Bureo is a U.S. company that turns discarded fishing nets — “ghost gear,” considered the most harmful of ocean plastics — into a resource, together with fishers. In 2013, surfers David Stover, Ben Kneppers, and Kevin Ahearn founded it out of a sense of debt to the ocean, starting their first net-collection program in Chile (Net Positiva). Discarded nets are collected, sorted, washed, and shredded, then depolymerized into 100% recycled Nylon 6 called “NetPlus” — fully traceable from the net's origin via third-party audit. Fishers are not the problem but part of the solution: nets that were often dumped at sea for lack of a proper disposal option are collected with incentives (payment or donations to environmental nonprofits), bringing jobs and disposal infrastructure to the coast. Collection now spans eight countries — Chile, Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, the U.S., Seychelles, and Japan — keeping over 14 million pounds of nets from the sea. NetPlus is used in products by Patagonia, Trek, Costa, and others, cutting greenhouse gases about 20%, water about 70%, and fossil fuels about 67% versus virgin nylon. A B Corp, a California Benefit Corporation, and a member of 1% for the Planet.
●●○ medium
There is no confirmed −; independently verified + decide the position (B). No unreachable strike-through.= non-additive meter
Bureo Inc.: Turning discarded fishing nets into a resource, with fishers. The letter is B; certainty is medium. Unconfirmed concerns are placed under “Watching.” (As of 2026-Q2; estimate based on public information.)
Main narrative
One person’s story (N1)
+ before → after
Fishers living on Chile's coast. The problem was not the fishers but the lack of a proper way to dispose of end-of-life nets — so nets were dumped at sea, entangling wildlife, wrecking marine ecosystems, and eventually threatening fisheries and coastal livelihoods. Bureo's incentivized collection program pays fishers or funds environmental nonprofits when nets are brought in, bringing jobs and disposal infrastructure to the area. Nets that would have been discarded gain a second life as traceable recycled nylon. Source nature: independent (Conservation International) plus major media.
Source nature: Conservation International / Surfer / P2 independent (Conservation International) / major media. Positive effects are not used to offset negatives.
Positive / negative effects
+ effects
- A B Corp, a California Benefit Corporation, and a member of 1% for the Planet. Its flagship material NetPlus is traceable from a net's origin through recycling via third-party audit, confirming for brands that it is 100% post-consumer fishing net.P1 third-party certification (B Corp / 1% for the Planet) / B Lab / 1% for the Planet
- The collection program began in Chile and now spans eight countries — Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico, the U.S., Seychelles, and Japan. Since 2013 it has collected over 14 million pounds of end-of-life nets. NetPlus cuts greenhouse gases about 20%, water about 70%, fossil fuels about 67%, and energy about 68% versus virgin nylon.P2 independent media / company disclosure / Big Agnes / Bureo
− effects (confirmed)
- No confirmed −.
- Ongoing independent verification of collection volume and community benefit
- Geographic concentration of target regions
- Replicating the collection program in new countries (Peru, Ecuador, Mexico, etc.), scaling up collection, and education and advocacy to “turn off the plastic tap.”
A second look
The core + is cutting ocean plastic (nature) and jobs and income for coastal communities (people), backed by B Corp, investment from Conservation International and Patagonia, and third-party tracing audits. That said, the amount collected (over 14 million pounds cumulatively) is a partial share of global ocean plastic, and effects are limited to target regions. Investment is mainly impact capital and the company is independent.
Sources
How to read this assessment
- Reachable upper bound (ceiling): a confirmed − sets the ceiling, and independently verified + decide the position within it. + do not cancel out −.
- The weight of evidence is not symmetric: only confirmed − are counted; the volume of disputes or allegations goes under “Watching.” + are counted from independent evidence, while an organization’s own PR is treated as “reference.”
- Size is not value: scale is not used in the assessment. Matters that stay within money or competition—investors, shareholders, sanctions, trade secrets—are also excluded.
- The letter (assessment) and certainty (how reliable the information is) are separate axes.
This is a translation; the Japanese version is authoritative. The assessments here are generated automatically by AI based on published criteria. The operator does not alter individual results. Because they are AI-generated they may contain errors, and they are opinion and commentary, not statements of fact. Where evidence is insufficient, the entry is marked “On hold.” Requests for correction are accepted via the form.
Terms: Narrative Value = an assessment (A–G) of the distance between the story an organization tells and its reality / Ceiling meter = a visualization of the reachable upper bound / Watching = unconfirmed matters not counted / Protected stakeholders = people, animals, nature, and future generations. | Generated by: AI | As of: 2026-Q2 | Back to top