Tides Rewoven Light Gives Discarded Fishing Nets a Second Life

Tides Rewoven Light is a concept lighting project that transforms abandoned fishing nets and plastic marine debris into functional lighting objects. A team from Ling Tung University in Taiwan developed the project to explore how designers can reuse marine waste with minimal processing. Instead of hiding the materials’ history, the design preserves their original appearance and signs of wear.

The designers treat discarded fishing nets as a valuable material resource rather than waste. As a result, the finished products highlight both the environmental impact of marine pollution and the design potential of recovered materials.

Low-Energy Circular Manufacturing

The team collected abandoned fishing nets and plastic debris from Wengzi Fishing Harbor in Taiwan. They cleaned and sorted the materials before turning them into lighting products through a low-energy production process.

Instead of shredding and remanufacturing the plastic, the designers repaired and rewove the damaged nets by hand. They also reused plastic marine debris, including discarded containers and other objects, as moulds during production. Temporary metal frames helped shape the products before the team applied a resin coating. After the resin cured, they removed the frames and revealed a lighting object made largely from marine waste.

This approach avoids energy-intensive recycling methods. At the same time, it preserves the flexibility, fibre structure and visible traces of the original fishing nets. Consequently, the material itself becomes a defining feature of the final design.

Preserving Material Identity

The team describes the project as an example of circular design that turns waste into everyday products. Besides reducing marine pollution, the designers wanted to preserve the identity of the recovered materials instead of completely transforming them.

This strategy differs from many conventional recycling processes. Those methods often remove the original character of a material. In contrast, Tides Rewoven Light keeps the repaired nets visible, allowing them to reflect their previous use while serving a new purpose in an interior setting.

The designers also considered the product’s full lifecycle. They designed the lighting objects for disassembly so future users can recover and recycle the materials at the end of their service life. This approach supports Cradle-to-Cradle principles.

Towards Local Circular Systems

The next step focuses on collaboration with fishing harbours and local communities. Together, they aim to build a regional collection and upcycling network for marine waste. Such partnerships could reduce environmental impact while creating local economic value.

Tides Rewoven Light combines craftsmanship, material preservation and low-energy production. In doing so, the project shows how discarded fishing gear can become a valuable design material without losing its original story.

Source: James Dyson Award