It is included within the green economy since it deals with sustainable economic management, even if it applies to seas and oceans. It encompasses multiple sectors ranging from the more traditional ones, such as fishing and tourism, to more innovative ones such as renewable energy or blue biotechnology. Gunter Pauli is the driving force behind it. Belgian entrepreneur and author of the book ‘The blue economy’ Pauli, in addition to fighting for environmental protection, advocates a new way of creating companies by diversifying risks and lowering costs through the use of waste and by-products.
Under the umbrella of this philosophy, multiple business ideas arise in all parts of the world. In the specific case of Spain, too. Here are some of them:
In defense of the sea and its people
Framed in the tourism sector, Trip&Feel is a Valencian startup that offers customers the opportunity to experience the fishing tradition and culture with professionals of the trade. They include educational activities with attendance at fresh fish auctions, guided tours of fishing ports and tasting of seafood gastronomy. In addition to operating in the Valencian Community, the company is already present on the Italian island of Sardinia. Among the many objectives they claim to pursue are to increase the economic possibilities of small family fishing businesses, the development of projects based on the protection of the historical and cultural fishing heritage that promote local employment and social action, to offer a more active and sustainable alternative to tourism, and to create new professional jobs in the primary sector.
Fundación Lonxanet para la Pesca Sostenible , created in 2002 by Antonio García Allut, was also created with the mission of contributing to the strengthening of artisanal fishing and its populations. The ultimate goal is to solve and/or minimize their problems and position artisanal fishermen as guardians and co-managers of the aquatic ecosystems in which they carry out their productive activities. It thus empowers the fishermen's profession as key agents of marine conservation.
For a more sustainable industry
The industrial startup bound4blue is perhaps one of the most original solutions to combat marine pollution. This company has developed a rigid sail technology that makes it possible to harness the wind as a complementary means of propulsion for ships. “Today, shipping transports more than 90% of the world's cargo thanks to a fleet of more than 90,000 ships, which is renewed every year with more than 2,700 new vessels. These vessels consume up to 4 tons of fuel per hour, which can account for up to 80% of their operating costs, and an unsustainable amount of pollutant emissions. bound4blue's technology is necessary for the maritime industry to remain economically competitive while increasing its environmental sustainability.” Its innovative sail system enables significant savings in fuel and associated pollutant emissions of up to 40%.
The company has already received numerous awards. Thanks to this solution David Ferrer-Desclaux, CTO and Project Manager, is part of the Innovators Under 35 Europe 2018 of the MIT Technology Review publication.
From the sea, even the garbage
Making the most of waste is one of the foundations of the blue economy and there are many economic proposals along these lines. One example is Sea2see, a company founded by François van den Abeele, which has succeeded in manufacturing and marketing high-quality designer sunglasses by recycling plastic from the sea. The production runs 100% with fishing nets and abandoned ropes collected by the fishing communities of the Spanish coasts. It thus manages to reduce marine pollution and mitigate what is known as ghost fishing.
In Indianes, too, they have found enough material in the sea garbage to create a footwear brand. “Treading with respect, walking with conscience”, is the company's claim. All the footwear is manufactured with natural fibers, such as hemp or cotton, in a handcrafted production process by expert shoemakers in the Elche area, thus also boosting the local economy. However, the relationship with the customer does not end with the sale. The idea is that, once the useful life of each pair of shoes sold is over, to recover them again and give them a second life in the form of soles by incentivizing consumers with the payment of 10 euros for the purchase of each pair of shoes sent to them under certain conditions.
Another business idea that uses waste as raw material and which we have already talked about on this website is Shippy house, a modular architecture proposal that uses discarded sea containers to turn them into comfortable and affordable housing.
Blue and circular
From the Chair of Coastal Sciences of the University of Malaga comes the project called Alosio, which aims to eliminate what is known as ‘natas marinas’. According to Alfonso Gago Calderón, one of the members of the research team, natas is the name given in the coastal area of Málaga to a kind of foam that sometimes forms on the surface of the sea. Until now it was thought that its origin was organic or was the result of uncontrolled dumping, but this research team has shown that this is not the case, but that its origin corresponds to the clay of the sand of the river beds that is used to repopulate the beaches. This dust, in contact with the water, is what causes the creams. To avoid its presence, they have developed selective filters that can be attached to the machines used daily to clean the beaches. To close the economic circle, the team's proposal is to reach agreements with local cement companies to sell them the recovered clay.
Drones everywhere
The Valencian startup General Drones has designed a drone specifically for maritime rescue and is already commercializing it in the U.S. Able to withstand the most adverse weather conditions, such as storms, wind and heavy rains, thanks to its waterproof aerodynamic carbon fiber design and its X8 coaxial propulsion system, Auxdron LFG provides maximum power and reliability in the most difficult situations. However, they assure that their goal is not technology, “it is the prevention of incidents on the beach and the reduction of rescue time to avoid drowning risks”.
And if the mission of the drones of the previous one is to fly over the seas, the ones designed by Nido Robotics operate in the depths. Roy Petter Dyrdahl Torgersen is a Navy captain, Norwegian by birth and resident in Murcia. For the last few years he has also been CEO and founder of Nido Robotics, a company dedicated to the manufacture of underwater robots or underwater drones that allow inspection, maintenance or research work to be carried out efficiently, at very competitive prices, and without putting human life at risk.
Nido Robotics was born out of Roy Petter Dyrdahl's participation in the search for the SS Dakota aircraft, which took place in 2012 in Papua, New Guinea. This is where he identified the need to use remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) in order to facilitate the work being carried out in extreme conditions hundreds of meters deep underwater. The company, incorporated in 2016, is dedicated to the development, manufacture and sale of underwater robots. They understand that underwater inspections, maintenance and repairs usually involve a high risk for the people involved and imply a high cost that is difficult to assume for an SME. They propose replacing divers with robots in underwater work such as that carried out in industries like fish farms, power plants or aquaculture.
