Seaweed Takes the Stage, sharing our highlights from North Sea Seaweed 2025
Last week, I hopped aboard the iconic SS Rotterdam for the North Sea Seaweed 2025 conference — and came back full of inspiration. With seaweed pioneers from all over Europe gathered in one place, the event was a vibrant showcase of what’s already happening, and what’s just around the corner for the sector.
A sector on the rise
From sustainable food and feed to biomaterials and offshore farming, the seaweed value chain is expanding fast — and this was clear throughout the conference. Discussions covered it all:
• How to scale from promise to market
• The many faces of seaweed-based food, feed, and packaging
• Industrial use, design applications and consumer products
• Offshore integration with wind farms and multi-use marine spaces
• The role of nature-based solutions and restoration
One unforgettable hotel room
A playful highlight? A fully decked-out Seaweed Hotel Room on the ship itself — featuring furniture, cosmetics, linens, and snacks all made with seaweed. It was a fun (and very Instagrammable) reminder of the power of seaweed innovation. If you like to learn more, check out the website of the event, it’s fascinating.
A gap to fill
While there was strong presence from designers, researchers, and value chain partners, I believe that producers and seaweed farmers were less represented than expected. This highlights a real opportunity — especially for regions like Sweden — to contribute more on the cultivation and regenerative aquaculture side of the story.
What this means for us
At Swedish Seaweed, we left Rotterdam more motivated than ever. There’s real momentum building — not just as a trend, but as a vital part of the sustainable blue economy. We’re excited to help shape this future, bring more regenerative practices to the surface, and connect with partners across Europe who share our mission.
We’ll be sharing more insights and collaborations sparked by this event — so stay tuned!