Marine Innovation
An Eco-friendly Substitute for Plastics

At the current rate of pollution, the world is witnessing significant devastation. The most likely culprit is environmental abuse created by cheap plastic and wood-based products. The global plastic market size was valued at $579.7 Bn in 2020 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 3.4 percent. COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to increased plastic use. There have been many sustainability initiatives to reduce and reuse plastics. Chemical industries and government promote a shift to bioplastics. Major global key market players are investing in research and development to introduce novel biodegradable plastic products, which are strong and readily degradable in the natural environment to solve environmental problems. However, the raw materials they currently use are plastic PLA produced by extracting starch from corn and sugarcane and PBAT based on fossil fuels. However, these are not long-term solutions or not the best way to address alternatives, as a result, the industry leaders are constantly seeking out more sustainable materials.

On the other hand, Marine Innovation has introduced seaweed-based products that are 100 percent eco-friendly, biodegradable in 60-90 days. The company considers four basic criteria: products should be biodegradable, plant-based, chemical-free in the production, and no toxins sent up into the air from burning plastic. For Marine Innovation, everything from production to packaging should be safe for the environment. “We seek to keep human health and environmental sustainability with the goal to replace traditional single-use plastics to eco-friendly materials, while also growing our business and scaling impact,” says Cha Wan Young, CEO, Marine Innovation. Marine Innovation is changing ways of lives and introducing seaweed-based products into the environment. The company is switching to eco-friendly, naturally-sourced plastic alternatives with natural virgin material.

Marine Innovation began its journey in January 2019 with the implementation of “Right thinking for next generation.” Marine Innovation uses an essential methodology that physically separates the components of the algae from seaweeds without the use of harmful chemicals. At the same time, the company makes use of algae waste-product replacing wood (another source of environmental issues) and plastics.

The company’s innovation lies in eco-friendly material found in the sea, seaweed, and products are made from a by product of algae. “Our aim to replace plastics and wood under the motto of ’Clean Earth, Healthy Humanity’ by allowing green consumers to prevent environmental pollution, by using seaweed-based products, and contributing to saving our environment for the generations to come,” says Cha.

Currently, the company’s seaweed-based products, such as single-use plates, are already at a commercial level, while its seaweed-based disposable cups will be mass-produced in June. “We see the opportunity to introduce green sustainable products in the global market and will focus more on exporting our seaweed-based disposables and grocery bags on the idea of sustainability in this industry,” says Cha.

Marine Innovation’s seaweed-based products are ground-breaking. Firstly, these are cost-effective. Pulp products and paper products have risen in price because of the continuous increase in pulp prices, whereas Marine Innovation can save material cost by 30 percent as it is reusing the raw materialwith its innovative technology costing $200 per ton of seaweed as compared to $1,000 per ton for wood. Secondly, the manufacturing process can be shortened by one-third. While the traditional process takes 24 hours to produce, the company’s technology takes only 8 hours, which further implies energy savings of up to 80 percent. Next, wood takes more than 90 to 120 days to decompose in nature, but seaweed only takes 60-90 days due to its composites that are characterized by aggressive biodegradation.

In addition, Seaweed absorbs carbon dioxide five times more than wood and can be used as a food source and as a substitute for wood in a wide variety of uses after it has grown. The seaweed composites are characterized for biodegradation properties and suggest a more aggressive biodegradation process in the material. There are options with plant-based eco-friendly products, but raw materials are plant itself, but we need to even save food resources such as corns, sugarcanes, bamboo, and more. Not only this, in the anti-bacterial test, seaweed has provento kill bacteria and viruses like colon bacillus up to 99.9 percent.

More and moresmall and private businesses, even green consumers, are paying attention to a product’s environmental impact. Domestic and global retailers, food and beverage industries, fashion, franchises, e-commerce platforms are reaching out to Marine Innovation for seaweed-based products which improve the quality of life and ensure the safety of families and the planet. Cha cites that the company works closely with R&D and global marketing of SK Innovation, a world-class Korean energy company with sales of 50 trillion. The client is in discussion with the company to farm and localize seaweed mass produce and collaborate with global key players. In addition, more than 1.5 billion won of the Korean government grants is the competitive advantage to help support seaweed R&D and stay ahead of the game.

Above all, the scientific basis of review on algae for the functioning of the marine ecosystem as well as its role in solving environmental and food chain issues creates more opportunities for Marine Innovation. “We are aligning our core business activities to creating a positive impact not only consumers, government, global companies and environmental groups but also inspiring the world,” adds CHA Wan Yeong.