UPCYCLING & CO-PRODUCTS: towards more responsible sourcing, production and consumption?

By definition,upcycling allows materials that would otherwise have ended up in the bin to be given a new value or use.

This is in contrast to a co-product which is "a material, intentional and/or unavoidable, created at the same time as the main product and during the same manufacturing process".

More than just a trend, this is a core issue for Herbarom, an approach that has been part of our DNA since our creation.

Nothing is lost, everything is transformed, discover 3 levers on which we act in favour of zero waste

Co-product of distillation: hydrolates

A hydrolat is an aromatic water obtained after distillation of fresh plants and after separation of the essential oil.

Less concentrated in active ingredients, it can be used in larger quantities in a formulation.

The hydrolate has often soothing, calming or antioxidant properties.

Focus on 3 of our flagship hydrolates:

• Rose hydrolate

• Lavender hydrolate

• Lemon balm hydrolate

Upcycling of co-products from food production and processing

How can part of the biomass used for human food be recovered?

By definition, biomass is "a mass of living matter remaining in equilibrium on a given surface of the earth".

Thanks to partnerships with local food and beverage producers , we recover waste materials that would have been discarded initially, and transform them into natural ingredients with a new use and added value.

Discover our upcycling ingredient categories:

• Distilled apple water : which we obtain from apple pomace collected from a cider producer in Normandy

• Apricot vegetable oil : which we obtain from apricot kernels used for the production of fruit juice and puree in the Rhône Valley

• Oily macerate of saffron petals : which we obtain from saffron petals resulting from the harvest of saffron pistils in the Loire Valley

• Chestnut hydroglycerine extract : which we obtain from the pericarp of chestnuts intended to be consumed in the form of marrons glacés and originating from the Ardèche

• Barley AQUACELL® : obtained after extraction of the spent grain from barley grown in the Drôme

A way to support local agriculture and sourcing and to offer you high quality certified organic ingredients.

Recycling of our bio-waste

The plant residues from our extraction operations are recycled through anaerobic digestion or composting, for example, to improve the soil of the farms with which we work closely.

A sustainable 360° approach to biomass recovery to give a second life to our organic waste, while reducing the use of synthetic fertilisers for farmers and thus protecting the environment.

Herbarom is deeply committed to an eco-design approach aimed at reducing the use of resources and in a perspective of sustainable development and an environmental approach that is virtuous for all actors in the value chain : farmers, producers and manufacturers, of which we are part, your brand and your consumers.