Innovation beneath the waves

With more than 70% of the surface of our planet covered by ocean, we recognise the sea could hold untapped potential. In 2022 we began to dip our toes into the waters of marine exploration through an accelerator programme searching for start-ups that could help us explore and understand the potentials of marine materials. Robert Carleke, Innovation Ventures Manager at Inter IKEA, together with the Innovation Ventures team – a partnership capability working with scouting and selecting innovation partners for collaboration – and a network of colleagues, led two exciting investment projects that IKEA hopes will lead to low impact material solutions and even more healthy and sustainable food options in the future.

While many people consider fish as a healthy and sustainable alternative to meat, popular species such as salmon are becoming more scarce. By exploring the potential to offer customers a plant-based alternative that is just as tasty – at the same cost or lower – it’s a win-win for both salmon lovers and those who prefer a vegan diet.

Inter IKEA Group recently invested in New School Foods, a Canadian start-up with a mission to speed up the transition to a lower impact food system by creating fish (and meat) alternatives that deliver on taste, texture and of course, price. “Working with external innovation partners who have unique expertise, perspectives and insights is a way to accelerate transformation on topics that are strategic to our business. New School Foods is a pioneer in the alternative protein industry, and we were impressed by the team, their products and the production technology they’ve developed and saw that there is a lot for us to learn,” explains Robert.

Of course, while New School Foods salmon is still currently being tried and tested by chefs, there are plant-based salmon alternatives already on the market, but what sets New School Foods’ version apart is that it not only looks and tastes like real salmon, but thanks to innovative technologies that can reproduce the muscle structure of salmon, it also cooks, freezes and even flakes like the real thing.

Containing ocean algae, pea and soya protein, the plant-based alternative also delivers the same level of protein and Omega-3 fatty acids as the real thing, at a lower cost to customers and hopefully with a lower impact on our seas. “With our global reach, if a company our size decides to offer plant-based salmon, it could have a huge impact,” says Robert, adding “So there’s the potential that we’ll not only do something for IKEA, but also influence the rest of the food industry.”

Multiple studies indicate that seaweed is a sustainability hero of the sea. The plants help improve water quality by absorbing nutrients and carbon dioxide and provide food, shelter and protection for many marine species, so it’s incredibly important not to deplete these critical natural ecosystems.

But it’s not just in the sea where the incredible potential of this renewable resource lies, it can also be responsibly grown and cultivated for different purposes. “At IKEA, we are constantly looking for innovative and renewable raw materials that can potentially be used in various ways within our operations. We do this by working together with others, and in Nordic SeaFarm we see a potential to explore opportunities in aquaculture materials,” says Ulf Johansson, Raw Material Manager. Utilising fibres for wood and fabric, protective films and coatings are some of the applications we’re looking into.

To learn more about marine materials and how they can influence material development and applications in the future, Inter IKEA Group became a key investor in Nordic SeaFarm, one of Europe’s leading producers of sustainably farmed seaweed. Founded by marine biologists, Nordic SeaFarm works with a range of stakeholders and industries to democratise seaweed by growing highly valued species at massive scale in the ocean and develop new products and services.

At its site on the west coast of Sweden, Nordic SeaFarm cultivates sea lettuce and sugar kelp, used for food, biomaterials and fertiliser, among other things. While seaweed farms can be found around the world from China to the United States, Nordic SeaFarm’s location – less than 400 km from where the IKEA range and product development happens – allows us to be a close innovation partner.

It may be a while before you get to take home a tasty frozen fillet of plant-based salmon from the Swedish Food Market and seaweed-based packaging and products are still a way off. However, the hope is that our investments and explorations will not only have a positive impact on our climate goals but will also influence many other companies and industries to follow suit and join us as we become a part of the blue revolution.