ECOMER, the Normandy Committee on the circular economy and the sea

On the 12th of October ECOMER, the Normandy Committee on the circular economy and the sea, was officially launched. The event attracted about 50 key participants of the seafood sector who gathered in the premises of the Region in Caen. Both private and institutional stakeholders joined the discussion paving the way towards a circular, sustainable and prosperous economy of the Normandy territory.

AQUIMER, as the French R&I cluster on seafood, both located in Hauts-de-France and Normandy, was appointed by ADEME, the France’s National Agency for Green Transition, to establish and coordinate a Regional Committee on “the sea and the circular economy“ in the Normandy region. This initiative has been promoted by ADEME jointly with the Normandy Region and the national government.

ECOMER has thus become the 15th Committee of the Normandy Circular Economy network (NECI) led by the Regional Committee for the Circular Economy (CREC). Indeed, NECI is composed of 15 committees, each of them specialised in a different sector.

AQUIMER will focus on a participatory approach for the effective coordination of Normandy entities during its 3-year term. The main idea of ECOMER is to promote existing initiatives, but, above all, to develop new actions or projects connecting all concerned stakeholders of the region.

During the kick-off meeting all participants agreed on the establishment of 3 working groups according to the priorities of the seafood sector: 1) materials eco-design, 2) unlocking the potential of algae and 3) the valorisation of by-products.

"For Normandy, which is the 1st French region with a Waste Plan and a Circular Economy Strategy, the sea is a major economic issue" stated Ms Isabelle MEUNIER, Director of the Agriculture and Marine Resources Department of the Normandy Region, by reiterating the Region's support to the seafood industry.