Bureo

Bureo recycles end-of-life fishing nets to create a plastic feedstock that is used for apparel fibers and accessories. The company’s key product is its “NetPlus” plastic feedstock. Bureo shreds end-of-life fishing nets that have been cleaned of organic matter. The shredded nets are further deconstructed to remove dyes and impurities and made into a liquid, which is reformulated into nylon chips or pellets. The nylon pellets are then processed using injection molding to create skateboards, Jenga blocks, and sunglass frames or are extruded and spun to create NetPlus Yarn.

Bureo sources waste fishing nets from Chile, Argentina, Peru, and the US, working with 20 communities in these countries through its Net Positiva recycling program. Bureo reports plans to repurpose 1,500 metric tons of fishing net waste in 2023, having repurposed 1,130 metric tons in 2022. As of December 2023, it claims to have collected ~4,612 metric tons of fishing net waste. The company also claims that each skateboard repurposes 30 sq ft of nets, reducing its greenhouse gas footprint by as much as 70%.

Key customers and partnerships

Patagonia has been a product development and funding partner since 2014 and uses NetPlus in a range of apparel and accessories including Baggies, jackets, pants, shorts, running tights, wetsuits, and hats. As of September 2023, Patagonia has used over 2,000 metric tons of waste nets through its partnership and plans to incorporate NetPlus into more products over the coming years.

In 2015, board game manufacturer Pokonobe Associates also partnered with Bureo to develop and sell Jenga blocks made from NetPlus, which use over 25 sq ft of waste nets and are sold by Bureo. In July 2019, Trek Bikes partnered with Bureo to unveil the “Bat Cage” water bottle holder, which repurposed 44,000 sq ft (3,850 pounds or ~1,7 metric tons) of waste nets in 2019. In July 2021, Costa Sunglasses partnered to develop a line of responsible sunglasses under its Untangled Collection.

In May 2023, Apparel company Quicksilver and beer brand Pacifico released their second collaborative apparel capsule collection, which includes hats made from NetPlus. This follows an earlier capsule collection released in July 2022. In July 2023, Toyota’s trading arm Toyota Tsusho announced that it planned to work with Bureo to pilot and implement fishing net recycling programs in the Sotobo area of Japan’s Chiba Prefecture, under Toyota’s PATCHWORKS project.

Funding and financials

In December 2023 , Bureo raised an undisclosed amount in a Series B Funding round led by Ocean 14 Capital to expand its operations.