Case Study: SoluNet

D&AD Future Impact recognises and supports initiatives and products with the potential to drive positive change in the world. In 2019, we chose 11 winning ideas to receive a 12-month programme of support. This included a two-day accelerator with talks and mentoring sessions, hosted at the McCann offices in New York, with the aim of helping these ideas improve, evolve and continue to make an impact in the world.

Here we take a closer look at one of these ideas: SoluNet - a water-soluble alternative to traditional mosquito nets, that can be re-used as an eco-friendly fishing net. 

Mosquito nets play a pivotal role in reducing malaria, with organisations such as Medecins Sans Frontieres relying on them to lower the risk of transmission in areas where the disease is endemic. However despite helping to control its spread, these nets have had an unintended consequence for the environment, with many people re-using them to fish.

Studies have shown that they’re incredibly efficient, with the New Scientist reporting that one sweep can bring in nearly half of the catch of a traditional fishing net. However they’re also indiscriminate, bringing in very young fish alongside the rest of the catch. This poses a serious risk for the ecosystem, potentially reducing fish stocks as well as, in some places, threatening seagrass meadows - which bind coastal sediment together and rely on fish for their existence. The problem has been reported in several African countries, where mosquito nets are provided for free by charities, and people are often too poor to buy fishing nets. Despite many countries making fishing with mosquito nets illegal, it’s done little to resolve the problem - but this is where SoluNet could step in.