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Kelp farming in Nova Scotia is emerging as a promising green industry with economic potential, but it faces several structural and regulatory challenges. Kelp is a versatile, low-cost crop used in food, fertilizers, and cosmetics, and requires no external inputs such as freshwater or fertilisers, making it highly sustainable.

Organizations like the Ecology Action Centre (EAC) are supporting industry growth through research, education, and economic planning. While there has been a gradual increase in kelp farming activity, the sector remains small-scale and in early development. A key focus is improving market viability and identifying profitable product formats.

However, significant barriers persist. Processing capacity is limited, creating bottlenecks due to kelp’s highly perishable nature. Regulatory challenges also hinder growth, such as Health Canada classifying sugar kelp as a novel food, and restrictions from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency limiting market access for products.

Despite this, innovators are finding niche applications. For example, kelp-based products like soil enhancers and coastal restoration materials are showing promise. Research at Dalhousie University is also advancing cultivation techniques to improve yields.

Overall, while the sector faces hurdles in regulation, infrastructure, and market development, there is strong optimism that kelp farming can become a sustainable economic driver with continued investment, research, and policy support.

A seaweed-based materials innovator co-founded by an Insider Rising Star has secured a €3.5m project aimed at accelerating the development of sustainable alternatives to plastic. The North West-based business is focused on replacing plastic in everyday consumer products, including items such as laundry capsules, with biodegradable seaweed-derived materials.

The funding will support the company’s continued research and development efforts as it works to scale its technology and bring environmentally friendly solutions to market. By leveraging seaweed as a natural and renewable resource, the company aims to address the growing demand for sustainable packaging and materials that can reduce reliance on traditional plastics.

The €3.5m project marks a significant milestone for the business, reinforcing its position within the sustainable materials sector. The initiative is expected to advance product innovation, enhance manufacturing capabilities, and strengthen partnerships across the supply chain.

The company’s work aligns with broader environmental objectives to cut plastic waste and lower carbon emissions. Seaweed, which grows rapidly and does not require freshwater or fertiliser, offers a promising alternative to petrochemical-based plastics. By integrating this material into commonly used household products, the business is targeting practical, scalable solutions that can be adopted by major brands and manufacturers.

The award of the project funding highlights investor and industry confidence in the company’s technology and commercial potential. As consumer demand for sustainable products continues to rise, the company is positioning itself at the forefront of innovation in biodegradable materials.

With the new funding in place, the seaweed innovator is set to accelerate its mission to replace conventional plastic components in everyday goods, contributing to a more sustainable and circular economy.

Kelp Blue is advancing large-scale offshore seaweed farming as a sustainable solution for agriculture, focusing on cultivating Macrocystis pyrifera (giant kelp) to produce consistent, scalable raw materials for biostimulants. The company addresses a key industry challenge by developing stable ocean farming systems that avoid reliance on irrigation, land, or chemical inputs.

Its flagship product, StimBlue+, is derived from cultivated rather than wild seaweed, ensuring consistent quality, traceability, and performance. The biostimulant delivers strong results at lower application rates, improving yields and farmer profitability across crops such as berries, vineyards, and vegetables. It is designed to complement conventional fertilisers by enhancing nutrient uptake and efficiency.

Sustainability is central to Kelp Blue’s model. The company harvests only 10 percent of kelp biomass, preserving marine ecosystems, supporting biodiversity, and enabling carbon sequestration. Verified assessments show that its operations are carbon negative, removing more CO2 than they emit.

Through a combination of scientific trials and on-farm validation, Kelp Blue demonstrates clear return on investment for farmers, addressing adoption barriers in the biostimulant market. Looking ahead, the company sees ocean-based agriculture as a transformative pillar of the global food system, offering scalable, climate-positive solutions that do not compete for land or freshwater while contributing to ecosystem restoration and sustainable input production.

