Nature and Biodiversity

These 4 start-ups are using seaweed to help save the planet

a seaweed farmer holds up seaweed

Seaweed plays a crucial role in the ocean’s ability to absorb greenhouse gases. Image: REUTERS/Edgar Su

Walé Azeez
Writer, Forum Agenda
This article is part of: Virtual Ocean Dialogues
  • Seaweed plays a crucial role in the ocean’s ability to absorb greenhouse gases.
  • Seaweed is better at absorbing CO2 emissions than trees are.
  • Seaweed is considered a high-value source of protein for humans and livestock.

We’re all familiar with the role forests play when it comes to providing a sustainable source of food, energy and raw materials, and locking away CO2 emissions.

But perhaps we’re less knowledgeable about the potential of forests of seaweed growing in the oceans.

Have you read?

A type of seaweed known as kelp is being developed for its nutritional value and its ability to absorb and lock away huge quantities of carbon dioxide. Seaweed absorbs CO2 more effectively than trees. It also improves water quality by extracting harmful nutrients such as nitrogen from the sea.

Discover

What's the World Economic Forum doing about the ocean?

Building a new ocean economy

These benefits are familiar to a new generation of oceanic entrepreneurs. They’re working to preserve the world’s marine ecosystems, while playing a key role in combating food insecurity and climate change.

Here are four companies rising to the ocean challenge:

Kelp Blue

Kelp Blue runs giant underwater farms where it grows seaweed crops that are harvested for agri-foods, fertilizers, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. The kelp also absorbs large quantities of CO2. With a mission to “re-wild” the ocean and capture millions of tonnes of CO2 annually by 2050, Kelp Blue’s sustainability credentials are reinforced by the fact that no fertilizers, pesticides, fresh water or land are used in its production processes.

Kelp Blue is currently in the pilot phase of the project which it hopes to eventually replicate in offshore locations across the world. The government of Namibia has granted environmental clearance for the company to start farming off its coast, a location that has perfect conditions for seaweed cultivation.

a diagram explaining how kelp forests create jobs and products
Kelp forests have the potential to create jobs and planet-friendly products. Image: Kelp Blue

Sea6 Energy

This Indian company is all about scaling up and mechanizing tropical seaweed farming. It produces biomass for fuel and sustainable raw materials for industries that span agri-foods, health supplements, cosmetics, bioplastics and polymers. It has secured patents across the value chain.

Sea6 Energy has designed what it calls ‘SeaCombine’ - a tractor-like vehicle that sows seeds and harvests tropical sea plants off-shore, currently in India and Indonesia.

an infographic with statistics about the ocean on it
A 2030 prediction of the scale of the ocean economy and its environmental benefits. Image: Sea6 Energy

The infographic above predicts the scale of the new ocean economy by 2030 and details some of the planet-friendly benefits that farming ocean plants on an industrial scale could bring.

Australian Seaweed Institute

Australia has never had a seaweed farming industry, but Jo Kelly is planning to change that in her role as founder of The Australian Seaweed Institute. She believes that seaweed can help to mitigate climate change and create jobs in aquaculture in remote parts of Australia.

The Institute was founded in 2018 and is partnering with farmers, research bodies, manufacturers and government to develop a framework for the industry.

The foundation for that framework is the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14 – addressing “life below water”. The infographic below details the blueprint for building Australia’s seaweed farming industry, which could contribute directly to reducing ocean acidification and pollution.

an infographic outlaying australia's national seaweed strategy
The Australian Seaweed Institute published its ‘blueprint’ for a farming industry. Image: Australian Seaweed Institute

The Institute is developing a biofilter network, in partnership with Central Queensland University’s Coastal Marine Ecosystem Centre. The system will be used to remove nitrogen and CO2 from the Great Barrier Reef.

It’s a pioneering project that caught the attention of the World Economic Forum and was featured at the The Davos Agenda in 2021.

Cascadia Seaweed

Cascadia Seaweed, based on Canada’s Vancouver Island, is focused on bringing its ocean bounty to more dinner tables. It hosted the Canadian province’s inaugural Seaweed Days Festival in May 2021. The UN’s senior advisor on the global impact on oceans was there to see for himself the benefits that the new ocean economy can have in the real world.

a picture of seaweed from a nursery
Cascadia Seaweed built its own seed nursery to secure its supply chain. Image: Cascadia Seaweed

The two year-old Canadian company has farms offshore. It’s also built its own seed nursery.

Cascadia currently grows four types of seaweed, but plans to expand into more varieties in time. The company is motivated to provide increasing work opportunities for the region’s indigenous communities and has forged partnerships with local tribes as it expands its enterprise along the coast of British Columbia.

Supporting ocean economy pioneers

These start-ups are at the forefront of an emerging and promising sector of a global circular economy. Their blueprints and strategies for the future could be replicated across the world for the benefit of people and the planet.

The World Economic Forum’s UpLink platform provides an environment for entrepreneurs to present ideas that can drive the world towards meeting the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The merits of such a platform become clear when the UN points out that widespread seaweed cultivation is being hampered by a lack of global safety standards and a lack of collaboration in building the new ocean economy.

Loading...
Don't miss any update on this topic

Create a free account and access your personalized content collection with our latest publications and analyses.

Sign up for free

License and Republishing

World Economic Forum articles may be republished in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License, and in accordance with our Terms of Use.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

Stay up to date:

Restoring ocean life

Related topics:
Nature and BiodiversityForum Institutional
Share:
The Big Picture
Explore and monitor how Future of the Environment is affecting economies, industries and global issues
A hand holding a looking glass by a lake
Crowdsource Innovation
Get involved with our crowdsourced digital platform to deliver impact at scale
World Economic Forum logo
Global Agenda

The Agenda Weekly

A weekly update of the most important issues driving the global agenda

Subscribe today

You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails. For more details, review our privacy policy.

5:18

Restoring Amazon ecosystems is better for the economy than ranching or logging. This expert explains

World set to breach 1.5°C warming limit in 2024, and other nature and climate stories you need to read this week

About us

Engage with us

  • Sign in
  • Partner with us
  • Become a member
  • Sign up for our press releases
  • Subscribe to our newsletters
  • Contact us

Quick links

Language editions

Privacy Policy & Terms of Service

Sitemap

© 2024 World Economic Forum