oSIST prEN 17988-4:2023

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
oSIST prEN 17988-4:2023
01-september-2023
Krožna zasnova ribolovnega orodja in opreme za akvakulturo - 4. del: Okoljske in
krožne zahteve ter smernice
Circular design of fishing gear and aquaculture equipment - Part 4: Environmental and
circularity requirements and guidelines
Kreislaufwirtschaft von Fischfanggeräten und Aquakulturausrüstungen - Teil 4: Umwelt-
und Kreislaufanforderungen und Leitlinien
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 17988-4
ICS:
13.020.20 Okoljska ekonomija. Environmental economics.
Trajnostnost Sustainability
65.150 Ribolov in ribogojstvo Fishing and fish breeding
oSIST prEN 17988-4:2023 en,fr,de
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

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DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
prEN 17988-4
NORME EUROPÉENNE

EUROPÄISCHE NORM

July 2023
ICS
English Version

Circular design of fishing gear and aquaculture equipment
- Part 4: Environmental and circularity requirements and
guidelines
 Kreislaufwirtschaft von Fischfanggeräten und
Aquakulturausrüstungen - Teil 4: Umwelt- und
Kreislaufanforderungen an und Leitlinien für
Fischfanggeräte und Aquakulturausrüstungen
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 466.

If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.

This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.

Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.


EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2023 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 17988-4:2023 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

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Contents Page
European foreword . Error! Bookmark not defined.
Introduction . Error! Bookmark not defined.
1 Scope . Error! Bookmark not defined.
2 Normative references . Error! Bookmark not defined.
3 Terms and definitions. Error! Bookmark not defined.
4 Principles . Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.1 General . Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.2 Modular design using standardized components . Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.3 User (customer) requirements and needs . Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.4 Environmental conditions during use . Error! Bookmark not defined.
5 Design criteria throughout the different steps in the life cycleError! Bookmark not
defined.
5.1 Selection/ sourcing of materials and components/ parts or productsError! Bookmark
not defined.
5.2 Design for manufacture/assembly. Error! Bookmark not defined.
5.3 Design of placement/ installation/ deployment of the gear/ equipment . Error!
Bookmark not defined.
5.4 Design for use and maintenance . Error! Bookmark not defined.
5.5 Design for end-of-use stage. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Bibliography . Error! Bookmark not defined.

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European foreword
This document (prEN 17988-4:2023) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC “466”, the
secretariat of which is held by NEN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
EN 17988 consists of the following parts, under the general title Circular design of fishing gear and
aquaculture equipment:
— Part 1: General requirements and guidance
— Part 2: User manual and labelling
— Part 3: Technical requirements
— Part 4: Environmental and circularity requirements and guidelines
— Part 5. Circular business models
— Part 6. Digitalization of gear and components
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Introduction
Directive (EU) 2019/904 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the reduction of the
impact of certain plastic products on the environment lays down rules on different plastic products,
including fishing gear containing plastics, and sets requirement to the Member States to establish
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes. It also contains rules on minimum national annual
collection rates and report fishing gear placed on the market and waste fishing gear collected in ports.
In 2021 the Commission Implementing Decision M/574 on a standardization request to the European
Committee for Standardization as regards circular design of fishing gear in support of Directive (EU)
2019/904 was approved, which forms the basis for this document and the series it belongs to.
The purpose of this series of documents is to provide the stakeholders to address the different
aspects of circular design of fishing gear and aquaculture equipment.
In this part the environmental and circularity requirements and guidelines are addressed, which will
enable the reader of this document to more efficiently use materials and resources and reduce the
amount of plastics lost as waste.
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1 Scope
This document specifies the environmental and circularity requirements for the components of
fishing gear and aquaculture equipment which contain plastics. It will establish sustainability
principles that minimize the negative impact of the plastic components of fishing gear and
aquaculture equipment on the environment, taking into account the impact on its performance (e.g.
catchability or life span). The circular and environmental design of fishing gear and aquaculture
equipment focuses on:
— selection/ sourcing of materials and components
— manufacture/assembly
— placement/ installation/ deployment of the gear/ equipment
— use and maintenance repair
— end-of-use stage
Transport, storage and distribution are taken into account at the different stages, where applicable.
Excluded: Design aspects related to fishing or aquaculture techniques or management.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments)
applies.
IEC 62430, Environmentally conscious design (ECD) — Principles, requirements and
guidance
EN 17988-2, Circular design of fishing gear and aquaculture equipment - User manual and
labelling
EN 17988-3, Circular design of fishing gear and aquaculture equipment - Technical
requirements
3 Terms and definitions
No terms and definitions are listed in this document.
ISO and IEC maintain terminological databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— IEC Electropedia: available at http://www.electropedia.org/
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at http://www.iso.org/obp
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4 Principles
4.1 General

