We’re so proud to be featured in a great article in Forbes magazine ‘Why Seaweed Is The Sustainability Super-Plant Of The Future’, which highlights the need to develop seaweed-based products as part of the blue economy and the importance of unlocking the industry through investment.
A sustainable seaweed industry provides numerous environmental, social and economic benefits. Sustainably farmed seaweed provides jobs along rural coastal regions, mitigates eutrophication by absorbing nitrogen and phosphorous, increases biodiversity by protecting nursery grounds and seabeds.
Importantly, seaweed has an important role in the face of food security challenges. Increasing drought conditions, soil erosion and extreme weather events exposes millions to food insecurity. Feeding a global population predicted to reach 10bn by 2050 will be one of humanity’s biggest challenges. Seaweed offers a solution as seaweed doesn’t require cleared land, fresh water, insecticide or fertiliser.[1]
As the largest ecosystem on Earth covering more than 70% of its surface, the ocean provides food to more than 3 billion people, sustains millions of jobs and generates at least US$2.5 trillion a year, equivalent to the Gross Domestic Product of the world’s seventh largest economy[2]. It is no surprise that the blue economy is attracting increasing attention from investors. According to a survey by Responsible Investor, nine out of ten institutional investors are interested in financing the sustainable ocean economy.[3]
Journalist, Jamie Hailstone, spoke to OCEANIUM founders Karen and Charlie to find out about how we’re using our innovative biorefinery technology to extract maximum value from sustainably farmed seaweed for the plant-based food, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, and materials markets.
“Our mission is to enable the seaweed farming industry because of the numerous environmental and social and economic benefits that come with it. 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.” – Karen Scofield Seal (OCEANIUM, Co-founder and CEO)
Read the full article here: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiehailstone/2022/11/14/why-seaweed-is-the-sustainability-super-plant-of-the-future/?sh=2f1117484a72
[1] Seaweed for Europe – The case for seaweed investment in Europe