GLAUKOS

The focus lies on two important contributors to the (micro) plastic pollution in our oceans: fishing gear and clothing. The complete life cycle of these textiles will be redesigned: their sustainability performance (i.e. biodegradability and bio-recyclability) will be enhanced significantly, while their technical performance will be matched to end-user requirements.

Objective

Glaukos builds upon:

• Triggerable biodegradability as key concept in polymer design to mitigate (micro) fibre pollution, and
• Bio-recycling as sustainable end-of-life solution.

In addition, the supply chain distance is substantially reduced by scaling up a disruptive way of producing the main polymer building block (itaconic acid) from several bio-based feedstocks. The underlying objective of Glaukos is to reduce the carbon and the plastic footprint of clothing and fishing gear.

Stakeholder engagement is an integral part of the project:

• Stakeholder Labs will be set up to involve end-users from the clothing and fishing gear industry (e.g. to match technical requirements),
• Consumer awareness will be raised via e.g. influencer marketing, and
• The fishing gear industry will be supported as regards to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) on fishing gear litter. New Life Cycle Assessment methods will be developed to better assess the plastic footprint of textile value chains. Finally, integrated methods to assess the biodegradability and Eco toxicity of micro plastics in marine environments will be developed and their standardization initiated.