Terraforming LIFE is proud to share a milestone achievement that marks a turning point for sustainable resource management in Iceland. Four leading land-based aquaculture companies – First Water, Laxey, Samherji Fiskeldi and Thor landeldi – have signed a declaration of intent to establish a formal collaboration on responsible and sustainable treatment of land-based aquaculture waste streams.
The goal of this collaboration is to transform waste into valuable products, strengthen sustainability in aquaculture and advance Iceland’s circular economy. As part of the agreement, the companies will begin preparing a joint venture focused on processing land-based aquaculture sludge. A business plan and a financing need assessment for the next 24 months wil be conducted. The results of that work will be presented to the companies’ boards before the end of October 2025. The Icelandic Farmers Association and other stakeholders will also play a key role in the process.
The declaration is part of work that began within the Terraforming LIFE project, where both First Water and the Icelandic Farmers Association are beneficiaries. Together with other partners, they are pioneering methods to convert a mixture of fish sludge from land-based aquaculture farms that use sea water and livestock manure into organic fertiliser and biogas.
Margrét Ágústa Sigurðardóttir, Managing Director of the Icelandic Farmers Association, highlighted the significance of the agreement:
“This declaration shows that Icelandic aquaculture is ready to join forces and work towards sustainable solutions. Together with Terraforming LIFE and the Icelandic Farmers Association, this initiative aims to turn waste streams into valuable products and strengthen Iceland’s circular economy. This is a pivotal achievement in aquaculture and an example for others to follow.“
This commitment represents a major step not only for the Terraforming LIFE project, but also for the LIFE programme’s mission to enable innovative and scalable environmental solutions across Europe.
