Sea-Chem Limited

The Rio Earth Summit, June 1992

Convened by the United Nations at the start of the 1990s, the Rio Earth Summit marks not only the emergence of the modern ecological and environmental movements on the international stage, but also the beginning of Sea-Chem’s product evolution. The Rio Declaration pledged, amongst other things, that the 180 governments in attendance would begin to investigate new, organic alternatives to those toxic or hazardous chemical products that were being used across industry at that time. Following Rio, the 'Environmental Technology' sector sprang up almost overnight, and the massive drive towards innovation and sustainability in the chemical industry duly began.

The (Re)Discovery of Seaweed

Seaweed – long celebrated for its health and agricultural benefits by coastal communities the world over – immediately attracted attention as one natural and sustainable resource with possible industrial applications. Across Europe, chemists and biologists soon uncovered the science behind these age-old practices. They found that the unique blend of micronutrients and biosurfactants contained within seaweeds offered a world of possibilities; and they soon developed a series of highly effective products for bioremediation, industrial cleaning and outdoor use chiefly derived from these plants. What is more, besides their vastly superior environmental profile, scientists found that in many cases these seaweed products worked just as well as, if not better than, the existing chemical solution.

The Birth of Sea-Chem

Sea-Chem drew on these findings in 2007. Starting with sustainably harvested seaweed, and working alongside experienced biochemists, we began to manufacture and market a range of products for use in a variety of industrial, agricultural and domestic settings. We are currently making great strides in helping to transform various businesses, from golf courses to large-scale bioremediation contractors. Nothing pleases us more than hearing the positive feedback that our clients leave us after trying Sea-Chem's products for the first time.

In June 1992 the Rio Earth Summit put forward a bold new agenda: to get the governments of the world to replace the hazardous chemicals currently used in their industries with organic alternatives. It was soon recognized that this vision - if it could

be achieved - represented a 'Virtuous Circle': after all, what is generally good for mankind is also beneficial to the planet, and vice versa. Give somebody a harsh chemical fertilizer, for example, and they will be extremely wary of using it because of its possible health repercussions. However, if they used an organic seaweed growth enhancer instead, they wouldn't need to worry in this regard; and furthermore they could apply the product in full knowledge that what they were doing was actually beneficial - not harmful - to the environment around them. In turn, a planet that is less over-run with chemicals is a much healthier and gratifying place to live. The 'Virtuous Circle' is thereby completed.

Profits, People, Planet

Sea-Chem subscribes to the idea of the 'Virtuous Circle' - that is, the coalition of interests between people and planet. However, we firmly believe that the environmental sector cannot afford to be quite so Utopian or idealistic. Profit drives the world economy, and unless our products can compete with their chemical alternatives in this regard, they will never be able to fully replace them. We therefore strive to make our products as financially competitive as possible. We do this in five key ways:

• Price: We try to ensure that all our products are cheaper than the chemical alternative in terms of the cost of their like-for-like applications. We are often successful in this, but it is not always possible to undercut the prices of large chemical manufacturers.
• Value: We try to develop products that work better than their chemical alternatives and in so doing add additional value to an enterprise. For example, Sea-Chem has developed several ‘Synergistic Systems’ – groups of products that work together so well that their combined value exceeds the sum of their parts. One good example of this is our Synergistic System for Bioremediation, which combines biostimulants and biosurfactants to great effect, drastically reducing the time needed for remediation.
• Energy: Some of our products are used in processes that require additional heat. Where this is the case, we aim to provide products that function at lower temperatures than their alternatives, such as the Sea Clean Industrial Degreaser and Biophating Solution, which both require nearly a third less heat than existing solutions.
• Regulations: Many of our products help companies and individuals to avoid the costs associated with falling foul of environmental legislation. For example, using Sea Power 101 Bioremediation Solution to treat contaminated land on site can lead to thousands of pounds worth of savings on landfill costs. Sea Sure Wastewater Solution, on the other hand, can significantly reduce the likelihood of breaching the laws that govern the treatment of wastewater.
• Risk: Our biological products are inherently less risky than their chemical alternatives. Consequently, they almost always allow individuals and companies to make logistical savings in terms of their handling and application, not forgetting the benefits that having such low-risk products will have when it comes to insuring a premises. For example, our Sea Clean range of industrial cleaners, which by their very nature have to be stored on site for long periods of time, represent almost no risk to employers or employees alike.

Each one of Sea-Chem's products ticks several (if not all) of these boxes. For that reason, we now believe we have developed a range of organic, sustainable products which can compete with the existing chemical alternatives not only socially and environmentally, but also financially.