Sei

ER Ocean Recherche

Sei

ER Ocean Recherche is a next-gen material company, converting marine biomass into Sei™, a nano-structured material designed for advanced performance.

La Rochelle, France

FRA

Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit

Companies are struggling to find sustainable alternatives to traditional, high-polluting materials. EU Legislation will increase the need for enterprises to have sustainable materials available by 2030 and the worldwide legislation is following (see not only the EU Legislation, but also The New York Fashion Act, California's B2 62 - Responsible Textile Recovery Act, and UN SDGs framework). Moreover, customer behaviors are shifting (increased willingness to pay for sustainable products for more than 80% of consumers, together with an increase of $40 billion spent in sustainable products in 2023 vs 2022), and sustainability is becoming crucial for companies’ perception and reputation. At the same time, tons of marine biomass are collected along the Atlantic coast, and the issue is worsened by climate change (e.g. the warm up of the oceans increases their acidity level causing seaweed invasions - See for example the sargassum invasion affecting the Caribbean - and more seafood waste). This marine biomass is our resource, that allows us to answer to the increasing demand of next-gen materials.

ER Ocean Recherche is a next-gen material company converting marine biomass into Sei™, a nano-structured material, developed through a proprietary process that optimizes bio-derived polysaccharides for advanced performance. Designed for strength, flexibility and sustainability, Sei™ has several high-value applications, ranging from textile fibers, to coated canvas mimicking leather, and ocean rubber. We repurpose elements that would otherwise be considered waste. Our journey began with the CEO Eugène Riconneaus, former creative director born on the ocean, who started experimenting with marine waste in his designs. Our main ingredients - Invasive seaweed and seafood waste – allow us to create versatile polymers, suited for several applications. We answer the need for low-impact alternatives to traditional, high-polluting materials. Our scalability is backed by a robust supply of key ingredients (20 tons of seafood waste collected daily by our partner). Our materials generate 55-95% less emissions than similar alternatives, with an estimated min. use of 550 tons of seafood waste by year 5. A crucial differentiator from other solutions is that we brought the market into the lab, and not viceversa: Eugène's direct experience with next-gen materials allowed us to create a product aligned with the industry trends in terms of quality and aesthetic appealing.

The warm up of the oceans increases their acidity level, causing algae invasions and an increase in waste levels of seafood farmers. Only in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, our partner collects 20 tons of seafood waste per day, which has close to no value at the moment, part is used as an agricultural fertilizer, part is abandoned in landfills or incinerated. Small communities are hit hard by the rise in water toxicity caused by climate change: seafood farmers contend with waste levels exceeding 50% of production. Our purchase of this resource provides the seafood farmers with an additional revenue stream. Local communities are affected as well by blooms of invasive seaweed, that damage the coast, cause issues to activities like tourism, and attack the plantations of seaweed farmers. Seaweed are vital for marine ecosystems, supporting immense biodiversity and providing livelihoods for over 6 million seaweed farmers worldwide. Yet seaweed communities are predicted to lose up to 71% of their current distribution by 2.100 due to climate change, pollution, and disease outbreaks. By using invasive seaweed we provide farmers and other organizations with an additional income stream, allowing them to thrive, while at the same time producing high-quality materials.