The winner of the 2024 Chemical Industry Innovation Award is Origin by Ocean’s seaweed refining process
Origin by Ocean Ltd. processes seaweed into raw material for the chemical industry.
The Chemical Industry Innovation Award for 2024 was won by Origin by Ocean’s seaweed biorefinery process. Thanks to this innovation, a new raw material source – seaweed – is now available.
Origin by Ocean produces raw material from seaweed for the chemical industry, and through a chemical process, various products are made from seaweed for skincare, the food industry, and cleaning products, for example. This replaces fossil-based components in consumer products while simultaneously creating positive environmental impacts.
The winner was selected by a jury composed of members of the Chemical Industry Federation of Finland’s innovation group.
“The technology has already been advanced, and the innovation has the potential for commercial success. The innovation also addresses a significant environmental problem, eutrophication,” says Petri Lehmus, Chairman of the Chemical Industry Federation’s innovation group and Head of Research and Development at Neste Corporation.
“It’s great that the state of the oceans has been acknowledged in Finland. The world’s oceans are in poor condition. These products refined from seaweed can replace fossil-based ingredients – for example in cosmetics and other consumer products. Origin by Ocean’s regenerative business model is key to future success,” says Tiina Witikkala, Lead Chemical Engineer Activist at Origin by Ocean.
In the Innovation Award competition, two honorable mentions were also given, awarded to FinnCure Ltd. and the CAAMA project by researchers at the University of Oulu.
FinnCure’s innovation uses microparticles to prevent infectious diseases. In FinnCure’s innovation, new types of particles have been developed and patented that can prevent viruses from entering cells.
The core of the University of Oulu’s CAAMA project’s innovation is a new process for removing and recovering metals from water. This method allows, for example, process water from the mining industry to be treated more efficiently and environmentally friendly.
“Both entities aim to address major global needs. Preventing pandemics and addressing the environmental aspects of the mining industry are significant issues, and it is important to seek new solutions to these challenges. Both entities are doing significant Finnish research work, and both innovations have great commercial potential if successful,” says Lehmus.
The 30,000 euro Chemical Industry Innovation Award is given every other year. The award encourages companies and research and development groups working in universities and research institutes to create new chemical products and services.
We seek large and small innovations that make a difference to the well-being of people and the environment, both in everyday life and in industrial production processes. Five innovations made it to the finals of this year’s Innovation Award.
