Reusing ropes

The Norwegian aquaculture industry uses 5-6,000 tonnes of rope annually, certified in accordance with NS9415. At the end of the certification period the solution has involved using a recycling facility for recycling our ropes. In collaboration with our project partners, Oceanize and Sinkaberg-Hansen, ScaleAQ is currently investigating the opportunities available for reusing ropes before they are recycled under the GJENTA(U) (REUSE ROPE) project. This project is being funded by the Norwegian Retailers’ Environment Fund.

It will form the basis of a process that will enable ropes from the aquaculture industry to be reused by recertifying them in order to define potential areas for reuse. If the ropes can be recertified and reused, this will reduce the need for the production and transport of new equipment, something which could benefit the environment, the climate and the economy. Our aim is to enable sustainable plastics handling, which means that our plastics will remain in the circular economy and will not simply disappear during export or incineration, etc. This will also be documented by performing a life cycle analysis where the environmental footprint of the ropes is identified and then verified documents describing the environmental profile of reused ropes are obtained by submitting environmental product declarations (EPDs).