More than 200 global seaweed experts gather for Seagriculture EU 2025 in Rotterdam

This year’s theme, “Seaweed 2.0: Today’s Scaling for Tomorrow’s Needs,” underscored the industry’s need to scale responsibly and collaboratively in response to growing global demand for sustainable solutions.

The event served as a platform to unite stakeholders across the seaweed value chain - including producers, policymakers, researchers, investors, and buyers - to foster synergies and build a resilient, scalable infrastructure for the future of the industry.

Field visits kick off with practical insights

On 17 June, participants had the opportunity to choose between two in-depth site visits:

●      Hortimare showcased their culture collection and cultivation systems, shared how they approach breeding, support farming operations, and several other aspects - offering a glimpse into how science and commercial development intersect to support sustainable seaweed farming.

●      NIOZ – Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research hosted a scientific meeting in collaboration with the NWO-KIC projects CircAqua, SeaSeeds, and From Sea to Society. Attendees explored seaweed research through a mix of oral and poster presentations.

Engaging programme highlighted innovation and collaboration

From 18–19 June, the main conference featured five plenary sessions, two panel discussions, and the Seaweed Elevator Pitches, a fast-paced format that allowed for broad project exposure and idea sharing. Nearly 50 speakers shared diverse insights on applications, farming practices, and regulatory developments in the seaweed sector.

The programme also featured sessions such as ’Professionalizing the Seaweed Industry: Learning from Pioneers,’ ’Collaboration as a Tool for a Successful Seaweed Industry,’ and ’Roadmap for the European Seaweed Industry,’ among others. Notable speakers included Stefan Kraan (Oceana Organic Products Ltd), Annette Bruhn (Aarhus University), Sander van den Burg (Wageningen Social & Economic Research),  Kees Joziasse (TotalEnergies Corbion), Pierre Paslier (Notpla), Christelle Sapata (PwC Luxembourg), Richard Piechocki (Rabobank), Rita Sousa (Faber), Maria Hayes (Teagasc), and many more.