Carmeuse Backs Bellona’s New Marine Restoration Hub to Revive Norway’s Blue Rainforest

Carmeuse Backs Bellona’s New Marine Restoration Hub to Revive Norway’s Blue Rainforest

(IN BRIEF) Carmeuse has joined the Bellona Foundation’s Center for Marine Restoration in Lofoten as a Founding Partner, contributing its limestone-based expertise to efforts to revive Norway’s decimated kelp forests. The partnership will explore lime-application methods to control invasive sea urchins and promote macroalgae regrowth, while CMR serves as a collaborative platform for research, technology development, and stakeholder engagement. This initiative—backed by Bellona, Carmeuse, Norrøna, the University of Tromsø, and others—aims to establish scalable, science-based restoration methodologies with global impact.

(PRESS RELEASE) LOFOTEN, 26-Jun-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Carmeuse has been announced as a Founding Partner of the Center for Marine Restoration (CMR), a pioneering initiative launched by the Bellona Foundation in Lofoten, Norway. This collaboration brings together industry leaders, researchers, and community stakeholders to develop the scientific, technological, and practical know-how required to rejuvenate Norway’s kelp forests—often dubbed the “blue rainforest.”

As a world-renowned expert in limestone extraction, processing, and lime-based products, Carmeuse will lend its materials science and environmental engineering expertise to design large-scale, sustainable restoration strategies. “Joining Bellona’s Marine Center of Ocean Restoration as a founding partner marks a significant milestone,” said Ilse Kenis, Carmeuse’s Chief Carbon Officer and General Manager of Carmeuse Technologies. “Our family-owned company prioritizes long-term sustainability and nature conservation. We believe our technologies can play a crucial role in addressing environmental challenges, and this partnership exemplifies the power of cross-sector collaboration to heal our oceans.”

Over recent decades, sea urchin overpopulation has decimated vast stretches of kelp along Norway’s northern coast, converting vibrant forests into “urchin barrens” spanning an area comparable to all of Norway’s urban land combined. Bellona’s Global Head of Science and Strategy, Joakim Hauge, noted that lime applications have a documented history of controlling unwanted species in aquatic environments. “Preliminary studies indicate lime may suppress sea urchin densities, enabling macroalgae to rebound and biodiversity to flourish. Yet the effectiveness depends on factors like water chemistry, application methods, and urchin population levels. Carmeuse’s decades of experience will be invaluable in refining these approaches.”

CMR will function as a hub for research, technology development, and knowledge exchange, supporting efforts by universities, startups, volunteers, and corporate partners. Its objectives include quantifying restoration outcomes, developing scalable methodologies, and fostering innovative solutions—from autonomous monitoring systems to nature-based carbon sequestration techniques. Carmeuse’s founding-partner contribution follows earlier commitments from outdoor apparel maker Norrøna and research agreements with the University of Tromsø, the Lofoten Council, and Blue Harvest Technologies.

“This center represents one of Europe’s most ambitious ecosystem recovery projects,” added Hauge. “By pooling expertise across sectors, we aim to restore Norway’s blue rainforest and create a blueprint for marine restoration worldwide.”

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SOURCE: Carmeuse