The primary brown seaweed utilized by FMC BioPolymer for the extraction of alginates is Laminaria hyperborea. This type of seaweed is harvested along the West Coast of Norway, where large "forests" grow naturally in the clean Arctic waters. The plants are harvested in fairly shallow waters, at depths of 2-15 meters.Special trawlers have been developed to harvest this seaweed,and FMC BioPolymer is the only alginate producer in the world that harvests Laminaria hyperborea mechanically.

Mechanical harvesting, along with careful monitoring of the resources, ensures regular long-term cropping of defined areas. FMC’s yearly harvest is less than 5% of the total yearly regrowth volume of  L. Hyperborea seaweed along the Norwegian coast. FMC has a secure raw material supply, with no riskof shortage.

In order to secure a flexible and continuous supply of raw material, which enables FMC to meet the highest demands in terms of alginate functionality, FMC also utilizes other sources of brown seaweed, harvested off the coast ofChile.