Seaweed savior? DS Smith investigates algae alternatives to wood fiber and plastic coatings

17 Aug 2021 --- DS Smith is investigating the use of seaweed fibers in packaging applications to reduce carbon emissions associated with traditional materials like wood. The company says this is an “industry first” that will play a significant role in its “purge on plastics.”

Initial testing is focusing on using seaweed to replace wood-based pulp fiber. The company will investigate its potential to act as a barrier coating, replacing petroleum-based materials.

Speaking to PackagingInsights, a DS Smith spokesperson says seaweed may have considerable benefits over wood.

“Seaweed has the potential to be less energy-intensive in the production process with fewer chemicals used to extract the fibers,” they explain.

Firstly, however, certain material flaws have to be overcome.

“Seaweed fibers, like many alternative materials, have challenges around their strength and resilience when compared to wood. There are also logistical factors to consider around storage, for example.”

The European seaweed industry could be worth over US$11M.Bringing seaweed to market
If DS Smith finds a way of adapting seaweed material to overcome these flaws, it could profoundly impact the packaging industry’s environmental footprint, says the spokesperson.

“Seaweed has the potential to be a sustainable fiber and raw material source with a low ecological footprint that is easily recyclable and naturally biodegradable. Interest in seaweed is ramping up across business, government and environmental groups.”

The European Commission recently launched a consultation on a sustainable EU seaweed sector to understand its potential to produce food, feed, pharmaceuticals, bioplastics, fertilizers and biofuels.

The company cannot yet predict what potential carbon emissions savings could result but say seaweed is one of several alternative materials it is investigating.

Burgeoning seaweed industry
DS Smith says it is in talks with several biotechnology companies about using seaweed in a range of packaging materials, including cardboard trays, paper wraps and cartons.

“Seaweed is one of the many alternative natural materials we are closely looking at, and while most people probably associate it with the beach or as an ingredient in sushi, it could have some exciting applications for us to help create the next generation of sustainable paper and packaging solutions,” says Thomas Ferge, paper and board development director at DS Smith.

DS Smith is aiming to use seaweed to replace wood fibers and plastic coating barriers.Seaweed in manufacturing is already a burgeoning market. The European seaweed industry alone is predicted to be worth almost £8 billion (US$11 billion) by 2030, generating some 115,000 jobs, according to DS Smith.

The seaweed project is part of DS Smith’s £100 million (US$137 million) circular economy R&D program announced earlier this year.

As part of the program, the company is working on other types of natural fibers including innovative natural materials such as straw, hemp, miscanthus and cotton, and more unusual sources such as the daisy-flowered cup plant and agricultural waste like cocoa shells or bagasse – the pulp fiber left over after sugarcane is processed.

Algae alternatives
DS Smith joins a number of other packaging innovators experimenting with algae. This year, Finland-based biosciences business Brightplus joined algae innovation company Origin by Ocean to explore the possibilities of using algae in biomaterials for packaging.

The duo says their research will answer a growing demand for algae-based synthetic biomaterials in Europe, which at present is minimal.

Russian and Indian scientists also created a water-soluble, edible film for food packaging composed of sodium alginate, a naturally occurring seaweed biopolymer.

Meanwhile, nearly AU$270 million (US$197 million) is being poured into Australia’s marine bio-industries to meet growing global demand for plant-based proteins, nutraceuticals, omega 3 oils and seaweed-based polymers.

By Louis Gore-Langton

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