BIOGEARS Partner Profile: Itsaskorda

For each issue of the e-newsletter we chat with one of our partner to highlight their company, their role in BIOGEARS and what they view as the key impacts of the project. For this issue, we chatted with Mikel Aguinaga the General Manager from Itsaskorda, the rope manufacturer.

Tell us about ITSASKORDA?

I would describe Itsaskorda as a company that knows how to balance innovation and tradition. Here is a short history:

Itsaskorda was born in 1991 with the aim of providing service to bottom trawling fleets of local harbours of Ondarroa and Pasajes in the Basque Country. Since then, the sector has changed; we have seen the disappearance of the cod fleet in Pasajes. This decrease in the trawling fleet has pushed us to search for new markets in those first years after the company was set up. As the national market opportunities is low profit, we focus our efforts on exports. In the 2010’s we moved into product development for purse seine fishing and aquaculture. In 2018 Itsaskorda became part of Randers Reb (DK), being part of this group has expanded markets and allows us to take advantage of purchasing synergies

What is ITSASKORDA’s role in the BIOGEARS project?

Each member of the consortium has a clearly defined role. We are an SME dedicated to the design, manufacture and marketing of ropes for fishing and aquaculture and that is our role in the BIOGEARS project. The activities in the project start from compounds developed at Gaiker, and subsequently processed into yarn in Centexbel extruders, we have designed and manufactured the biogears ropes for the cultivation of algae and mussels so that they can be tested in the sea, which is currently ongoing.

Why did ITSASKORDA get involved in the project?

Itsaskorda’s commitment to minimizing the environmental impact of our products it is a long-standing. Proof of this is that we have been able to eliminate the use of lead for our mussel spat collector ropes. Today we are leaders in the sector. Participating in BIOGEARS gives coherence and continuity to a path of sustainability that we started long ago.

Can you describe some of the key impacts that you think will result from activities within the project?

I would highlight that we have verified that the biopolymers obtained are processable with small adaptations in our production means is important, it means that we are prepared for an industrial scale production when raw materials are available, which can fundamentally change the sector. The easy processability makes us optimistic towards the development of other products for fishing and aquaculture with this type of materials.

Mikel Aguinaga

General Manager at Itsaskorda