Creative agency Landor has partnered with FIVB to reduce the impact of ghost nets in the oceans, removing them from the water to turn them into volleyball nets. The initiative fits within the FIVB’s long-standing support for future generations, and it hopes to inspire other businesses to tackle environmental issues in the same way.

The International Federation of Volleyball (FIVB), in an effort to end plastic pollution, has partnered with Landor to turn discarded fishing nets into volleyball nets, hoping to reduce the impact of ghost fishing on endangered marine wildlife all around the world. Several Olympians and sport champions have jumped on board as well, to engage local communities with their social influence.

Every year, Fishermen discard or lose more than 500,000 metric tons of fishing nets in the ocean, which end up drifting in the water for years, catching and killing marine wildlife. These ghost nets make up around 10% of all oceanic litter. FIVB’s partnership with Landor aspires to challenge the issue, trying to make a positive impact on the environment in the process.

The partnership fits within the nine goals the organisation has set for the near future, all aimed at making volleyball one of the most recognised sports in the world. By using the power of sport to engage with global communities, FIVB has fostered an initiative which turns a negative situation into positive, setting an example for other businesses looking to do the same.

The initiative, the ‘Good Net Project,’ is founded on the concept of 'making ghosts visible,’ by bringing attention to the environmental challenges our oceans are facing all around the globe. The Good Nets have been upcycled by local fishermen and embroidered with images of endangered sea creatures – such as whales, dolphins and turtles – then installed in plain sight on Copacabana Beach in Brazil, the birthplace of beach volleyball. This way, nets, representing one of the most iconic elements of volleyball, have become means to drive change, through a solid use of creative energy and sincere care for sustainability issues.

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