The Seaweed Industry and the Making of a Sustainable Blue Economy: Innovation, Knowledge and Culture
Virtual Roundtable Discussion, Thursday, 26 November 2026, 10:00–11:30 German time (CET) · 09:00–10:30 UK time (GMT)
The roundtable is organised by the German Maritime Museum – Leibniz Institute for Maritime History in cooperation with Brunel University of London and the University of Birmingham.
Background
A sustainable blue economy depends on innovation, investment and the ability to build partnerships and mobilise resources. It also depends on the cultural and institutional conditions that shape how emerging ocean industries are understood, accepted, and embedded within society. Research museums, science-based institutions and educational institutions can enhance understanding by connecting scientific knowledge with public dialogue, enabling knowledge exchange among diverse audiences, and exploring and showcasing the history of human interaction with the oceans. Yet, relatively little attention has been given to how new ocean industries emerge, organise themselves, and develop across national and cultural contexts.
The rapidly growing seaweed industry provides a compelling context for exploring these dynamics. Globally, seaweed entrepreneurs are developing applications in food, bioplastics, cosmetics, agriculture, animal feed, fertilisers, carbon solutions, and ecosystem restoration. Recent research on the emerging seaweed industries in the United Kingdom and Germany suggests that the sector functions less like a conventional industry and more like a community of practice connecting entrepreneurs, scientists, NGOs, investors, industry associations, museums and public institutions. These networks facilitate knowledge exchange, collaboration, legitimacy and international connections. Seaweed therefore offers a useful context for understanding how new ocean industries emerge and evolve.
At the same time, the industry faces significant challenges, including fragmented regulation, limited consumer awareness, limited access to finance, and the need to establish robust value chains and international market linkages. These challenges also have social and cultural dimensions. Consumer perceptions, regional food cultures, historical relationships with coastal resources, and differing understandings of marine environments influence how products and practices are received and whether coastal communities engage with emerging opportunities. The development of an emerging seaweed industry therefore involves cultural adaptation and public engagement alongside technological innovation and entrepreneurship.
Using the seaweed industry as a case in point, this virtual roundtable discussion explores how emerging blue economy industries are built, connected and scaled. It will bring together perspectives from industry, entrepreneurship, research, policy and coastal communities, while considering the role of museums and cultural institutions in shaping public understanding, legitimacy and engagement.
Guiding Questions
- How do emerging ocean industries such as the nascent seaweed industry in Europe evolve from a network of entrepreneurs, researchers and local initiatives into connected and commercially viable sectors?
- Which networks, partnerships and entrepreneurial ecosystems are most important in mobilising finance, knowledge, legitimacy and market access?
- What can Europe learn from leading seaweed-producing countries about scaling production, building value chains and developing international markets?
- How can commercial development be aligned with environmental sustainability, coastal livelihoods and social value?
- How can cultural practices, maritime traditions and public perceptions influence the acceptance and development of new ocean-based economic innovations?
- How can museums and academic institutions contribute to the social acceptance, cultural adaptation and sustainable development of emerging ocean industries?
Format
The session will feature short interventions by the speakers, followed by an open discussion with participants.
Please register for this event by sending an email to Katharina Bothe (bothe@dsm.museum).
Programme
Welcome and Introduction
- Ruth Schilling, Managing Director, German Maritime Museum/ Leibniz Institute for Maritime History
- Carolin Decker-Lange, Senior Lecturer in Strategy and Entrepreneurship, Brunel Business School, Brunel University of London; Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board, German Maritime Museum
Speakers
- Knut Lange, Associate Professor in Strategy and International Business, Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham
- Vincent Doumeizel, Senior Advisor for Oceans, United Nations Global Compact; Founder, Global Seaweed Coalition, France
- Fiona Trappe, Secretary General, European Seaweed Association, Belgium
- Jörg Ullmann, Managing Director, ALGOMED, Germany
- Nancy Iraba, Co-Founder and CEO, Healthy Seaweed Co. (Seaweed Café), Tanzania
- Luke Keogh, Environmental Historian
- Sven Bergmann, Maritime Anthropologist, German Maritime Museum
Open Discussion with Participants
- Moderation: Knut Lange and Carolin Decker-Lange
Synthesis and Close
- Katharina Bothe, German Maritime Museum
Co- Facilitators
- Carolin Decker-Lange, Brunel University of London
- Knut Lange, University of Birmingham
- Katharina Bothe, German Maritime Museum
