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90 | BLUE INNOVATIONS
A SEAWEED REVOLUTION
Hidden champion
of the ocean
Europe is banking on the seaweed bioindustry, a sustainable and
highly promising solution, to get the most out of the ocean whilst
contributing to its regeneration.
In the early 20 century, the visionary Prince Albert I EUROPE COUNTS ON
th
of Monaco had already shone the spotlight on the si- SEAWEED
gnificant potential of seaweed, an abundant and rege-
nerative resource. Following this historic introduction An increasingly popular ingredient in gourmet
to the meeting’s opening address, the director of the cooking, seaweed has attracted many enthusiasts in
Oceanographic Museum of Monaco, Robert Calca- a wide array of fields. After a presentation on its ability
gno, encouraged faster development of a sustainable to regenerate, the director of the Seaweed for Europe
seaweed industry in a resilient Green Deal Europe. Al- programme, Adrien Vincent, referred to the report
though still far behind Asia, which accounts for almost “Hidden Champion of the Ocean” (October 2020)
all of a booming market, Europe is mapping out a pro- to explain the myriad applications and social, envi-
mising path encouraging sustainable seaweed-based ronmental and economic benefits linked to seaweed
practices, as explained by Maris Stulgis, Policy Officer farming, which can be developed offshore, combined
at the Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fi- with wind or aquaculture farms, or even on coastal
sheries. farms. Vincent Doumeizel, from the United Nations
Global Compact, shared his perspective on the use
of seaweed in human history, before presenting the
APPETISER Safe Seaweed Coalition, a global initiative seeking to
promote safety standards for the seaweed industry.
The chef at the Menton restaurant Mirazur (3 Michelin
stars), Mauro Colagreco, explained his culinary ap- The director of the Nobel Foundation, a former spe-
proach to seaweed, as demonstrated by the menu at cial envoy for oceans in Norway, Vidar Helgesen,
this prestigious French restaurant. Customer interest in mentioned commitments to seaweed by 14 heads of
these flavours has even led to a new restaurant project state from the top-level panel for a sustainable ocean
dedicated to sea products, which will be linked to its economy. The director personally committed to ensu-
own seaweed farm. ring that seaweed would be on the menu at the next
official Nobel dinner!
Seaweed for Europe
unites stakeholders from
PROFILE industrial associations,
investors, growers,
processors, technology
suppliers, universities and opinion leaders. Over
80 organisations from 15 European countries are
involved in the European seaweed industry.
© Adrien Vincent