Algaloxía

The Galician coast possesses extraordinary biological richness — but this abundance hasn’t translated into stable livelihoods for coastal communities. Algaloxía explored an audacious alternative: what if seaweed and marine biomass could become the foundation of a thriving circular bioeconomy? Rather than treating coastal resources as raw materials for distant industrial centers, the project reimagined them as anchors for place-based value creation.

Working with Fundación RIA and ICSEM, we conducted deep territorial research into biorefinery technologies, market opportunities, and existing knowledge systems among fishing communities. The work moved beyond technical feasibility studies to ask harder questions: who benefits from seaweed valorization? How can value chains be structured to strengthen rather than extract from local communities? What training and capital structures would communities themselves need to lead this transition?

Algaloxía became a model for how territorial resources can become catalysts for sustainable economic regeneration when the analysis includes community agency, not just technical possibility.