Speaker

Harnessing a local solution to a global problem: 

Tasmanian Asparagopsis (seaweed) tackling climate change

Sam Elsom, Sea Forest

Sea Forest is a science-based environmental technology company harnessing the power of Australian seaweed to drive sustainable long-term solutions to the challenges of climate change and global food security.

The company is aiming to produce 7000 tonnes of Asparagopsis seaweed a year by 2028‚ enough to mitigate the equivalent of 1.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. This is an innovative Australian solution to a global problem where collaboration is key. By partnering with farmers, government and retailers we can seize the economic and environmental opportunity of a world-leading Asparagopsis industry in Australia‚ delivering extraordinary impact to regional communities and delivering on our methane pledge commitment.

A passionate environmentalist and entrepreneur, Sam began his career in fashion, building the apparel brand Elsom around sustainable design and ethical manufacture. Today he is CEO of Sea Forest, a Tasmanian environmental technology company developing the scaled cultivation of the native red seaweed, Asparagopsis. When included as a feed supplement, Asparagopsis can reduce the production of methane from livestock by more than 90%. Sea Forest's work is the most prospective tool for the Australian agriculture industry to reach its carbon-neutral target by 2030.

Sea Forest:  Cultivating solutions to climate change