Unilever and the University of Nottingham have launched a new pilot, which aims to create cost-effective ingredients for its product formulations using plants that would otherwise go to waste. In collaboration with scientists from the university, Unilever has begun extracting naturally occurring ingredients from unwanted plants to create new fragrances – starting with oils from petunias, roses and marigolds.
Fluctuations in seasonal demand and quality issues are among the reasons that, globally, 990 million tonnes of plants can go to waste each year. With the aim of tackling the problem, farmers at Bridge Farm Group in Spalding, which sells 90 million plants to UK retailers annually, have been storing the plants it can’t sell to retailers and extending their lives in a 60-acre greenhouse – long enough for them to be recycled into high-value raw ingredients in a lab.
To test the proof of concept, scientists are using an enhanced version of the Soxhlet method. Flowers from the plants are heated in an extractor device, pulling essential oils from their petals. To speed up the traditional method, the scientists add ultrasonication, which uses sound waves to disrupt cell walls and deliver a greater yield. The accelerated, energy-efficient process takes just 20 minutes to extract the compounds – 40% faster than the traditional method.
Neil Parry, Head of Biotechnology at Unilever, said: “Fragrance is an incredibly important part of our experience when we use products in our homes or on our bodies. Using the latest in biotech and biosourcing principles, we see huge potential to create a circular economy for plants by extracting valuable ingredients and creating a diverse selection of new and sustainable fragrances. Plants that don’t make the grade still have valuable materials with functional benefits and could reduce our impact on the environment. Finding multiple uses for farm waste is crucial for sustainable ingredient and product sourcing.”
Research has shown that extracting these materials can reduce reliance on petrochemical-derived ingredients. Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), repurposing unwanted flowers and waste into fragrance ingredients has the potential to help reduce emissions.
Parimala Shivaprasad, Assistant Professor at the University of Nottingham said: “Through our collaboration with Unilever and Bridge Farm Group, we’re aiming to test the feasibility of using flower essential oils in fragrances to further decarbonise everyday products. At the labs in Nottingham, we’re developing energy-efficient extraction methods and enzyme-based modifications, while also evaluating the practicality and cost-effectiveness of using plant waste as a raw material. This project showcases the potential of cutting-edge science and technology processes to create sustainable solutions for the future.”
Apart from its aim to reduce waste by extracting ingredients for fragrance, such as terpenes, lactones, ethers and natural oils, Unilever is exploring other opportunities to extract other high-value ingredients such as complex sugars (polysaccharides) for textile care in cleaning products and malodour neutralisation for personal care products.
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