Quintana Roo advances sargassum-to-industry conversion and coastal clean‑up

Authorities in Quintana Roo held the inaugural “Sargazo Circular” forum in Cancún, gathering companies, researchers and officials to develop a circular‑economy supply chain that turns the annually‑arriving sargassum into fertilizers, construction materials, cosmetics, footwear and textiles. Participants such as SargazoSandals, SargaBlock, Rubis CO₂, Ensol and Nopalimex presented projects ranging from biodigesters in Tulum to energy‑pellet production, while the state’s economic development secretary, Paul Carrillo, pledged to coordinate with the federal economy ministry to open national markets and study a dedicated sargassum‑focused economic park.

In parallel, tourism operators in the Riviera Maya have repurposed their boats to remove the algae from beaches and marinas, deploying daily fleets of up to 100 vessels and installing 900‑metre barriers to protect key anchor points. These actions aim to mitigate the visual and economic damage to the local tourism sector, which has suffered reduced occupancy and rental rates amid the sargassum influx.