Key takeaways
- NetPlus is recycled nylon made from discarded ocean fishing nets ('ghost nets').
- It turns harmful marine plastic waste into functional gear, reducing virgin nylon use.
- It's used notably by Patagonia in jacket shells, brims, and trims.
- Its benefit is real but partial — like all nylon, it still sheds microfibers.
Recycled nylon from fishing nets, by Bureo.
What NetPlus is
NetPlus is a recycled nylon material made from discarded fishing nets — ‘ghost nets’ recovered from the ocean and coastal communities — then processed into nylon fiber for use in outdoor apparel and gear. Used notably by Patagonia, it appears in jacket shells, hat brims, and trims.
Why it matters
Abandoned fishing nets are a major source of ocean plastic pollution and are especially harmful to marine life, which gets entangled in them. NetPlus addresses this by recovering those nets and recycling them into nylon — both reducing reliance on virgin nylon and helping remove a particularly damaging form of marine plastic waste.
A brand makes a jacket shell from NetPlus — built from nylon recovered from ocean ghost nets — that performs like conventional nylon (and can be woven in a tough ripstop) while keeping harmful nets out of the sea and cutting virgin-material use.
The benefit and its limits
Because it’s recycled nylon, NetPlus performs comparably to conventional nylon. Its environmental benefit — recovering ghost nets and cutting virgin material — is real but partial: like all nylon, it still sheds microfibers when washed. It’s part of the same responsible-materials movement as recycled nylon, recycled polyester, and bluesign certification.
The bottom line
NetPlus is recycled nylon made from recovered ocean fishing nets, turning one of the most harmful forms of marine plastic waste into functional gear — used by Patagonia in shells, brims, and trims. It performs like regular nylon while cutting virgin-material use and helping clean up ghost nets, a real but partial environmental win (it still sheds microfibers, like all nylon).
Frequently asked questions
What is NetPlus?
NetPlus is a recycled nylon material made from discarded fishing nets — 'ghost nets' recovered from the ocean and coastal communities — which are processed into nylon fiber and used in outdoor apparel and gear. It's used notably by Patagonia for items like jacket shells, hat brims, and trims, turning harmful marine waste into functional products.
Why is NetPlus environmentally significant?
Abandoned and discarded fishing nets are a major source of ocean plastic pollution and are especially harmful to marine life, which gets entangled in them. NetPlus addresses this by recovering those nets and recycling them into nylon, both reducing reliance on virgin (petroleum-based) nylon and helping remove a particularly damaging form of marine plastic waste.
Does NetPlus perform like regular nylon?
Yes — because it's recycled nylon, NetPlus has properties comparable to conventional nylon, so it can be used in gear without sacrificing performance. As with all nylon, however, it still sheds microfibers when washed, so the environmental benefit (recovering ghost nets and cutting virgin material use) is real but partial, like other recycled synthetics.
Sources
- Recycled materials — Patagonia
- Ocean plastics & recycling — Textile Exchange