________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Around the world, communities are grappling with a challenge impossible to ignore – invasive algal blooms. Fueled by nutrient run-off and climate change, brown algae such as sargassum proliferates in vast quantities. In the Caribbean alone, cleanup costs run into hundreds of millions of dollars each year, while ecosystems, fisheries, and tourism economies are thrown into disarray.
This problem is not local. Algal blooms are now spreading into new areas, from West Africa to Northern Europe. What used to be a rare issue in stable marine ecosystems has become a clear sign of how climate change and human activity on land are disrupting both nature and local economies.
Rethinking value chains
For industries dependent on raw materials, these blooms present an unusual paradox. On one hand, companies in cosmetics, food, personal care, and pharmaceuticals are under increasing pressure to replace fossil-derived and petrochemical ingredients. Regulatory frameworks and shifting consumer demand for cleaner, sustainable products are accelerating this transition. On the other hand, an abundant, even overwhelming, biomass resource is available, largely untapped.
The central question becomes: can harmful algae be transformed from an environmental disaster into a source of industrial innovation?
The first algae refinery
In Finland, a new initiative aims to answer this very question. Origin by Ocean, a Finnish green chemicals company, has entered a strategic partnership with the CABB Group, a global contract development and manufacturing organization specializing in fine chemicals. Together, they are preparing to build a first-of-a-kind( FOAK) algae biorefinery at CABB’ s production site in Kokkola, Finland. Set to begin operating in 2028, the facility will process sargassum into highvalue ingredients alginate and fucoidan, while also valorizing biomass residues as cattle feed or growing media. Origin by Ocean will design and build the plant using its patented biorefinery technology, while CABB will operate it under a Manufacturing-as-a-Service arrangement. This collaboration combines CABB’ s expertise in scaling and operating complex chemical processes with Origin by Ocean’ s novel feedstock and technology.
18