Sunlight streaming through a forest of giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera, off Catalina Island, … [+]
While seaweed has long been part of daily life in some parts of the world – like China and Japan – it has always often been overlooked in the Western Hemisphere.
Fortunately, companies like Oceanium in Scotland are making people think again about sea plants and marine algae, as they explore its many uses – from food ingredients and natural bioactive ingredients for health and cosmetics to innovative materials.
Oceanium was started in 2018 by co-founders, Dr Charlie Bavington and Karen Scofield Seal. It was initially formed to look into the possibility of making biodegradable packaging from seaweed, in order to address the growing crisis of waste plastic in the oceans.
“That journey has taken us in a really interesting direction,” said Dr Bavington. “We’ve now identified a number of applications for seaweed-based material, not just in packaging. We’re developing new materials from the natural polymers that seaweed contains, and they are fitting into all sorts of niches.”
Dr Bavington said these applications include seaweed-based soluble packaging, textile fibres and film coatings. He added the natural polymers in seaweed are highly durable and biodegradable, which would make it ideal for compostable packaging.
The company has also developed a fibre product that can be used as a thickener in gluten-free baking or fruit smoothies, and fucoidan and Beta-glucan extracted from seaweed to be used in a range of nutritional and cosmeceutical products.
He added they only work with sustainably sourced farmed seaweed, because wild seaweed is vital marine habitat that should be protected.
“There are a lot of environmental and economic benefits that come with enabling the seaweed farming industry,” said Bavington. “It can help create jobs along coastal regions around the world and boost resilience, as well.”
Oceanium has already received funding from the WWF, the EU and Innovate UK, which Scofield Seal said is a “real testament” to its business model and vision.
“Our mission is to enable the seaweed farming industry because of the numerous environmental and social and economic benefits that come with it,” she added.
“It’s going to be hugely important going forward for food security, and as a replacement for other materials. We’re just scratching the surface with what we can do.”
She said more investors are discovering the potential of the blue economy, which is predicted to be worth $3 trillion by 2030. She added marine agriculture, including farmed seaweed, is also set to be fastest growing component of the global food production industry.
“There is a big opportunity for blue economy investors to get involved because the products we are making are in high demand, with have an added sustainability value,” she added.
Paul Dobbins, senior director, impact investments at WWF, said it invested in Oceanium because it wants to see seaweed farming advanced in the North Atlantic and in the Eastern Pacific Rim, and for the societal and climate benefits that seaweed farming provides.
“But we won’t realise those benefits unless there’s a market for the seaweed,” he added. “Through our investment in Oceanium, we hope to shine a spotlight on this particular aspect of the industry, so that others will look at Oceanium and other companies that are trying to achieve the same thing. Seaweed, when it’s farmed, provides benefits to the ecosystem, creates jobs in coastal communities, and develops highly nutritious and functional food products and feedstocks for industry.”
