PescART Menorca

A circular economy project.

PescART Menorca aims to convert discarded fishing nets into new commercially viable products in order to reduce the significant environmental impact that this waste was causing. In this sense, the project aims to restore the value to waste, promoting the circular economy and the symbiosis between the preservation of the environment and the local artisanal sector, while seeking cooperation between the productive sector, that is, the fishermen's guilds, and the key actors in the social field, such as the Foundation for People with Disabilities of Menorca. Thanks to the project, on the one hand, it avoids generating waste, taking advantage of it as raw material for new commercially viable products. And, on the other, the generation of employment and green economy is promoted, joining it to social integration actions.

How was PescART Menorca born?

The PescART Menorca project was born in 2021 thanks to the support of Menorca Preservation, Ports IB, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and funding from the Didier and Martine Primat Foundation. Its first steps were the installation of containers for the collection of nets in Fornells and Ciutadella, the organization of logistics to collect and store them, and the realization of workshops to incorporate new people and ideas to the project.

What did the pilot test of PescART Menorca consist of?

The pilot test carried out in 2021 involved knowing the fishing nets, the realization of workshops with artisans, the experimentation of the same with the nets, the economic analysis of two selected products and the exhibition PescART Menorca, with the support of the Artisan Center of Menorca, the Fundación Fomento del Turismo and the Institut Menorquí d'Estudis.

See the document explaining the project.

What products were created at the beginning?

Key chains, earrings, necklaces and bag by ArtSpai

Lamp by Silviva Vivó

Bag by Caramuixes

Lamp, notebooks and postcards by Magda Triay

PescART Menorca continued in 2022

PescART Menorca continued in 2022 thanks to the support of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and funding from Menorca Preservation and Didier and Martine Primat Foundation.

The actions carried out were the location of containers for the collection of nets for the project, the

creation of a logistics of collection and storage of the nets, the continuous collaboration with the Foundation for People with Disabilities of Menorca, and the realization of new workshops to incorporate new people and ideas to the project.

PescART Menorca advances commercially in 2023

In 2023 PescART will strengthen its commercialization thanks to the contribution of € 10,000 granted by the Sa Nostra Foundation and CaixaBank, and the support of € 12,000 from the Secretary of State for the 2030 Agenda and the Ministry of Social Rights.

With the aim of strengthening and reinforcing the commercial viability of this initiative, the Menorca Without Plastic Alliance will carry out several actions, ranging from the creation of a website as a showcase of the products created by the artisans and companies involved in the project, to the realization of training focused on marketing and environmental communication. On the other hand, in accordance with the collaborative spirit of the project, the Alliance will offer training to interested people to provide them with tools for creating artisanal products with discarded networks.