Wade Materials

Developing next-generation materials for the world of tomorrow.

We specialize in the development and production of innovative materials by combining cutting-edge technological innovation and environmental awareness to transform sustainably sourced, renewable resources into high-quality, value-added products.

By leveraging our innovative research, as well as our comprehensive team of experts, we are looking to solidify our long-term competitive advantage in this newly emerging industry and scale the development of next-generation, carbon-free technology to produce a line of new, high-quality seaweed-based products for a wide array of commercial industries.

B
Happy team member
Mission

Leveraging the power of seaweed to pioneer innovative change at every stage.

To transform sustainably sourced seaweed into high-quality, innovative products while sequestering greenhouse gases, helping restore and support local marine habitats, and growing the marine aquaculture industry here in Canada by creating reliable and long-lasting career opportunities for communities all across the country.

R
Problems

We are facing big challenges, at every stage of the supply chain.

Biomass
Producing cost-effective seaweed in large volumes.

All of the world’s farmed seaweed production is still completely dominated by Asia, where expensiveshipping costs as well as labour-intensive, inefficiently designed farms result in excessively high prices for commercial seaweed.

As a result, commercial production of any downstream product is still incredibly limited, and impossible to do in many areas around the world.

Extracts
Producing high-quality seaweed extracts cheaply and sustainably.

All commercially available seaweed extracts that are on the market today are manufactured using significant amounts of chemical solvents.

The use of these chemicals is extremely harmful to the environment and makes the production of these materials extremely costly and inefficient.

Solutions

We are building a one-of-a-kind, vertically integrated supply chain. Right here in North America.

Biomass

We’re developing breakthrough technologies to cultivateseaweed at scale more cheaply and more efficientlythan anyone else in the industry.

By automating much of the cultivation process as wellas developing an entirely new, more optimized farmsystem, we are pioneering the shift from expensiveartisanal seaweed cultivation to scalable, commercialscale production.

Extracts

We’re developing a new and innovative way to producea wide variety of seaweed extracts in one streamlinedprocess that does not require the use of anyenvironmentally harmful chemical solvents and isentirely carbon-free.

By leveraging Canada’s abundance of naturalrenewable resources, we can perform this operationmore cheaply and more efficiently than anyone else inthe industry.

A
Goal

We are ambitious.

To make this province — and all of — the epicentre of new technological solutions that we can use to develop the supply chains necessary for the viable production of seaweed-based products, leveraging our geographical advantages to solidify our position as leaders in a rapidly expanding global industry.

We want to help build a strong and reliable circular economy by turning renewable resources like seaweed into sustainable, bio-based materials that can be used in a wide range of commercial industries.

Our end goal is for these materials to be composted and upcycled into new products, forming a closed-loop system that can minimize waste, conserve valuable resources, and help generate new downstream value-added products that will ultimately contribute to building a more sustainable and resilient economy for all.

Vision

To spearhead the introduction of new industries here in North America and cement ourselves as global leaders in the development of seaweed cultivation and transformation technology, as well as in the production of a wide array of high-quality, seaweed-based products.

Collaborating Partners

These are the members of our team who work full-time on our project for research and development purposes, but currently do so from outside our organization. They are faculty members, students, and professional researchers at the various universities and research centres that we collaborate with.

