About

Given that plastic accounts for over 80% of EU marine litter and fishing and shipping gear amounts to 27% of the total marine litter (COM 2018/28), it is evident that the problem is huge and the potential for recycling marine plastic waste remains largely unexploited. Until today, the plastic fishing and shipping gear of Greece and most of the EU countries is considered and treated as general waste. The issue remains a challenge and that constitutes a strong motive for BlueCycle, which wishes to have a substantial impact on eliminating the single use of plastic products. Moreover, since the quality of the recycled plastic pellet is of great importance for the plastics industry, BlueCycle is focusing on providing recycled material of high quality, ready to be integrated in the industrial production.

Solution & Product

BlueCycle implements a three-step holistic approach for handling discarded fishing and shipping gear: a) a network for the material collection (fishermen, aquacultures, shipping companies, manufacturers, NGOs’ sea & beach clean-ups), b) grading of the incoming material according to the type of plastic (nylon, polyester, polypropylene, polyethylene), washing with a state-of-the-art zero-discharge system and mechanical processing, c) production and distribution of high-quality plastic raw material (pellet) for the plastics industry, 3D printer filament and fully recyclable and traceable design furniture using cutting edge 3D printing technology, a robotic 3D-printer for large-scale production housed at BlueCycle Lab.

Innovation & Scalability

BlueCycle's holistic approach to plastic fishing and shipping gear waste management issue is innovative for the unique collection system which permits controlling the material’s quality and for processing all types of incoming plastic mechanically, in the most eco-friendly way including a custom-made zero-discharge washing machine. The recycled plastic pellet is making its way to the plastics industry, implementing the circular model, and all our recycled products are designed to be traceable and fully recyclable. The iconic "Second Nature" furniture line is created with a state-of-the-art equipment, in our robotic large-scale 3D printing lab, which is unique in Greece. As manufacturer, BlueCycle can create custom-made, unique products, but also can provide products in larger quantities, of around 2000 pieces. Finally, BlueCycle is transferable and scalable project. BlueCycle intends to scale up by expanding its assets. Particularly, BlueCycle intends to install small Units in Greece in order to avoid the transportation costs and to diminish CO2 emissions. BlueCycle also plans to transfer the know-how of the holistic approach for discarded fishing and shipping gear to European countries and establish authorized branches.

Traction & achievements

After launching BlueCycle in June 2019, a collection network for fishing and shipping plastic equipment was created and it is continues expanding. Today, BlueCycle has 24 collection points, and has formed partnerships with manufacturers of fishing and shipping gear, as well as with aquacultures. On October 2019 the BlueCycle Lab opened its doors as a dedicated space for recycling, research, designing and developing innovative products. On December 2019 the state-of-the-art robotic large-scale 3D printing lab became operational. On July 2020 the extrusion line for the production of recycled 3D printer filament and pellet was put together, a project delayed due to COVID-19 pandemic. In the same period, the R&D for the Second Nature furniture line has been concluded and the first pieces were produced. During October 2020 the polypropelene recycled pellet was tested and on January 2021 the recycled nylon 3D printer filament was ready for testing.

Team & Why Us

The team is composed by 5 persons with clearly defined responsibilities that cover all operational aspects. Mrs Suzanna Laskaridis (Founder/Executive Director) comes from the Shipping Industry. Dr. Francisco Vargas Bianchi (BlueCycle Lab Production Director) is highly experienced researcher in the field of plastics and waste management. He is also responsible for the quality control of the production. Foteini Setaki & Panos Sakkas (R&D, Fabrication) are “The New Raw”, an awarded designer duo working with waste and 3D printing. They are responsible for the robotic large-scale 3D printing lab. Ms Marily Konstantinopoulou (Business Development-Marketing Manager), MSc in Environment & Development and MBA, is highly experienced in environmental and cultural management. Furthermore, BlueCycle works closely with professionals from the plastics, marine and research fields.

Funding Needs

BlueCycle's funding needs are mostly project-based.