Figure 1 — Stages in product life, Linear flow/schematic (Elements in schematic are
differently organized than in Figure B.1 of IEC 62430).

Figure 2 — Stages in product life, Circular paradigm
This document will provide the reader with guidance, recommendations and requirements for
changing from a linear product life economy (Figure 1) to a circular one (Figure 2) focusing on
environmental and circular design but also respecting the technical requirements for fishing gear
and aquaculture equipment, EN 17988-3 and general principles described in IEC 62430.
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This document will focus on the principles for retaining fishing gear and aquaculture equipment or
parts thereof in the circular economy for as many cycles as feasible, together with minimizing the
negative impact of the plastic components on the environment. It will provide design criteria for
achieving this goal while balancing it with the impact on its performance (e.g. catchability or life
span); it can be expected that there are trade-offs between the different criteria which will need to
be evaluated for their impact on the product.
— The characteristics of materials/ parts/ components shall be preserved as much as possible
(durability, longevity)
— Materials/ parts shall be collected when damaged to be repaired and prepared for reuse, and at
their end-of-use
— Transport, weight and packaging dimensions (including stack ability) of parts/ kits, etc. shall be
taken into account
— EPR schemes shall be taken into account where available
It is important to consider the technical requirements for the specific type, size and use of the fishing
gear and/or aquaculture equipment.
Issues like traceability and materials identification (e.g. via a product circularity data sheet) are
important, but will not be covered in detail in this document. Here the reader is referred to
EN 17988-2.
Concerning fishing gear, the issue of selectivity towards (aquatic) marine species and the size (which
is linked to the age) for a given species is very important. For one, unwanted species add unnecessary
and useless weight to the catch. For another, there are national and regional regulations concerning
unwanted catch, as well as forbidding catching of protected species or younger fish. While this is an
important environmental as well as commercial issue, it is not a focus in this document and is
addressed by applicable legislation.
4.2 Modular design using standardized components
In modular design one uses standardized components/ parts to assemble the product in a way that
(1) the individual components/ parts can be exchanged and that (2) the product can be dismantled/
disassembled into the individual components again.
As a consequence, modular design and the use of standardized components/ parts allow for more
efficient manufacture and assembly (5.2), repair, refurbishing and replacing of components (5.4) as
well as dismantling/ disassembly and re-use of components (5.5).
Modular design also allows for use of the same standardized components/ parts in different
products, allowing more efficient use of these components/ parts, a more efficient management of
the stock, which ensures better availability of spare parts for gear/ equipment.
4.3 User (customer) requirements and needs
User (customer) requirements and needs will depend on the specific intended use of the fishing gear
and aquaculture equipment, the environment and/ or vessel it will be used in/ on and the personal
preferences of the individual fisher or fishing company.
As a result, the current products in the fishing gear and aquaculture sector show a very high degree
of diversification. This may seem to be in contradiction to the modular concept described in section
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4.2. but does not necessarily have to be the case. Correct modular design may allow for a high degree
of diversification in final product design.
To ensure that the user (customer) requirements are taken into account during the design phase of
the net, it needs to be ensured that the net producers receive the correct information from the users
(customers) and also that the users (customers) receive up to date information on nets/ net materials
and their performance. Usually, this information flow passes via the gear producers, and it must
therefore be ensured that there is no information lost or altered when passed on.
4.4 Environmental conditions during use
Fishing gear and aquaculture equipment will be used in very diverse aquatic (including marine)
environments, with specific combinations of parameters including not only the water temperature,
pressure and salinity, but also the weather (atmospheric conditions) and the specific location (high
sea, coastal area etc.). With exception of the specific location these conditions may be subject to
variations in time, and it will be important to know the limits between which these variations occur.
When designing the fishing gear or aquaculture equipment the location as well as the limits of the
