© Hatch
The Australian impact-driven business works with coastal communities in the Philippines to build a dependable supply of quality, responsible seaweed for global markets, and has been named as a finalist for The Earthshot Prize for its work to revive our oceans and build more prosperous and resilient coastal communities.
At the recent Earthshot Innovation Summit in New York, held in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Earthshot Prize announced the finalists for this year’s event - an inspiring group of global innovators, entrepreneurs, community leaders and advocates pioneering solutions to our most pressing climate and environmental challenges. Hailing from every continent, this year’s 15 Finalists were selected from The Earthshot Prize’s most competitive pool of nominations yet – a total of nearly 2,500 solutions representing 139 countries.
“It is an enormous privilege to be among the finalists for The Earthshot Prize, and to get this recognition for the team’s work and the transformative power of the communities we partner with. It feels like being on the podium at the environmental Olympics,” said Nick Hill, cofounder of Coast 4C, in a press release.
Alongside the significant £1 million prizes to be awarded to the winners, each finalist will receive dedicated mentorship, resources, and technical support, including access to The Prize’s Global Alliance of Partners - a robust network of the world’s largest businesses, donors, investors and environmental organisations committed to climate action.
Winning one of the £1 million prizes would enable Coast 4C to scale its work connecting smallholder fishers and seaweed farmers to global markets, thereby providing a sustainable and reliable source of seaweed for its customers.
“The support offered to Finalists by The Earthshot Prize will really supercharge impact across our 4Cs - Community, Commerce, Conservation & Climate,” commented Hill.
Amado Blanco, Coast 4C cofounder, added: “Winning would be game changing. It would enable us to scale faster and with less risk, innovate further around our systems and processes to increase impact, and expand operations into Indonesia. This would add value and open up new markets, helping us meet growing global demand for a sustainably sourced seaweed.”
Since its founding in 2020, with an initial investment from Hatch and Conservation International Ventures, Coast 4C has trained 680 households in regenerative seaweed farming. Its work has led to the protection of 5,868 ha of coastal zone, in eight locally managed marine protected areas that are 45 times larger than the national Philippines average. Sales so far this year are 12 times higher than last year. The company is forecast to break even within 12 months, four years earlier than projected.
