Today is Clean up Our Coasts Day! So I thought I would give you the rundown on why we, at PhycoHealth, focus on cleaning up the coasts from nitrogen!
When I talk about the foundation of PhycoHealth and nitrogen, I often begin with an unexpected image—Adolf Hitler, surrounded by weapons technology. You might wonder why a seaweed company founder would start with such a grim picture. The answer lies in the chain reaction set in motion during the Second World War. The industrialization of weapons technology, particularly the ability to fix nitrogen from the air, not only fueled war machines but also laid the groundwork for today’s agricultural practices. Practices that have driven us to the brink of ecological dispair.
At the heart of this legacy is a chemical process of nitrogen fixation from the air, industrialised to produce unlimited nitrogen (N) for explosives (think TNT - it's dynamite). Without it, it’s estimated Hitler’s war efforts would have lasted only a few months. But after the war, this same technology was repurposed for agriculture, driving the massive expansion of industrial farming. While it helped feed a rapidly growing population, agriculture has since contributed to breaching several planetary boundaries—disrupting nitrogen and phosphorus flows, damaging our ecosystems, and contributing to climate change. We’ve reached a tipping point, but at PhycoHealth we focus on tipping these flows back in the right direction.
The 9 planetary boundaries that we can all address by the way we run businesses and the products that we buy will make strides for a better planet:
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Each of these boundaries tells a story of how we’ve industrialized nature’s processes at an unsustainable pace. Nitrogen, in particular, is a critical piece of the puzzle. Fertilizer production alone contributes to 3% of global carbon emissions, while nitrogen runoff has led to the deoxygenation of our oceans, choking marine life.
At PhycoHealth, we’re committed to reversing this trend, one step at a time. Our mission is grounded in ecological economics—building businesses that respect and restore natural flows. This means holding ourselves, our suppliers, and even our customers accountable for the choices we make. It’s not easy, nor can we change everything overnight. But with each purchase of our seaweed products, a small but significant impact is made: nitrogen is recovered, freshwater is spared, and another patch of land is left undisturbed.
As you interact with our products, remember that 50% of the nitrogen in your body comes from this same industrial process. But by choosing foods that recover and recycle nitrogen, like our seaweed-infused offerings, you’re actively helping to heal the planet.
This journey is not just about business—it’s about survival. As Thomas Hager wrote in The Alchemy of Air, the discovery of the Haber-Bosch process saved billions of lives but also created a chemical legacy we are still grappling with today. At PhycoHealth, we believe every decision is a step towards reversing that legacy, creating a healthier planet and healthier people. Together, we can start to undo the damage and build a future where nature’s flows once again support our existence.
You can load your bread with Phybre using Bettina's flat bread recipe, coated with Phukka, for a healthy and sustainable leap forward today.