other parameters will need to be taken into account. Care shall be taken to neither under nor over
design the gear/ equipment. Under designing will result in premature failure while over designing
will result in excessive use of materials (5.1.2).
5 Design criteria throughout the different steps in the life cycle
5.1 Selection/ sourcing of materials and components/ parts or products
5.1.1 General
When sourcing materials (including additives used for processing and/ or functionalisation of the
materials), components/ parts or products the following general considerations shall be taken into
account:
— any materials, components/ parts or products need to be fit for purpose
— consider using existing products before making or buying new (or buying products made from
virgin materials only)
— consider searching for opportunities in different markets, not limiting to the fishing gear and
aquaculture market
— consider materials, components/ parts or products that are guaranteed to have an as long as
possible use stage, either in their primary use sector (fishing / aquaculture) or in another value
network
In addition, the following design criteria shall be used to source materials, components/ parts or
products for circular and environmentally friendly fishing gear and aquaculture equipment:
— optimize weight, dimensions and stack ability of the product
— increase use of circular, recyclable, recycled, used, refurbished and/ or renewable materials and
components to replace/reduce virgin materials
— when combinations or mixtures of materials are used, they shall be compatible in the recycling
stream; this is also applicable to additives
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— minimize the content and release of hazardous substances [1]; replace by less hazardous
alternatives where possible
— minimize loss of materials, components/ parts or products into the environment
— consider the use of biodegradable materials only for parts/ components which have a high risk
of getting lost into the environment (thus not being recovered)
NOTE 1 There are currently only few test methods and certification schemes for assessing biodegradability
in an aquatic (marine) environment. Therefore, it is not yet clear which materials are suitable for biodegradable
components for an aquatic (marine) environment. Since there is a lot of ongoing research the future availability
of biodegradable materials cannot be excluded, and it is therefore important to add this option to this
document.
It is important that the product performance shall be retained. Materials properties shall be balanced
with circularity and environmental aspects (including weight and volume of the product). More
details can be found in “Part 3 technical requirements”.
The sourcing of materials for coatings, finishes and other surface treatments shall be included in the
selection and design considerations.
NOTE 2 Additional information is available in ISO 14009 Environmental management systems — Guidelines
for incorporating material circulation in design and development [4] and ISO/ CD 59014 Secondary materials —
Principles, sustainability and traceability requirements [5].
5.1.2 Optimize weight and volume of the product and its packaging
Evaluate the necessary values for strength, weight and durability.
— Over-designing may result in a higher weight and a higher volume/ general material use.
— Correct design may reduce the weight/ volume/ general material use for any component/ part
or product.
A risk assessment/ analysis may be necessary to evaluate how much strength, weight and durability
is needed to ensure the necessary/ required reliability of a component/ part or product. Maximizing
the specific strength of the component/ part or product allows for minimizing its weight while
ensuring that the required strength and durability are not compromised.
Criteria to be considered specifically towards product packaging (and compacting) are (non-
exhaustive list):
— supply in bigger quantities reducing the packing units
— compact the product as much as possible to reduce the volume
— optimize packaging towards improved stack ability
— eliminate the excessive use of protective packaging by taking into consideration the level of
protection the respective product requires
— consider implementing re-usable packaging, e.g. transport containers which can be re-used/
taken back
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— increase use of reusable packaging and incorporation of recycled materials in packaging; avoid
single use packaging where possible
— evaluate whether adapting the package to its content or whether adapting the content to the
package gives the better result with respect to protection during transport vs circular and
environmental criteria
NOTE 1 Weight and volume will play a major role for logistics but less during the use phase for aquaculture
equipment while for fishing gear weight and volume also play a major role during the use phase. One important
issue here is fuel efficiency.
NOTE 2 Efforts can be reported in a transparent way in e.g. a taxonomy report.
5.1.3 Increase incorporation of used/ refurbished components/ parts and products
