KELP UK: From farm to factory - Accelerating UK seaweed industry to generate sustainable opportunities for the coastal economy

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The seaweed value chain offers huge growth potential for UK coastal communities post COVID-19 whilst addressing the climate emergency. Farmed seaweed is a sustainable biomass source with applications in food & nutrition, packaging materials, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Seaweed farms sequester carbon and absorb excess nutrients, bioremediating ocean acidification and eutrophication, while providing alternative livelihoods for fishermen and creating jobs across the value chain. This project will demonstrate the economic and environmental potential of the farmed seaweed value chain at scale by developing efficient, scalable and sustainable seaweed farming, harvesting and biorefinery process for converting seaweed into value-added food (protein & fibre), nutrition (fucoidan, beta-glucan, vitamins & minerals), and home-compostable biopackaging products.The project is a collaboration between KelpCrofting, a seaweed farming company based on the Isle of Skye, Efficiency Technologies, a bio-process equipment innovation company based in Milton Keynes, and Oceanium, a seaweed processing company based in Oban. This collaborative project seeks to apply innovation across the value chain to demonstrate its potential at scale. Project success will catalyse investment in UK seaweed farming and coastal biorefineries. By demonstrating the farmed seaweed value chain at scale, we will:• catalyse growth of nascent UK sustainable seaweed farming industry to support UK coastal communities post COVD-19• improve the future resilience of UK fisheries and aquaculture sectors• support UK to meet climate targets• reduce UK reliance on fossil fuels and imports• enhance marine biodiversity• tackle plastic-waste crisis & support packaging industry to transition to circular economy• support UK transition to plant-based foods