Swiss start-up Oceanien launches seaweed packaging

New bio-based film from Switzerland

The Swiss start-up Oceanien has developed an innovative packaging material made from seaweed. Designed as an alternative to conventional plastics, this material is not only suitable for home composting but also edible and fully biodegradable in a marine environment. The company, founded by Robert Violette and Julia Wysocka, is targeting the growing demand for sustainable packaging solutions in the food and non-food sectors. The film is made from red and brown algae. This raw material was chosen because of its rapid growth and minimal impact on land use and freshwater sources. Oceanien sources its seaweed from certified European suppliers, which is intended to ensure the sustainability of the supply chain.

Material properties and areas of application

Oceanien’s seaweed film possesses a range of functional properties relevant to the packaging industry. The key characteristics are:

• Home-compostable: The material breaks down completely within 4 to 6 weeks in a home composting environment, without leaving behind any microplastics.
• Marine-degradable: Should the packaging unexpectedly end up in the environment, it will also degrade in the sea.
• Oxygen barrier: The film provides a good barrier against oxygen, which can extend the shelf life of oxygen-sensitive products.
• Grease-resistant: The material is naturally resistant to grease and oil.
• Water-soluble: A key property is its solubility in water. This makes the film unsuitable for liquid or very moist products, but offers opportunities for products where the packaging is intended to dissolve.

Given these properties, the film is particularly suitable for packaging dry foodstuffs such as pasta, rice, coffee, cereals and powdered products. In addition, Oceanien sees potential in non-food segments, for example for sachets containing washing powder or cosmetics. It can also serve as secondary packaging, such as a soluble sachet for soup mix inside a cardboard box.

Production, scalability and market potential

For packaging manufacturers and brand owners, the scalability of a new material is a critical factor. According to Oceanien, the production process is relatively simple and can be scaled up to industrial volumes. The start-up is currently collaborating with various pilot partners to validate the technology and further optimise production. Water solubility is a clear limitation, but at the same time a unique property that enables new packaging concepts. For the B2B market, this material offers a concrete solution to meet stricter sustainability requirements and consumers’ desire to reduce plastic use. Its complete biodegradability without leaving any residual pollution is a strong selling point in light of legislation such as the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD) and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). In the long term, Oceanien aims to be price-competitive with conventional plastics. The focus is now on demonstrating technical feasibility and identifying the right market applications where the unique properties of the seaweed-based material add the most value. Source: EVMI – https://evmi.nl/nieuws/zwitserse-startup-lanceert-verpakking-van-zeewier