As stated in 5.1.1. used/ refurbished components / parts and products shall be fit for purpose.
Modular and standardized design of components/ parts and products will increase the opportunities
for later re-use and re-furbishing as well as exchanging components/ parts and products (see also
5.4):
— design gear/ equipment to be fit for incorporating used/ refurbished components/ parts and
products.
— design components/ parts and products to be fit for incorporating into existing nets
NOTE This issue is addressed in more detail in EN 17988-5 [6].
5.1.4 Increase the use of circular, recyclable, recycled and/ or renewable materials to
replace/reduce virgin materials
All (raw) materials used in the production of fishing gear and equipment shall be deemed circular,
recyclable, recycled and/ or renewable by industrially and commercially viable means, taking into
account, as stated in 5.1.1., that selected alternative materials shall be fit for purpose.
Examples for alternative materials to e.g. thermoset or elastomeric polymers are materials like
thermoplastic polymers, wood or metals.
These considerations shall also be extended to the packaging.
5.1.5 Compatibility of combinations or mixtures of materials during manufacture and in the
recycling stream
The preference shall be to avoid the use of combinations or mixtures of materials, including mixed
(polymer) materials, thus, to use mono-materials were feasible.
In the case where it is not possible to obtain the necessary properties of a material, component/ part
or product by using mono-materials only, the preference shall be to use combinations or mixtures
which are compatible in common recycling processes, especially when the combinations or mixtures
cannot be easily separated.
In the case where combinations or mixtures of materials are implemented the gear/ equipment shall
be designed to facilitate separating the gear into the different polymers it is composed of.
These considerations also apply to additives which have been added to e.g. enhance processability or
modify the functional properties of the material, component/ part or product.
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5.1.6 Minimize the content and release of hazardous substances
When replacing materials, components/ parts and products it shall be ensured that the alternatives
are fit for purpose, as stated in 5.1.1.
Where possible consider designing out hazardous substances, taking into account not only listed
1
hazardous substances but also those being considered for listing . In the case where release of
material, parts or components is unavoidable, it will be necessary to ensure that hazardous
substances or potentially hazardous substances are below the allowed threshold limits.
If designing out is not possible it shall be ensured that the release of hazardous substances is reduced
to the allowed threshold limits, e.g. by encapsulation of the respective component/ part or product.
Note: In certain cases, the hazardous substances are used to protect the fishing gear and aquaculture equipment
or the aquatic life. These substances are incorporated into the fishing gear and aquaculture equipment in a way
to be slowly released, ensuring a certain concentration in its surrounding. In this case other criteria apply.
Examples are antifouling and anti-corrosion surface treatments containing e.g. copper and/ or zinc, which have
very specific properties for which little or no alternatives exists which have the same properties and are more
environmentally friendly.
NOTE Examples of materials used for their specific properties, for which currently there are little or no
alternatives available:
- lead: material needs to be high density, ductile, low in price, resistant to sea water.
- copper and zinc, which are used for anti-fouling and anti-corrosion
- problematic plastics (problematic during production, use and end-of-life):
o polyvinyl chloride (PVC) used as outer coating for UV resistance, tarpaulins, etc. (problem: release
of plasticizers, toxic monomers)
o polystyrene (PS) and expanded polystyrene (ePS), used for floating devices (problem: source of
microplastics, styrene is a toxic monomer). Here Ethylene Vinyl Acetate is already being used as
alternative material.
5.1.7 Minimize loss of materials, components/ parts and products into the environment
Loss of materials, components/ parts and products into the environment poses a problem for aquatic
(marine) life, risking smothering, entanglement and ingestion. This also applies to the release of
microplastics due to e.g. abrasion or fragmentation of plastics in the aquatic (marine) environment.
Plastic parts can eventually end up in the form of microplastics and will be ingested by fish and other
aquatic (marine) life. Also humans could later consume the aquatic (marine) life, risking ingestion of
(micro)plastics and associated contaminants.
Concerning the losses of materials, components/ parts and products of fishing gear and aquaculture
equipment one needs to distinguish between two categories:
— unintended (accidental) losses
— intended (sacrificial) losses

