Based out of Cornwall, England, 0rCA was founded by a team of engineers, designers, and sustainability experts that saw first-hand the effects of marine waste on coastal environments and wanted to find a circular solution to the problem. The company’s innovative answer involves reclaiming abandoned or damaged fishing nets and turning them into high-quality nylon material for 3D printing. Not only does 0rCA supply this material to customers, however, it has also developed a system for recycling the marine waste that can be deployed anywhere in the world.

0rCA’s origin story goes back a decade, when a new recycling concept led to the founding of Fishy Filaments, a startup that aimed to repurpose end-of-life fishing nets (as well as plastics caught during fishing activities) and turn them into 3D printing materials. Within a few years, the startup had sold its first recycled 3D printing filament and the ecological impact of the material was proven in an LCA led by Exeter University that showed it was 97-98% more carbon efficient than using virgin materials. 0rCA itself came about in 2021 and its commercial production of recycled filaments ramped up in 2022 with an official distribution agreement with Fillamentum.

0rCA's containerized recycling unit turns marine waste into PA6 for 3D printing

In the past couple of years, 0rCA has turned its focus to developing and commercializing its recycling process so that efforts to reclaim marine plastic pollution can be ramped up. In 2024, it obtained important funding to build its first full-scale recycling system prototype and just last year it received a UK patent for its process and hardware and prepared to launch its containerized recycling solution. As part of this evolution, the company has also rebranded itself as 0rCA Oceans Renewed.

Now, OrCA not only manufacturers and sells PA6 pellets and filament made from plastic waste, it also offers its “0rCA in a Container”, a materials recycling system housed in a standard container. Each container, which only needs a power source and water to run, can reportedly process up to 500 kg of fishing nets per day. The system itself includes multiple steps, but is on the whole quite simple to use. Fishing nets are placed into a shredder before being sieved, washed, and dried. The resulting pellets can then simply be packed up for use (or to be turned into filament). The system also includes a water recycling system for closed-loop water use.

The goal in launching 0rCA in a Container is to empower sustainability efforts all over the globe. As the company says: “We began on the Cornish coast with a simple goal—to prove that marine waste can become a world-class industrial material. Today, our systems help turn discarded fishing nets into high-grade nylon for eyewear, automotive parts, sports equipment, and beyond.” From a business model perspective, the containerized recycling centers can either be purchased outright or can be leased.

This approach also has the benefit of lowering emissions generated in the supply chain. That is, by bringing recycling near to the source of the raw material (in this case, marine waste), the material needs not be transported multiple times. 0rCA also highlights the economic opportunities that its recycling solution can bring to coastal communities, enabling locals to develop new skills and build new revenue streams.