A Japanese farm whose microalgae products have applications ranging from health food and cosmetics to biofuels has become the first in the world to attain certification to the new ASC-MSC Seaweed (Algae) Standard.
Euglena Co. has achieved certification against the standard for its farm producing microalgae on Ishigaki island in Okinawa, following an audit by independent third-party conformity assessment body Amita.
The company mainly produces two species of microalgae, known as Euglena and Chlorella, at its on-shore production facility in Ishigaki, and researches and promotes a number of uses for the micro-organisms containing various kind of nutrients such as vitamins and amino acids.
As well as selling a number of health food and cosmetics, euglena Co. are researching the use of oil extracted from the microalgae as jet and diesel fuel, with plans for producing and supplying them for practical use in commercial aviation and public transport, demonstrating the many and varied uses of algae products.
“This is an important milestone after a great deal of hard work and close collaboration between ASC and MSC, and I’d like to congratulate euglena Co. on their achievement,” said Chris Ninnes, CEO of ASC.
“There are some truly exciting applications for seaweed and microalgae, but with production rapidly increasing around the world it is important that the environmental and social impacts are limited. The ASC-MSC standard aims to help ensure that these important products can be harvested in a way that benefits everyone.”
“euglena Co. is extremely pleased to receive the world’s first ASC-MSC Seaweed (Algae) certification. We produce Euglena and Chlorella on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa, an island surrounded by beautiful sea and nature, and we hope many people have the opportunity to benefit from these products,” said Mitsuru Izumo, CEO of euglena Co.
“Japan is surrounded by resource-rich seas with high mineral contents and abundant seaweeds and it is vital that these resources are used responsibly. We wish to encourage and support other seaweed and algae related companies towards the MSC-ASC Standard. euglena Co. is committed to further develop our environmentally and socially responsible activities to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”
euglena Co. was initially founded after its CEO, Mitsuru Izumo, visited Bangladesh and witnessed first-hand the need to fight malnutrition. After being introduced to the nutritional value of the microalgae Euglena, many years of research and development followed before a method of large-scale production was established and the company started the first commercial production in the world in 2005.
Much of the company’s products make use of the nutritional content of Euglena, with a variety of health supplements, food, and drink, as well as cosmetics. But on top of the healthcare products and biofuels, the microalgae produced at the newly-certified farm could have many other applications, including as an environmentally-friendly feed for both aquaculture and agriculture. Its high carbon capture capability may also render it useful in green technology.
