Purpose

The project "Il Mare in 3D" was born with the aim of recovering, recycling and reusing various plastic materials - both PET collected during waste removal activities from beaches and nylon from discarded fishing nets - to transform it, through 3D printing, into useful objects to understand the fragility of the marine environment and the importance of its knowledge and protection. 3D printing offers enormous opportunities and is leading to rapid changes in the way we design and, above all, in the production of the objects around us thanks to digital technology.

The Ligurian Sea, especially along the west coast, is characterized by the presence of wide gulfs with sandy beaches alternated by promontories with rocky cliffs and two islands. Large rocky banks, called beach-rock or fossil beaches, are located along the coast between Pietra Ligure and Noli. In these seabeds, the prized pre-coralligen habitat is located a few metres from the shore, offering the opportunity for both adults and children to explore these submerged environments, fragile and rich in biodiversity, by snorkeling. Unfortunately, these areas, hosting resources of interest for fishing, are often impacted by fishing gear abandoned by both professionals (nets and pots) and amateurs (lines).

In addition, beaches overlooking the coast with beach-rocks are very popular with tourists who often, due to lack of civic awareness, abandon on beaches garbage of all kinds. In recent years, this problem has been recognised worldwide, and many experiences have been gained for the proper and sustainable reuse of waste and retired networks (e. g. creating clothing, sneakers, flooring and toys).

At the same time, the loss of biodiversity of marine ecosystems has also been countered through the promotion of naturalistic culture and increased sensitivity to sea protection through environmental education campaigns in schools and the promotion of activities that bring the general public into contact with the marine environment, such as naturalistic snorkeling.  

Photo gallery

Dinosauro stampato in 3d con le stampanti del MadLab

Plastica in mare

Progetto di pulizia delle spiagge e del mare "Rotta verso un mare più blu"