IFF and Bellona team up to restore Norway’s marine biodiversity and combat climate change

22 Jan 2024 --- Producer of personal care and cosmetics, International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) collaborates with NGO Bellona in a seaweed forest restoration project to restore Norway’s marine biodiversity and combat climate change.

The collaboration is a long-term project named the Norwegian Marine Restoration (NoMaRe), which targets the seaweed forests along the northern coastal areas of the country.

“The objective of the project is to help restore the kelp forest along the coast of Northern Norway. This part of the coastline was turned into a sea urchin barren almost 50 years ago due to human activity,” Trond Helgerud, IFF principal scientist, tells Personal Care Insights.

Trond Helgerud, IFF principal scientist.“Restoration of the kelp forest will help offset any ecological ripple effects on marine animals and plants. In addition, we hope to increase awareness of the project and this important topic and help raise further funding from governments, NGOs, as well as industrial technology partners.”

The NoMaRe project aims to restore seaweed forests by reviving and managing “invasive” sea urchin predation.

“Restoration of seaweed in 5000 square kilometers will have a positive impact on the environment. This volume will be a one-time effect during restoration, but there will be a significant longer-term effect on carbon capture due to the natural removal of seaweed by waves and permanent deep water deposition,” Helgerud continues.

“Restoration will help to increase green value creation through improved marine life and contribute to job creation within areas like fisheries, tourism and utilization of kelp biomass.”

IFF expects the forests to increase biological carbon sequestration by 12 million metric tons, which is said to be equal to the total emissions from Norway’s oil and gas industry in 2021.

An ecosystem’s and life’s inherent capacity to store carbon is known as biological sequestration.

Seaweed forests under threat
IFF emphasizes that seaweed forests are among Earth’s “most important natural environments” but have faced global challenges. The spread of 300 species of invasive sea urchins is particularly hurting Norwegian seaweed forests.

IFF will provide financial support to the NoMaRe project over the next three years.IFF points to human activity in the 1970s, which disrupted urchin larvae’s natural predators, increasing their population and transforming once-thriving seaweed forests into landscapes known as “urchin barrens.”

This ecological imbalance has harmed native species and reduced seaweed harvesting opportunities.

Aligning with the Do More Good Plan
Chief sustainability officer at IFF, Renee Henze, highlights the company’s ESG commitments via its Do More Good Plan. This plan aligns with its Sustainable Solutions, a roadmap that leverages science and creativity for a better world.

“Through this strategy, we aim to transform how we design and manufacture our products and incorporate the Do More Good mindset into the way we responsibly engage with our employees, customers, suppliers and communities,” says IFF.

Henze adds: “As one of the largest global users of seaweed for alginates and carrageenan, we are proud to be an initiator of this major project. Increasing advocacy for the often-forgotten seaweed forest is key to mitigating the effects of climate change while creating sustainable jobs and products globally.”

Polysaccharide carrageenan is used in cosmetics as a thickener, stabilizer, gelling agent and binder, while alginate is often used in face and body masks.

“IFF has always been committed to doing more good and giving back to the communities we operate in. IFF has been harvesting seaweed in the southern parts of Norway for more than 60 years, and the seaweed beds in those areas are in good health. IFF will therefore contribute, to the NoMaRe project, its expertise in managing seaweed resources and seaweed harvesting in a responsible way,” says Helgerud.

“Furthermore, we are also ready to provide our experience and knowledge in responsible sourcing of seaweed - as a renewable raw material for developing new products that are increasingly meeting the sustainability expectations of consumers and public authorities.”

Do More Good Plan (image credit: IFF).Furthermore, IFF says it will provide financial support and expertise in seaweed management to the NoMaRe project over the next three years.

Wide support
Andreas Bjelland Eriksen, Norway’s Minister of Climate and Environment, attended the launch event in Norway, emphasizing the importance of the project.

Meanwhile, Trond Helgerud, principal scientist and seaweed R&D leader at Nourish, IFF, highlights the broader impact: “The project has the potential to help Norway grow its marine economy by generating significant economic benefits every year, making sustainable seaweed one of the country’s biggest contributors to marine industries. That’s good for a greener economy and a greener planet.”

Joakim Hauge, director of Bioeconomic at Bellona Foundation, expresses enthusiasm: “The team’s experience and knowledge will provide valuable contributions to this exciting partnership. I am confident that IFF and The Bellona Foundation will jointly achieve real progress for climate and the environment and in restoring marine biodiversity and ecosystems while at the same time increasing biological carbon storage.”

In other developments related to seaweed, maritime nations meeting at COP28 in Dubai found upcycling opportunities in the problematic sargassum, a brown seaweed that spreads rapidly, choking out coastal species while emitting harmful GHG once it washes up on shores.

By Venya Patel

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