Policy brief: 'Seaweed and the bioeconomy: enabling growth through aquaculture policy'

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Seaweed is increasingly being recognised as a sustainable resource for the future of the UK economy. It is already positively impacting a wide range of industries, from plastics to pharmaceuticals and contributing towards achieving Net Zero by reducing reliance on fossil fuels. However, there are currently several challenges that prevent the seaweed industry from operating at the necessary scale to deliver its full potential.

A new policy brief released on the 10th of March 2025 underscores the transformative potential of seaweed and what actions we can take to enable its use as a sustainable resource for the UK economy. This brief sets out five practical recommendations to help support aquaculture policy and bolster the UK’s seaweed bioeconomy.

Acknowledgements

The brief has been informed by a literature review and series of stakeholder interviews (19 Aug 2024 – 25 Nov 2024). We particularly would like to thank the colleagues below for their time and valuable comments:

  • Alex Adrian, Crown Estate Scotland;
  • Dawn Purchase, Marine Conservation Society;
  • Rhianna Rees, Scottish Seaweed Industry Association;
  • Jen Vanderhoven, Bio-based and Biodegradable Industries Association.
  • 7 anonymous interview participants

Authors

Dr Luís Lacerda, Policy Adviser at UCL’s Policy Impact Unit

Dr Emily Kostas, Lecturer at the UCL Department of Biochemical Engineering and Principal Investigator on the project “Seaconomy: Integrated Manufacturing and Biorefinery Research for Building the UK's Seaweed Bioeconomy” (MR/X036812/1)

Output type

Policy brief