At AZTI, we’ve spent the past few years working toward a clear goal: developing materials that make aquaculture more sustainable, competitive, and aligned with today’s environmental challenges.
That commitment led to BIOGEARS, a European project coordinated from the Basque Country, bringing together partners from Spain, Belgium, and Ireland to pursue a shared ambition — creating “bio ropes” capable of replacing conventional fossil-based plastics used in mussel and seaweed farming.
After four years of research and a full year of open-sea trials, the results are clear: our biobased ropes not only match the performance of traditional ropes but can even surpass them, achieving higher mussel yields while maintaining the strength and durability required for professional use.
In addition, life cycle analyses show that the best-performing prototypes can reduce the carbon footprint by up to 34% compared to fossil-based ropes — a concrete step toward low-carbon aquaculture.
One of BIOGEARS’ greatest achievements has been proving that sustainability and efficiency can go hand in hand. Testing confirmed that our “bio ropes” retain their structural integrity throughout the entire cultivation process and, at the end of their life, can be fully composted under industrial conditions (above 58 °C), enabling sustainable organic recycling.
While biopolymers currently cost more than fossil-based materials, their superior performance — along with the growing global production of biopolymers — suggests that these solutions will soon become even more competitive and accessible for the aquaculture market.
The future of European aquaculture depends on reducing environmental impact and embracing circular, biobased technologies. With BIOGEARS, we’ve taken a meaningful step toward that future — helping build an eco-efficient, innovative industry that protects the very oceans it relies on.
Funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund of the European Union, BIOGEARS brought together GAIKER, ITSASKORDA, ERINN Limited, and CENTEXBEL as key partners.
Because caring for the sea isn’t just an environmental choice — it’s an investment in the future of the entire aquaculture value chain.
