PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Every year, millions of tons of litter ends up in the seas, causing environmental, economic, and human health problems. Most of this marine litter is made of plastic. It is estimated that more than 150 million tons of plastics have accumulated in the world's oceans, while 4.6-12.7 million tons are added every year. Polypropylene (PP) nets (socks) used for mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) farming are considered a major sea-based source of plastic marine litter in the Mediterranean Sea. World mussel production reached 2.14 million tons in 2016, a quarter of which is in Europe. Officially, the annual production in Italy is about 80 000 tons with 700-1 000 tons of PP socks consumed yearly for grafting and breeding. Mussels are produced by means of a “long-line” system, where they are kept in PP tubular socks submerged in the sea. This aquaculture activity does not require feed and is extremely environmentally friendly. However, with the intensification of production, the use of PP socks has increasingly become an environmental threat also because, during the mussels’ life cycle, PP socks are replaced at least twice and during this on-site operation part of them are often lost at sea. According to DeFishGear’s "Marine Litter Assessment in the Adriatic and Ionian Seas", mussel socks in Italy were the third most abundant item recorded on the seafloor (8.4%). The long degradation time of PP means that socks remain in the sea for hundreds of years, turning from macro to micro and nano plastics with severe impacts on marine fauna.
OBJECTIVES
The main objective of the LIFE MUSCLES project is to reduce the environmental impact of PP socks used for mussel farming, by developing and promoting a more sustainable production value chain. This will minimise the dispersion of PP socks in the marine environment, and encourage their recovery and recycling for the production of new socks and/or other items.
In particular, the project aims to:
- Start the transition to a circular economic model within the mussel production sector in two pilot areas in Italy, North Gargano and La Spezia, through the recovery and recycling of PP socks used for mussels farming in the former, and their replacement with brand new biodegradable and compostable biopolymer (BP) socks in the latter;
- Increase the sustainability of the mussel farming sector in the target areas by promoting the replacement of PP socks with BP socks, and validate the feasibility of mechanical and organic recycling of BP socks;
- Provide Italian mussel farmers with a mobile Recycling Plant able to operate directly at their facilities;
- Characterise the recycled PP and BP materials to ensure their applicability within the mussel farming supply chain and other production chains/sectors;
- Promote the development of the new business model among companies in the mussel farming sector;
- Raise awareness of key stakeholders, such as farmers, distributors and consumers, on the sustainability of the mussel production sector;
- Define and transfer good practices to reduce the dispersion/abandonment of PP socks at sea.
The project will contribute to the implementation of the EU Integrated Maritime Policy and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) by reducing the environmental impact of mussel farming; the European Blue Growth Strategy and the BlueMed Initiative; Council Recommendation on ICZM of 2002 and the Protocol to the Barcelona Convention on ICZM; and the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. LIFE MUSCLES is in line with the European Green Deal, by promoting a sustainable transition toward a fair and green economy and investing in environmentally-friendly technologies, and with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 12 and 14).
RESULTS
Expected results:
- During the project lifetime, the Recycling Plant will treat a total amount of 71 tons of used PP socks. Of this, 50 tons of regenerated PP will be used to produce new mussel socks, while 5 tons will be used to produce 1 million recycled packaging nets;
- A pre-industrial scale demonstration of a circular management system at TRL 7 (collection, storage, treatment, recycling, and packaging) of PP waste;
- Economic motivation for mussel farmers, who will save at least 70% of purchase costs of PP nets and the full disposal costs for the used socks;
- Replacement of 26.5 ton of PP socks with BP socks in the pilot area of La Spezia;
- Closing of the mussel production cycle with maximum reduction of PP waste and valorisation (as compost) of BP waste by mechanical recycling and composting at the pilot sites;
- Involvement of 12 mussel farming operators in North Gargano in the collection and recovery of used PP socks and in the testing recycled ones and of 86 operators in La Spezia in BP socks testing;
- Creation of a reference standard for mussel farming socks to be proposed for UNI and ISO standardisation;
- One million consumers reached thanks to the mussel branding strategy and five million people reached by media-related activities;
- Mobile Recycling Plant treating 300 kg/day of used PP socks for 220 days/year on average by end of project. The amount of treated PP/year will be 66 tons; and
- Five years after project end, at least five mobile Treatment Plants operating in Italy, applied to some 33% of the Italian mussel production and able to treat 330 tons of PP socks/year, with a saving of 1 155 tons of CO2 emissions.
