Hello! I’m Kimura from the ApparelX Sustainable Team.

As “sustainable materials” are rapidly spreading in the apparel industry, are you familiar with apparel supplies recycled from discarded fishing nets?

This time, we’ll introduce the features and appeal of MORITO’s “fishing net recycled nylon,” a sustainable trim material that has been steadily gaining recognition!

Turning ocean waste into valuable materials — Morito’s fishing net recycling system

Marine plastic is a global problem. Among it, discarded fishing nets are considered especially harmful to the environment because they are heavy and highly durable. Morito has focused on this issue and, together with partner companies, collects discarded fishing nets washes them and removes foreign matter crushes them and turns them into recycled resin manufactures trim materials through injection molding and has established this entire process. While sustainable, they are finished to a quality that apparel brands can actually use.

Why are “discarded fishing nets” a problem?
Marine plastic is a global issue — especially nylon-based materials like fishing nets and fishing gear, which tend to remain in the ocean and are said to have long-term negative impacts.
If properly recycled, they may be able to achieve quality close to that of new nylon. Against this backdrop, the scheme to recycle discarded fishing nets into resources is becoming a new channel that shifts the approach from traditional “dispose” to “reuse.”

Recommended points of Morito’s fishing net nylon

1. Clear traceability of raw materials

Discarded fishing nets are mainly collected at fishing ports in Japan (such as Hokkaido, Tohoku, and Hokuriku), and the collected nets are sent to partner recycling plants in Japan, where they go through washing, crushing, and conversion into recycled raw materials.

After that, the recycled nylon pellets are injection-molded at Morito’s molding sites in Japan and overseas (Japan, China, Southeast Asia, etc.), and produced as trim materials such as buttons, stoppers, and buckles.

Where was the fishing net collected, how was it turned into resin, and at which stage was it turned into a product? Morito has highly transparent supply chains and can clearly disclose which process is carried out where, making it easy to explain the flow from “fishing net → recycled material → molding → product,” which is a major strength.

2. Physical properties equivalent to standard nylon

Recycled resin is generally said to be prone to unstable strength, but Morito’s fishing net recycled nylon has strength durability finished appearance after molding that are extremely stable, and it is comparable to existing trim materials.

3. Minimal color variation in molded products

Normally, injection-molded trim materials tend to show uneven coloring unique to recycled materials, but Morito is characterized by high color uniformity. When lined up, the beauty of the product is not compromised.

4. A wide lineup of apparel trim materials

The key point of Morito’s fishing net recycling series is that it has been developed into materials that are easy to actually use.

Product offerings that are easy to use together, such as cord stoppers, cord ends, buckles, and D rings, are also appealing.

At the time of its unveiling a few years ago, it had color variations including dyeable white and a pale green that evoked fishing nets, but most of the current trim materials are available only in black, so please note that.

Here are some products listed on ApparelX.

These items are highly compatible with lifestyle apparel, outdoor wear, and casual wear, and are attractive because they are adopted throughout the year.

CR-300 Fishing net recycled nylon 4-hole button

A highly versatile 4-hole button with a rim. Available sizes are 18mm 20mm 23mm.

Since it is a basic black nylon button, it seems like an easy item to introduce.

CR-271 Fishing net recycled nylon cord stopper

Summary

Morito’s fishing net recycled nylon materials are becoming a new standard material that is not only sustainable but also practical.

They contribute to reducing marine plastic while offering strong design and functionality, and they are easy to replace with existing accessories, so they may be one of the eco-friendly trim materials that are easy to adopt for brands looking to advance sustainability.

In addition to the products introduced this time, Morito has other discarded fishing net series, so if you’re interested, please take a look here.