Building a safer seaweed industry

 

Grantees 2024

Become a member

For generations, seaweed has remained one of the great untapped resources. But a revolution is coming.

The Global Seaweed Coalition is a global partnership established by Lloyd’s Register Foundation in partnership with the UN Global Compact (UNGC) and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) to oversee the safety and sustainability of the seaweed industry as it scales up.

Dollars

Current seaweed food production is valued at 9 billion dollars annually.

Size

In the 10 years to 2015, the annual value of the seaweed market doubled in size.

Times

Our oceans have the potential to produce 15 times more seaweed by 2050.

People

This growth could provide employment for 150 million people around the world.

The world’s fastest growing food production sector

Seaweed is the world’s fastest growing food production sector, with a current annual value of $9bn. In the 10 years to 2015, it doubled in size as the world started to recognise the role seaweed can play in securing food systems for an expanding global population.

This is just the start: our oceans have the potential to produce 15 times more seaweed by 2050, securing employment for millions of people in every continent, absorbing carbon to help fight the climate crisis and providing essential nutrition to meet the needs of the world’s growing population.   

But with growth come challenges.

Our objectives

As the Coalition develops, its members will represent the entire seaweed value chain – from smallholder farmers to multinational businesses, specialized research institutes to intergovernmental organisations – working together to realize the full potential of the seaweed industry and to ensure its safety for consumers, for workers and for the environment.

Consumer safety

Defining commonly agreed safety standards for seaweed products used by consumers

ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY

Ensuring scaled-up production and processing of seaweed is sustainable and restores ecosystems.

OPERATIONAL SAFETY

Ensuring the welfare of workers is protected at every stage of the seaweed value chain