Reducing Single Use Plastics in Aquaculture
Single use plastics are everywhere. In the aquaculture industry, disposable mesh plastic bags are commonly used to ship product from the farm to wholesale and from wholesale to consumers. At Ocean Farm Supply, Erin Adams, Eric Oransky, and Willy Leathers are selling a sustainable, 100% compostable alternative to single-use plastic packaging.
Sustainably Sourced Oyster Bags
The Ocean Harvest Bags sold by Ocean Farm Supply are compostable, plastic-free, and sustainably manufactured. They were inspired by a similar mesh bag manufactured in Austria to hold fruit and vegetables. The Ocean Harvest Bag is fabricated by the same family-run company that makes the produce bags. The mesh is made from beechwood cellulose fibers farmed in sustainably harvested Austrian forests. The beechwood cellulose fibers are weaved into a design strong enough to hold oysters and thoroughly tested at Maine Ocean Farms, Eric and Willy’s oyster farm in Freeport, Maine.
The Ocean Harvest Bag comes in two different weave styles, original and Casco. The original weave is the first iteration and while developed to be strong enough to hold oysters and sharp shellfish, feedback from farmers and an interest in creating even better solutions inspired the team to develop the Casco weave with their manufacturer in Austria. Especially for larger quantities of shellfish, the Casco weave is proving to be a great new option. Erin mentioned that the team highly values the feedback they receive from their partner farmers and retailers, and research and development is an essential part of their growth.
A Home Compostable Option
Ocean Harvest Bags are designed to compost quickly in either a home composter or industrial system. Many compostable items on the market today can’t be tossed into a home compost system. Because the United States doesn’t have a composting certification body (and the bags are manufactured in Europe), the Ocean Harvest Bag is certified compostable by the European certification body TÜV Austria. By being certified as “OK Home,” the bags are proven to be fully compostable in a household compost system. The option for consumers to industrially or home compost the bags increases the likelihood that the bags will end up actually being composted.
Even in the case where the bags are tossed into the trash, the emissions of the bags over their entire life cycle – from tree to use to compost or landfill – are much lower than plastic, cotton, or many other common materials. This is due to the sustainable harvesting methods in European beechwood forests, as well as the low emissions and low waste processing methods used by the Austrian manufacturer.
Shifting Towards Plastic-Free
Ocean Harvest bags are a sustainable way to shift away from single-use plastics in aquaculture. Sale bags in particular are a great place to make a change to plastic-free because they’re one of the most publicly visible parts of the supply chain. Erin sells the bags pre-clipped with hog ties (or tied with an overhand knot) or in long sleeves that growers can make into bags themselves. Making the switch to compostable bags – and Ocean Harvest Bags are truly compostable – is better for the ocean, the environment, and potentially for business.
Innovations articles highlight creative devices or methods on aquaculture farms. They are informed by farm visits and interviews with experienced growers. See our About page for more information.