1
https://echa.europa.eu/candidate-list-table
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The design criteria for minimizing the loss of materials, components/ parts and products will need
to take these two categories into account.
Intended (sacrificial) losses are a means for:
— protecting the gear (e.g. parts of a net separating to ensure that the totality of the net is retained
or the use of dolly ropes)
— protecting the aquatic (marine) environment when gear/ equipment is lost (e.g. by providing
2
escape routes for sea life to prevent ghost fishing)
— protecting the ecosystem of the ground
Unintended (accidental) losses shall be avoided where possible. Materials, components/ parts and
products shall be designed in such a way that unintended (accidental) losses are prevented.
In the case of intended (sacrificial) losses these shall be minimized, taking into account the following
design criteria:
— minimize the size of sacrificial parts while retaining their necessary functionality
— minimize the chance that sacrificial parts catch aquatic (marine) life
This may require considering re-designing the fishing gear or aquaculture equipment. It may be an
option to consider using biodegradable materials or parts/ components (see also note in 5.1.1).
5.1.8 Specific considerations concerning coatings, finishes and other surface treatments
5.1.8.1 General
A coating or finish is applied as liquid suspension or solution of the materials forming the coating or
finish in a suitable carrier liquid, which may be water or solvent based. The coating or finish is then
cured using a suitable technique (heat, light or other source of energy), with the curing process
usually involving a drying step (removal of the carrier liquid) and a reaction step in which the final
coating or finish is formed. The surface to be coated or finished may be pre-treated to enhance
adhesion. The choice of materials for the final coating is linked to (i) the carrier liquid and (ii) the
drying and curing process. Where possible, taking into account the requirements for the specific
coating, finish or surface treatment listed at the beginning of this clause and under 5.1.8.2 and 5.1.8.4
(SOURCING), waterbased coatings shall be chosen over solvent based coatings and the most energy
efficient drying and curing process shall be chosen.
Note: Tar based coatings are still commonly used; as they contain a variety of hazardous substances and
are difficult to remove they do not fulfil the criteria listed in this document.
Coatings, finishes and other surface treatments are applied to textile or plastics products at different
steps in the production process to either aid fabrication or to modify the properties of the final
product. There are two major reasons for implementing coatings, finishes and other surface
treatments, namely for protection (section 5.1.8.2) or as carrier for releasing substances (section
5.1.8.3).

2
Research report from [need to look up source]
https://www.vims.edu/ccrm/research/marine_debris/solutions/panels/index.php
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5.1.8.2 Coatings, finishes and other surface treatments for protection
Coatings, finishes and other surface treatments can be used for different types of protection:
a) To protect components during manufacturing and/ or handling.
Here the surface of the component/ part or product receives a surface treatment to protect it
from being damaged during manufacturing and/ or handling. The surface treatment has no value
during the use phase and in most cases is also not designed to stay on the component/ part or
product during the used phase, with the potential of being released.
In this case the surface treatment shall be:
1) removed before the product is being used
or
2) designed in a way to not cause harm during the use phase (e.g. material not harmful to the
environment
or
3) can be encapsulated in a final coating, when such is applied. In this case it shall be guaranteed
that the encapsulation will not release the protective surface treatment.
b) To protect the structure of a component/ part or product from disintegrating e.g. by binding the
fibres, strands and ropes of a netting to each other to maintain the structure of the net.
Structural changes to the
...