Indonesia, the world’s largest producer of tropical seaweed, plays a vital role in global supply chains and supports thousands of coastal livelihoods. Seaweed, used across food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals, is a key export commodity often referred to as the country’s “green gold.”

However, the industry faces significant challenges due to its heavy reliance on exporting raw seaweed, particularly to China. This dependence exposes farmers to volatile global prices and fluctuating demand, leading to unstable incomes despite strong production volumes.

Environmental factors such as changing sea conditions further impact yields and quality, adding uncertainty for small-scale farmers who depend on seaweed as a primary livelihood. To address these issues, Indonesia is investing in domestic processing and downstream manufacturing. By moving up the value chain and diversifying export markets, the country aims to stabilize incomes, capture higher value, and strengthen its position as an integrated player in the global seaweed industry.

Clean-label trends are accelerating innovation in protein ingredients, with seaweed-based stabilizers and yeast-derived proteins emerging as key solutions for improving functionality while simplifying ingredient lists. At the forefront, Marine Biologics has developed SeaTex, a macroalgae-based stabilizer that enables protein beverages to reduce additives like gums and buffering agents.

As a single-ingredient brown seaweed powder, SeaTex can cut formulations from nine ingredients to six while maintaining stability, improving sensory neutrality, and potentially lowering production costs. Its applications extend beyond beverages to alternative dairy, snacks, frozen desserts, and bakery products.

Alongside seaweed innovations, fermented yeast protein is gaining traction. Angel Yeast’s AngeoPro offers a neutral taste, high protein content (up to 90%), and a complete amino acid profile, making it suitable for a wide range of products including protein powders, beverages, snacks, and bakery items. It also contains fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and can enhance flavor in savory applications.

Together, these innovations highlight a shift toward high-functionality, clean-label protein solutions, leveraging marine and microbial sources to meet consumer demand for simpler, more sustainable ingredients while maintaining performance and cost efficiency.

Ocean’s Balance CEO Mitchell Lench highlights that early enthusiasm for seaweed in the US did not translate into immediate commercial success. The market remained immature, with weak demand, limited investor interest, and infrastructure gaps, forcing companies to adjust expectations and strategies to survive.

A key lesson is to prioritize partnerships over building standalone consumer brands. By supplying ingredients to established food and pet food companies, seaweed businesses can scale more efficiently and reduce market risk compared to launching niche products independently.

Infrastructure remains a major constraint, particularly processing capacity such as dehydration. Ocean’s Balance invested in shared processing capabilities to support both its own operations and independent harvesters, helping stabilize supply chains and ensure consistent quality.

The company’s journey shows that success in the seaweed sector requires patience, adaptability, strong B2B partnerships, and investment in enabling infrastructure to unlock scalable, reliable growth.

Ireland’s seaweed sector is advancing into high value health and wellness markets with the launch of the country’s first nutraceutical range made from native red seaweed (Palmaria palmata or dulse) by marine biotech company Pure Ocean Algae.

Based in West Cork, the company has introduced three products targeting hair and nail health, cognitive support, and hormone balance, following several years of R&D and human trials in collaboration with the University of Limerick. Early research indicates benefits related to metabolic and digestive health, supporting its move into functional foods and supplements.

A key differentiator is Pure Ocean Algae’s end-to-end production system, covering hatchery, cultivation, and processing. This enables consistent quality, traceability, and enhanced bioactive properties, which are critical for nutraceutical applications.

Dulse is rich in proteins, amino acids, minerals (iodine, magnesium, iron), antioxidants, and micronutrients, making it a valuable ingredient for health products. The company plans to expand beyond Ireland and the UK into EU and Asian markets in 2026.

The initiative highlights the growing potential of seaweed as a sustainable, regenerative resource that requires no land, freshwater, or fertilisers. With increased investment and scaling efforts, Pure Ocean Algae aims to position Ireland as a global leader in seaweed-based wellness, while supporting coastal economic development and innovation in marine biotechnology.