It might not look like it, but seaweed could be an incredibly versatile solution to repair and regenerate our planet.
From food and fertilisers to pharmaceuticals and plastic, its potential as a sustainable alternative is huge. It’s also a powerful tool for capturing carbon and making the world’s waters healthier. But it’s meeting roadblocks preventing it from being utilised at scale – and it’s at risk of disappearing from our coastlines.
At The Earthshot Prize we are passionate about breaking down these barriers to support thriving seaweed value chains, a commitment that is reflected in the work of our Finalists.
From SeaForester and Coast 4C cultivating healthy seaweed to boost marine biodiversity and capture CO₂, to Notpla and Sea Forest using seaweed’s incredible properties in biodegradable packaging and innovative livestock feed that cuts methane emissions.
Together with the Global Seaweed Coalition, we are dedicated to spotlighting and supporting the fair and sustainable growth of seaweed solutions and championing seaweed’s role in climate action.
In the lead-up to the UN Oceans Conference 2025, we’re using our unique ability to accelerate seaweed value chains, bridge funding gaps, and unite communities to drive impact.
At Monaco Ocean Week in March this year, we held the ‘Seaweed Road to UNOC’ event in partnership with the Global Seaweed Coalition, the UN Global Compact, EU4Algae, and the Monaco Oceanographic Institute. This event was designed to kick-start a high-level working group to unlock seaweed opportunities. In collaboration with WWF, we are also developing a programme to accelerate the Welsh seaweed sector.
Earthshot Week 2024 in Cape Town marked another key milestone. In partnership with the Global Seaweed Coalition, we hosted two pivotal events that brought together key stakeholders in the sustainable seaweed industry. Events like these are integral in mobilising a global community of change-makers who can make our vision a reality.
The Seaweed Road to UNOC 2025 Workshop was the fourth in a series of global workshops to convene policymakers, funders, corporates, NGOs, scientists, and UN member states to discuss the potential of seaweed to repair and regenerate our planet. With a focus on concrete steps that could be taken, a number of exciting opportunities to leverage the third United Nations Ocean Conference next year were identified.
Along with many other industry experts, we heard from Professor John Bolton, University of Cape Town, Paul Dobbins, WWF and Alexis GrossKopf, OceanHub Africa.
Eugene Klerk and Nicky Owen from Standard Chartered also shared insights from two of their reports: Seaweed: Kelp is on the way and the recently published “Where there’s a will, there’s a wave” report, which indicate that investing in seaweed could generate $313 billion of value and generate 200 million jobs by 2040.
At our Seaweed Showcase event later in the day, Earthshot Prize Finalists and innovators from South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, Australia, Philippines and the UK demonstrated their solutions and shared their views on how to accelerate the seaweed industry.
The showcase event was praised for the opportunities it presented attendees to talk with individuals they had long anticipated meeting, with conversations proving to be incredibly helpful in building immediate collaboration.
Anga Mbeyiya, Ole Blu, meets Prince William at The Earthshot Prize Seaweed Showcase in Cape Town
Prince William speaks with Daniel Hooft, Kelp Blue, at The Earthshot Prize Seaweed Showcase in Cape Town
Prince William speaks with Amado Blanco and Nicholas Hill from Coast 4C at The Earthshot Prize Seaweed Showcase in Cape Town
Macroalgae & plant-based skincare made by Mwani, Zanzibar
Prince William speaks with Sam Elsom from Sea Forest at The Earthshot Prize Seaweed Showcase in Cape Town
Prince William speaks with Nancy Iraba, Healthy Seaweed Cafe, at The Earthshot Prize Seaweed Showcase in Cape Town
The display was great proof that the seaweed industry in Africa if scaled, could greatly build livelihoods, increase wealth and protect the environment. This is especially valuable for communities that are dependent on fishing and affected by falling fish levels.
Hosted by Vincent Doumeizel, Senior Advisor at the UN Global Compact for Oceans, founder of the Global Seaweed Coalition, and author of The Seaweed Revolution; and Chris Large, Director for Prize and Portfolio at The Earthshot Prize, the event demonstrated that incredible work is already underway to drive the seaweed sector forward.
Joining us at the Seaweed Innovator Showcase, The Earthshot Prize Founder and President, Prince William met with several innovators whose solutions utilise and protect seaweed, including Kelp Blue, Abagold, Coast 4C, Ole Blue, and Healthy Seaweed Café.
This event in Cape Town was the first dedicated to seaweed in Africa. Thanks to the strong and complementary convening power of both The Earthshot Prize and the UNGC Global Seaweed Coalition, it was a great success, bringing together a vibrant group of seaweed pioneers from across the Southern African region.
For the first time African seaweed stakeholders came together and the insights shared were invaluable. From Namibia to Tanzania, and through South Africa, the discussions — which will be represented at UNOC3 — were crucial to initiating global collaboration to accelerate change and attract investment in this nascent but highly promising sector for Africa!
The events and solutions we saw at Earthshot Week 2024 are evidence of seaweed’s powerful potential to repair our planet.
As we look forward to the UN Oceans Conference in 2025, we will continue to build momentum, drive conversation and inspire leaders to ensure this miracle material reaches that potential.
It’s time to see seaweed flourish as a global industry that can reshape economies, protect our oceans and tackle climate challenges.
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Find out more about how our Finalists are using seaweed to accelerate the blue economy: Notpla, SeaForester, Sea Forest and Coast 4C.
