Marine litter is one of the main enviromental problems with which the oceans are confronted. Continental Portugal and the Autonomous Region of Azores share common challanges, like policy over the sea and the sea in a scenario of waste, given the archipelago of Azores is also not immune to this global problem. There have been studies done to quantify/classify the marine litter in Azores.
Considering the socioeconomical role played by the fishing industry of the Azores, the project is an oportunity to use and develop new and innovative raw materials, transforming marine litter, which is presently little or not at all valued, into a market of excellency, as its "supplier".

To answer these challanges, the project will utilize to their maximum the studies already done and in development by the Universities of Azores and Minho, in their R&D Centres. And, in conjunction with local communities, will collect marine litter and beach residues to develop new threads and fibers for new subproducts. The main activities include the analysis, caracterization, quantification of residues, collection, triage, residue processing, scientific studies about the fibers obtained, development of threads and fibers, and their transformation into fabric and insulating blankets.
Waste will be quantified, analysed, and afterward, presented in a data sharing platform of statistics and scientific studies.

Scientific studies have already started and are based on the raw materials identified by the R&D centers with the highest percentage of those collected at sea in the Autonomous Region of the Azores. We were able to identify three categories: Silks, cables and algae (weeds). Based on this identification, tests are already being developed in order to create a fiber and thread that will be integrated into the textile, construction and other sectors such as furniture and home accessories. The pilot eco-cabin will be a showroom for the application of construction solutions experimentally validated in the laboratory and in component analysis test cells, as well as a presentation of new craft techniques introduced in construction and home accessories based on marine “trash”.

In a first phase, analyzing its main environmental problems, such as surpluses from fishing activity, infesting algae and how they can be recreated in a value-added product. Economic studies will be carried out in advance, simulating the structural, thermal, natural lighting and acoustic behavior of the constructive elements and experimental validation of the functional performance in test cells;

As a consequence of the work carried out, we came across the existence of large amounts of Rugulopteryx okamurae algae, an infesting algae. The U.M. put considerable effort into assessing the potential use of these highly problematic algae for the Azorean environment.