recycled plastic from a discarded aquaculture facility has the qualities to meet the requirements.
AKVA group has already used recycled plastic on the pen walkways, but this project will make it possible to produce the entire pen based on recycled plastic from discarded pens.
Oceanize has extensive experience in collecting and recycling plastic from aquaculture and today delivers a carefully tested high-quality plastic granulate.
«The project is a major circular economic milestone. Now we get the opportunity to show the qualities of our plastic granulate. At the same time, complete solutions like these are central in a sustainability perspective,» says Trude Vareide-Giskås, Project Manager in Oceanize.
Great environmental potential in national value chains
Up to 12,000 tonnes of plastic waste is generated annually from the aquaculture industry and the plastic resources are reused or collected and recycled. Potential climate savings from national management of plastic waste is up to 50 million kilograms of CO2 by preventing, among other things, the incineration and export of resources.
«Pens today are not a big litter problem, but there is a great potential for using the plastic in new pens. In this project we will achieve short, national value chains as the project participants are all established in Norway,» says Trude Olafsen, Project Manager in AKVA group.
Helgeland Plast (wholly owned subsidiary of AKVA group) produces the pens in Mo i Rana, Oceanize collects pens along the entire coast and has its granulation factory in Rørvik, and Plasto produces parts for the pens in Åndalsnes. The basis for an efficient and national value chain is in place. In addition, AKVA group will be able to spread knowledge to other fish farming nations where they sell plastic pens.
Granulated plastic. Photo: Oceanize
Contacts
Trude Olafsen, AKVA group ASA, TOlafsen@akvagroup.com, 91557400
Trude Vareide Giskås, Oceanize. trude@oceanize.no, 97129604
Runar Stenerud, Plasto, runar@plasto.no, 986 13 576