Bureo

Idea

Recycling Discarded Fishnets

Introduction

Bureo, whose name means “the waves” in Chilean Spanish, is a start-up. Begun in 2012 by three friends, the company was born out of the founders' growing concern for the health of the oceans. Since they tested the concept in 2012, those three Ben Kneppers, David Stover, and Kevin Ahearn have been on a mission to lead the revolution against ocean pollution. Their hope is for the movement to gain momentum, and like the waves, over time gather enough energy to clean up the planet.

Innovation

It aims to reduce ocean pollution by recycling discarded fishnets to make a range of cool products, including skateboards and sunglasses. Through the Net Positive program, the first-ever fishnet collection effort in Chile.

Impact

Bureo provides local fishermen with environmentally safe fishnet disposal points. In return, it gets raw materials for making plastic pellets, to be used later in the production of durable quality products.