Earth Day: Industry pivots toward upcycled ingredients, localized sourcing and resource efficiencies

22 Apr 2021 --- Earth Day is globally acknowledged each year by industry leaders piloting initiatives to uphold robust and planet-friendly food supply chains. This year’s highlights include Lycored spreading “love letters” that flower into tomato plants, while upcycled basil is being transformed into aromatic vodka in a new Rethink Food partnership with “Manhattan’s first distillery since Prohibition.”

In corporate initiatives, Danone Institute North America is awarding up to US$160,000 for projects promoting resilient and sustainable local food systems. Meanwhile, CP Kelco’s latest sustainability progress report highlights significant reductions in the supplier’s resource consumption.

As key F&B players ramp up their eco-conscious and net-zero targets globally, the importance of fair and unbiased evaluation remains central to these causes.

“Third-party verification can be hugely valuable when it comes to building trust externally, and for communicating company values internally,” Zev Ziegler, head of global brand & marketing at Lycored, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“Without non-bias, there’s no credibility,” he remarks. “Again, you need a corporate culture where people are free to ask questions and be critical.”

Danone’s “One Planet. One Health” initiative
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, Danone Institute North America is accepting applications to its “One Planet. One Health” Initiative grant program to promote resilient and sustainable local food systems.

Today through June 6, the non-profit established by Danone North America, is inviting transdisciplinary teams in the US and Canada to submit proposals for projects to enhance the sustainability of food systems in ways that can advance both human nutrition and environmental health.

As key F&B players ramp up their eco-conscious and net-zero targets globally, the importance of fair and unbiased evaluation remains central to these causes.Danone Institute North America will award a total of up to US$160,000 for this initiative. Individual team grants of US$30,000 plus a US$10,000 incremental award for the team with the strongest communications plan will be awarded for work to be conducted over a two-year period.

Previous grants have funded projects on household food waste reduction; energy-efficient food production; supporting local food growers and farmers; and integrating locally sourced food into school lunches.

CP Kelco’s progress toward 2022 sustainability objectives 
CP Kelco’s latest sustainability progress report highlights a 12 percent reduction in water use intensity across six plant sites.

Among other key achievements announced for Earth Day, the US-based natural ingredients supplier has reached a 4.4 percent reduction in energy use intensity and a further 6.8 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions intensity.

Four of the supplier’s six sites have achieved more than 90 percent landfill waste diversion, while 45 percent of its purchased electricity from renewable sources 

“Despite the global pandemic, teamwork enabled CP Kelco to safely maintain and grow its operations,” says Didier Viala, president.

“Last year, CP Kelco achieved best-in-class performance for occupational and process safety. We continued to lighten our environmental footprint and we had a significant charitable impact in our local communities,” he adds.

Brian Williams, vice president of environmental health, safety and sustainability for CP Kelco, remarks: “We have been very intentional in how we evaluate our projects, ensuring continuous improvement at each step.”

“Love letters” to the Earth
Lycored has put in place several initiatives to improve sustainability and reduce waste and it is committed to “using as much as possible” of the tomatoes it harvests. 

The tomato oleoresin that Lycored extracts is used in its range of natural ingredients as well as its wellness and “ingestible skincare” products. Unused raw materials from these streams are repurposed, for use as animal feed, for instance.

For its Earth Day initiative, Lycored is spreading “love letters” that flower into tomato plants.Lycored is encouraging wellness and beauty industry professionals to write “living love letters” to the earth. The initiative is part of an Earth Day campaign to highlight the importance of sustainability, minimal waste and transparency.

The company has celebrated Earth Day since 2015. This year, it has sent stakeholders kits containing cards embedded with tomato seeds, on which messages of love to the earth can be written.

When planted using the biodegradable trowel also included in the kits, the cards grow into “living love letters.”

“We hope these living love letters serve as reminders of the importance of honoring all things green, great and growing,” says Ziegler. “Most importantly, we hope they will inspire action. However, with all that companies are already doing, they can always go a step further to work in harmony with nature.”

Lycored’s Earth Day activities also include a new live stream from the farm in Israel where it grows the golden tomatoes used in its skincare extract, Lumenato. 

“Transparency is no longer optional in the food and nutrition industries. Consumers and producers alike have a right to know – and ideally see first-hand – where ingredients come from,” Ziegler adds. “We’re proud of the way we farm the tomatoes we use, and we love the idea of our stakeholders watching them grow via a live stream.”

Green drinks and localized sourcing
Rethink Food’s strategy is to create a more sustainable and equitable food system by transforming excess food into nutritious meals for communities impacted by food insecurity, in line with the upcycling industry trend.

The US-based non-profit is partnering with “Manhattan’s first distillery since Prohibition” and producer of small batch vodka, Square Roots, to unveil basil-infused vodka that supports localized sourcing. 

Upcycled basil is being transformed into aromatic vodka in a new Rethink Food partnership with “Manhattan’s first distillery since Prohibition.” (Credit: Our/New York)The small batch infusion uses surplus basil from a Brooklyn-based urban farm. Our/New York Basil will be released in a limited run of 1,800 bottles, and is available in select retailers, bars and restaurants across New York City.

“We’re thrilled to align with local partners to repurpose this beautiful ingredient and use it to create something truly unique – a ‘sustainable spirit’,” says Dave Ortiz, local partner of Our/New York.

“Working with a fresh ingredient like basil is an intricate process, requiring a lot of time and care to get it just right. It’s a complex, yet familiar flavor that makes for a really compelling drink on its own or in any number of cocktails.”

The project demonstrates how New Yorkers can come together to repurpose otherwise perishable products into exciting new initiatives. “There is a collective urgency to create lasting change in our food system, especially in such challenging times,” says Matt Jozwiak, Rethink Food’s founder and CEO.

Meanwhile, in the coffee space, Starbucks is introducing the new Starbucks Earth Month Game to its loyalty members as an opportunity to share details about its Planet Positive efforts and progress. It allows members a chance to win more than 2.5 million prizes and cast votes toward tree reforestation projects.

Customers can support reusability with a selection of tumblers, hot cups and cold cups that feature recycled materials; and, in honor of the next 50 years of coffee, Starbucks recently introduced Starbucks Odyssey Blend crafted from three coffee regions that embody the innovative and responsible ways in which the farmers in the regions grow, cultivate and process coffee. 

By Benjamin Ferrer