A fishing net abandoned at sea can continue catching marine animals for decades. These so-called ‘ghost nets’ damage marine ecosystems, threaten biodiversity and turn a resource designed to support livelihoods into a source of pollution.

Recovering ghost nets from the seabed is therefore essential, but removing pollution and restoring damaged ecosystems is not enough. As we're demonstrating with our partners in the Sea of Marmara, Türkiye, circular solutions can turn waste into valuable resources, delivering lasting environmental and economic benefits.

Restore: Bringing Marine Habitats Back to Life

In the Marmara region of Türkiye, where we operate several terminals as part of our Logistics business, we are working with long-term partner Deniz Yaşamını Koruma Derneği (DYKD), a marine conservation NGO, to locate and remove abandoned fishing nets from the seabed.  

The first challenge is locating the nets, which requires a combination of modern technology with human intelligence, investigating reports and drawing on the knowledge of local people who make their living from the sea in that area.  

The second stage is to remove the abandoned fishing nets from the seabed. Specialist divers are operating at depths of up to 55 metres, a technically demanding and sometimes dangerous task that requires careful handling to minimise disturbance to the surrounding marine environment as the nets are removed and taken back to the surface.

The project is already delivering results and, across three recovery sites, surveys have identified 1,850 m² of ghost nets. The initiative ultimately aims to recover around 800 kg of abandoned nets, more than the weight of a small car.

To illustrate the impact that this can have on marine species', in one memorable moment during a recent net recovery trip, the team found three ray egg cases among the material brought to the surface. As soon as the team noticed them, they were returned to the sea.

Reuse: Turning Marine Waste into Something Valuable

Retrieval of the nets is just the start, because without a responsible route for handling the recovered material, we risk solving one environmental problem only to create another. This is where circularity comes in, as fishing nets are made from materials that can have a useful second life.  

The nets removed from the Sea of Marmara are first cleaned before the plastic is then turned into small granules. Those granules are taken to an eyewear production facility in Istanbul, where they are poured into moulds to create frames for custom-designed sunglasses.

Each pair of sunglasses carries its own story because the coordinates and depth where the original net was found are stamped inside the frames, creating a direct link back to the waters it came from and helping raise awareness of the problem. As the circular process becomes more visible, revenue generated from the sunglasses will be invested back into new marine conservation projects.

The same principle is also being applied to other products including where, for example, through a partnership with SUSAKO, the Sustainable Art Women’s Cooperative, we are running workshops where members of the public can turn net fragments which are unsuitable for making sunglasses into jewellery. As well as showing how something once considered waste can be repurposed, this will help support women’s participation in the local economy.

Prevent: Addressing the Problem at Source

These initiatives show how partnerships can help recover value from materials that might otherwise be lost, but they are, of course, not a substitute for reducing waste at source, and recycling will not make the problem of marine pollution disappear.

The long-term goal must therefore be to prevent fishing equipment from becoming marine pollution in the first place. For this reason, the initiative in Türkiye also involves engagement with local fishing communities, which need to understand the consequences of discarding damaged or unwanted equipment, and given practical, accessible ways to manage their operations responsibly.  

This approach reflects the wider ambitions of our Ocean Strategy, which aims to leverage our global operations, assets and skills to actively engage in protecting and restoring the ocean, promoting good stewardship and empowering local communities for a better future.

Local partnerships are essential to delivering this, and no single company can address marine pollution alone. Conservation organisations, marine scientists, divers, manufacturers, fishing communities and businesses all bring different expertise and capabilities. By connecting them in the way we are in Türkiye, we can develop solutions that are practical locally and potentially replicable elsewhere.

Turning Local Action into Global Impact

Ghost nets show why environmental challenges need connected solutions, restoring damaged habitats, finding new uses for recovered materials and preventing pollution at source.

As Türkiye prepares to host COP31, these questions will take on added significance and our work in the Sea of Marmara offers a tangible example of how businesses can contribute to environmental protection through restoration, innovation and collaboration.

We want to bring these experiences into the wider conversation about how to deliver a more sustainable future, not just through corporate commitments, but through initiatives that deliver value at local level.

Find out more about our commitment to being a world leader in sustainability.