As per Fast Company, Macro Oceans is one of the companies that uses kelp to develop environmentally-friendly packaging, as the algae industry is currently developing in the US. Asia is one of the most developed areas when it comes to growing kelp, as many nations there consume them as food and Europe is another emerging market for growing kelp.

Matthew Perkins, Founder and CEO at Macro Oceans, who previously worked in seed genetics, said that "I spent a decade or so in that industry, and had seen the enormous impact modern agriculture has on our planet."

He believes that kelp-based plastic is better than corn-derived varieties, as the former is able to degrade faster, should it reach the environment.

"The dirty secret is that it’s not really biodegradable (corn-based packaging) and compostable unless you take it to an industrial composting facility."

Seaweed-based plastic, on the other hand, is able to degrade in nature and quickly, for that matter, which is why more and more companies are looking at this solution to replace traditional products.

Macro Oceans uses Alaska-grown seaweed for its products and it developed a process that allows the company to make the most out of every single kelp.

"We don’t leave anything behind. And the reason that that’s important is because you can then obviously get more dollars per pound of seaweed, which makes our unit economics work and also gives us a lower environmental footprint", Perkins explains.

In the future, Macro Oceans wants to move to other parts of the US and go outside the country, as well, in order to work with other species of algae.