Innofibre
Research Centre
With multiple decades of accumulated experience in the paper industry, Innofibre is one of Canada’s top cellulose-specific research institutes. Unique across North America, Innofibre specializes in the development and optimization of cellulosic products and the extraction and valorization of biomass. As a CCTT (Centre Collégial de Transfert de Technologie), they have a fully operational pilot-scale biomass processing and paper manufacturing facility, as well as an industry-grade surface coating line. We can make use of these facilities and leverage Innofibre’s extensive industry experience to develop and test our methodologies in an industrial setting, allowing us to smoothly scale up our processes as we move toward full-scale commercialization.
Innovation Maritime
Research Centre
Affiliated with the Institut Maritime du Québec (IMQ), and part of the Cégep de Rimouski, Innovation Maritime is a leading applied research institute led by experienced representatives from all parts of the marine industry here in Canada. With over 20 years of experience and nearly 400 research projects completed, their mission is to contribute to the development of the marine sector in Canada and support companies through innovation, technical assistance, and distribution of knowledge.
Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique
Research Centre
With over 50 years of interdisciplinary research and training, as well as being one of Quebec’s top rated research institutes for project efficiency and success, the Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique is one of Canada’s leading bioresource development research centres. Also a CCTT (Centre Collégial de Transfert de Technologie), they are equipped with a fully operational pilot-scale biomass extraction plant, and we can make use of their extensive array of equipment and knowledge to scale our operations seamlessly and mitigate as much risk as possible.
Lakehead University
University
Home to more than 26 cutting-edge research centres and over 50 years of research experience, the resources and know-how that Lakehead University provide to our projects is unmatched. Having been named one of the top research universities in Canada for five years in a row, they have been critical in our development of seaweed-based hydrogels and paper-related solutions.
Merinov
Research Centre
Merinov is the leading research institute in Canada for any work related to seaweed and seaweed aquaculture. As Quebec’s top CCTT (Centre Collégiale de Transfert de Technologie) in seaweed-related innovation, they carry over a decade of experience developing the country’s most comprehensive inventory of geographic data, and they’ve proven to be vital in our efforts to develop and deploy our innovative seaweed cultivation system.
Université de Sherbrooke
University
Since its inception, the Université de Sherbrooke has been renowned for its expertise in the development of novel materials and has a long history of working with private corporations on innovative research projects. With over 100 different collaborating research institutes and many decades of experience developing innovative science and technology, the Université de Sherbrooke has cemented itself as a leader in academic and private collaborations that push scientific progress forward.
D
Impact

Our impact extends well beyond the products we make.

The science and innovation we’re dedicated to working on not only has the potential to create significant economic benefits, it can also be used to strengthen and preserve the natural resources native to the regions in which we operate.

Seaweed is one of our best natural tools in the fight against climate change, and it can also be leveraged to create new and reliable opportunities for coastal areas across the country, particularly rural regions in northern Canada where consistent, high-paying jobs could greatly benefit Indigenous communities that only have access to a limited number of commercial industries.

Impact

From job creation, to habitat preservation and climate stabilization, we want to leave a long-standing impact that makes a difference.

Economic
The implementation of large-scale seaweed cultivation and the commercial production of downstream seaweed-based materials would not only create a consistent employment platform for individuals, but would also help attract and retain highly qualified personnel in areas that would otherwise have no need for them, helping boost local economies and promote an increase in population.

The introduction of new industries would also help drive new commercial opportunities for businesses looking to participate, and spark further technological innovation.

Furthermore, much of Canada’s economy is still heavily reliant on foreign markets. As the usage of seaweed extracts continues to grow throughout the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, food, and supplementation industries both here in North America and abroad, so will our dependence on international supply chains.

According to the World Bank, 98% of the world’s farmed seaweed is still dominated by Asia. Developing the scientific and technological infrastructure to begin manufacturing these goods here in Quebec would not only make them cheaper in comparison to international competitors, but would also make us more economically independent and competitive on a global scale.
Environmental
Seaweed soaks up to five times more carbon dioxide than land-based plants. With the advancements we’re making in next-generation seaweed cultivation technology, our network of farms will sequester nearly 20 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the ocean every year by 2035. That’s a quarter of Quebec’s annual greenhouse gas emissions converted into sustainable, high-quality products that will not only boost our economy, but will also help people live healthier, happier lives.

On top of that, it’s a zero-input plant. It requires no fresh water, no fertilizer, no feed, and no land to grow, which, in our rapidly evolving world, are vital resources that should be saved for other purposes. In the era of climate change — as water, food, and land prices continue to rise — seaweed is rapidly becoming the most affordable and sustainable biomass on the planet.

We're working to become global leaders in scientific and environmental innovation.

By leveraging the advantageous geography of Quebec, as well as the rest of Northern Canada, we can solidify our position as giants in the large-scale, sustainable cultivation of seaweed and maximize the value of our country’s natural resources to pioneer new industries and spearhead the development of much-needed innovative solutions.

We can not only reduce our dependence on foreign markets and international supply chains, but also enable the creation of high-quality products for people and businesses across North America.

By using Quebec as a stepping stone to the vast resources that Canada has to offer, and by continuing to find newand innovative ways to exploit the benefits of seaweed, our goal is to radically disrupt the status-quo in the material science industry and create high-quality products that drive positive change in the world around us — right when it’s needed most.