Finnish green chemicals company Origin by Ocean plans to build the production site in Kokkola, Finland, in collaboration with German chemicals firm CABB Group, which will operate the facility.
The plant will extract valuable chemicals from Sargassum seaweed using Origin by Ocean’s patented technology.
Environmental crisis spurs innovation
According to the two companies, invasive brown seaweed is severely affecting coastal communities in the Caribbean and West Africa, rendering beaches unusable and disrupting local economies. The fishing industry, in particular, has suffered due to imbalances in marine ecosystems.
Origin by Ocean cited data from the Government of Jamaica, which estimates that cleaning up Sargassum from Caribbean beaches costs approximately $120 million annually.
The issue is attributed to agricultural nutrient run-off and rising ocean temperatures, both of which contribute to the proliferation of Sargassum blooms.
Biorefinery set to open in 2028
The biorefinery, which is scheduled to open in 2028, will process Sargassum into high-value ingredients such as alginate, fucoidan, and biomass residue.
Seaweed is increasingly recognised as a promising raw material for both formulations and packaging in the cosmetics industry.
Sustainable alternatives to fossil-based cosmetics ingredients
As many beauty and personal care products still rely on fossil-based chemicals, there is growing pressure from both consumers and regulators to adopt safer, more sustainable alternatives.
Ari Vennine, who is MD of CABB in Finland, said the partnership aligns with the company’s sustainability goals and Life Science growth strategy.
A vision for global impact
Mari Granström, founder of Origin by Ocean, views the initiative as a catalyst for industry-wide transformation.
“For change to be possible at a large scale, we need to reimagine the value chains of the products that we use every day in our lives,” said Granström.
She also revealed plans for additional biorefineries in the Caribbean, closer to the Sargassum blooms.
“The advantage of our technology is that we can establish facilities anywhere around the world,” she added.
Scaling up for global adoption
Origin by Ocean said it is ready to scale operations and is actively seeking partners to accelerate the industrial adoption of ingredients derived from brown algae. The company estimates that the algae-based ingredients market could be worth up to $220bn.
