Sustainability

The Port Authority has signed an agreement to join a new environmental project, Upcycling the Oceans, promoted by the Ecoalf Foundation and Ecoembes, with support from the Xunta de Galicia (Regional Government of Galicia). The Port thus continues to deepen its strategic environmental approach, which has led it to be a pioneering port in participating in recycling and waste removal projects over the years, such as Repesca Plas, Pescal, Nada por la Borda, 3R Fish, Circazul, ML Style, and others. This new project, signed by the President of the Port Authority, Jose Benito Suárez Costa, Andrea Ruzo, General Director of the Ecoalf Foundation, and Rosa Chavarri, Project Manager at Ecoembes, aims to collaborate in cleaning the oceans and promote circularity, giving a second life to waste recovered from the sea through recycling. With Marín joining this initiative, there are now eight participating ports in Galicia, with over 100 fishing boats committed to bringing ashore the marine litter caught in their nets, thus preventing its impact on the seabed. Upcycling the Oceans is a nationwide project that in 2023 collected nearly 155,000 tons of waste from Spanish coasts, thanks to the collaboration of some 600 boats, mainly trawlers, and 2,600 fishermen from 45 fishing ports in the autonomous communities of Galicia, Catalonia, Valencia, Andalusia, and Murcia. The waste brought to port is sent to specialized sorting plants for processing. In the case of PET plastic waste, once transformed into granules, it is treated and converted into "Mar de Mar" yarn for the production of Ecoalf clothing, made from 100% recycled polyester. The project also includes an important study and analysis component, as in collaboration with the Marnoba platform, the quantity, location and dispersion of marine litter are characterized with the aim of contributing to the search for preventive solutions.