The startup Skizo, created in UPTEC – Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto, created a bag for washing clothes that collects microplastics released by the fibres and avoids sending them to rivers and oceans.
The bag was produced from discarded fishing nets and plastic collected on the Portuguese coast and beaches by local fishermen that are later transformed into textile material by companies in the North.
Quoted in the document, André Facote, CEO and co-founder of Skizo, says it is estimated that 35% of microplastics released into the ocean come from the wear and tear of synthetic textiles during washing.
“These microplastics are ingested by fish, which we then consume,” he said, adding that this bag is a first step to help solve this environmental problem. According to André Facote, to use the bag, fill it with about two-thirds synthetic clothing and put it in the machine and other garments.
“As the bags are made with a thin layer of polyamide (textile from nets) with openings of about 50 micrometres, the fibres that may be released from the synthetic clothes are retained in the bag and can be discarded for plastic recycling,” he said.
The next steps of the technology company under development include studying the possibility of giving a second life to the microplastics collected by the bag and investing in the production of swimwear from discarded fishing nets. So far, the brand, which began its product line with the development of trainers, has sold to several European countries and Brazil, the United States, and Canada.
The startup has also created beach bags produced with plastic from the ocean, recycled cotton and linen, and this month intends to launch a new design of trainers to customize. Its co-founder said that the products are only produced to order so that only the resources necessary for market demand are used.
Source: CCIPV / LUSA
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