Building a Regenerative Future: Algae Scope at Taranto Eco Forum 2025

At Algae Scope, we innovate seaweed bioproducts that are valuable, scalable and sustainable. Our vision is not just an idea - it’s an action. That’s why we were proud to take part in the Taranto Eco Forum #TEF2025 in May 2025, an event that stands out on the national stage for its hands-on, results-driven approach to tackling environmental and industrial challenges.

The forum, as previously reported by RAI News24, goes beyond discussions and calls for concrete, financeable projects with the potential to create lasting, positive impacts - both locally in Taranto and globally.

For Algae Scope, this was a perfect stage to share how seaweed cultivation and production technologies can deliver valuable, scalable solutions for the region’s transformation.

Taranto Eco Forum 2025

Why Seaweed?

Seaweed is one of nature’s most promising regenerative resources. With rapid growth rates, minimal input needs, and the ability to absorb large amounts of CO2, marine-based seaweed cultivation brings many benefits. But more than that, when paired with cutting-edge technology that transforms seaweed into actionable solutions across industries, it emerges as a powerful, reliable, and highly profitable local biomass resource - capable of reshaping entire value chains and driving sustainable economic growth.

Cultivated seaweed from Taranto, Italy

Algae Scope's proof of concept at Taranato

At #TEF2025, Algae Scope's CEO Natasha Yamamura presented our Taranto-based pilot project in collaboration with ENI, showcasing how Algae Scope's technologies use seaweed biomass to produce not just one, but two profitable, high-performing industrial applications:

✅ Bioethanol for decarbonising energy systems; and

✅ Biocoating that replaces toxic fossil-based PFAS chemicals in manufacturing with a water- and fire-resistant natural alternative.

For the benefit of our readers that are not familiar with ENI, it is a multinational Italian energy company engaged in oil, natural gas, and renewable energy production, known for its global operations and ongoing transition toward sustainable energy solutions.

The proof of concept in Taranto has been three-fold: we tested seaweed cultivation; valorised seaweed biomass for full bioproduct suitability; and explored potential bioethanol yield and efficiency.

Firstly, the cultivation methodologies identified the growth rate, established co-location with other aquaculture including mussel farms, and determined optimum modelling structures to be used with the ulva specie, that is indigenous to Taranto.

Secondly, biomass characterisation enabled us to broaden our knowledge of the factors affecting Ulva biomass yield and determine full composition data.

Thirdly, this led to the identification of several valuable high-performing bioproducts including bioethanol and a natural bio-coating which is a safer alternative to PFAS chemicals. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are a group of man-made chemicals used to make products resistant to water, heat, and stains. They’re often called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down easily and can build up in the environment and in our bodies. The bio-coating is a first-of-its-kind product (patent-pending) that is being tested by high-profile textile manufacturers and finishing companies/formulators, delivering exceptional water resistance and fire retardancy - combining safety and sustainability, and it's an industry-ready 'drop-in' solution!

Our solutions don't just offer more sustainable products - they provide real, concrete opportunities to embed circularity into regional economies, create jobs, and present significant opportunities for strategic partnerships across European industries.

Seaweed cultivation can be established relatively quickly in coastal regions like Taranto, and the infrastructures (maritime and industrial) required to develop bioproducts often have a strong foundation upon which to build, meaning that high-performing products can be tested and brought to the market with local industries relatively quickly.

Algae Scope's CEO Natasha Yamamura (second right) on the panel

Scaling Through Collaboration

Our involvement with Faros Accelerator has been key. As Anas Anjrini, Faros Program Manager, explained at the forum, "Acceleration means turning ideas into concrete actions, integrating impact into the business model, and scaling systems that regenerate".

Anas Anjrini, Faros Accelerator

Faros's network has helped us to collaborate with industrial players. Thanks to Taranto Hub’s robust network - from ENI and Intesa Sanpaolo to FINCANTIERI, Snam, and the Port Authority - we are not just imagining innovation; we are building it together.

Seaweed Solutions for Taranto and Beyond

The Taranto Eco Forum reminded us that innovation thrives where vision meets local action. The city’s industrial and maritime history, combined with the urgency of environmental transition, makes it the perfect testing ground for scalable solutions like ours.

By advancing seaweed-based biofuels and biocoating, we aim to help Taranto become a flagship for circular industrial transformation — demonstrating how nature-based solutions can power regional regeneration, economic diversification, and global climate impact.

Check out ENI Joule's summary of their collaborations for industrial transformation on LinkedIn and also Faros's summary.

We are proving that seaweed’s potential is not just a theory — it’s a powerful, deployable tool for the future we want to build.