Circular collagen: Bioberica targets 100% renewable energy by 2024 and reveals sustainable insights

28 Jun 2023 --- Global life science company Bioberica has committed to achieving total renewable electricity by next year, reducing GHG emissions by 30% by 2023 and reaching complete neutrality by 2050. Personal Care Insights speaks to the company about climate change and collagen sourcing challenges, along with upcoming innovative solutions.

“As the climate emergency becomes increasingly urgent, we’re taking action and doing all we can to minimize Bioiberica’s environmental impact. The framework in our new Climate Strategy Report outlines two key focus areas – decarbonizing the economy and mitigating the effects of climate change,” says Luis Solera, CEO at Bioiberica.

“We understand the challenges that lie ahead, and we know there is a long way to go before reaching our 2050 goal of complete climate neutrality, but we are committed to protecting and sustaining the planet so that it can continue to house all forms of life – people, animals and plants – for years to come.”

Sourcing challenges
Joan Bassa, human health director at Bioberica, notes that most ingredients face the risk of shortage, so ensuring supply chain security and flexibility is critical.Collagen is increasingly being used to define ingredients that aren’t really collagen, creating significant confusion, flags Bassa.

“A vertically integrated supply chain model, however, enables comprehensive control – from sourcing raw materials to producing the final collagen molecule. This ensures maximum traceability, quality and safety of the ingredient from start to finish,” he shares. “Identifying and extracting the collagen molecule from its source can be especially challenging too since biologically-derived ingredients are more susceptible to variability.”

“This is notably more difficult with native (undenatured) collagens – i.e., the long-chain collagen molecule before it has been hydrolyzed or broken down into smaller peptide and amino acid chains. To maintain its triple helix structure, specialist extraction and purification techniques are required to produce native collagens,” says Bassa.

We previously spoke with BioCell Technology, Gelita and Lonza about how they tackle the challenges of sourcing collagen and minimizing environmental impacts.

In the face of climate change
Bioberica’s latest Climate Strategy report outlines plans such as reducing water consumption and further expanding its renewable energy initiatives to protect the environment and resources for future generations.

“The circular economy underpins everything we do. Unlike the linear economy, where raw materials are consumed and by-products are discarded, the circular bio-economy is based on principles from natural ecosystems, where nothing is wasted. We embody this philosophy by using chicken cartilage, a by-product from the food industry, to manufacture our leading collagen ingredient – Collavant n2,” explains Bassa. 

“We also use 100% renewable electric energy, reuse 20% of the water used by our plants and the remaining 80% treated water is recycled back into the ecosystem. Through these actions, we’re working toward creating a sustainable future for our business, our customers, and – most importantly – people and the planet.”

Upcoming collagen innovations
Bassa notes an increasing demand for collagen and the category is seeing the emergence of different molecules from multiple sources.Bioberica uses chicken cartilage, a by-product from the food industry, to produce collagen.

“In fact, we’re seeing the term ‘collagen’ increasingly being used to define ingredients that aren’t really collagen at all – including vegan collagen. Not only is this creating significant confusion amongst consumers, medical professionals and players across the industry, but it also means that manufacturers are mismatching collagen molecules and the associated health benefits, in some cases,” flags Bassa.

“Understanding the different types of collagen available on the market, their source, the supporting science and associated health benefits is crucial to market development and the innovation of targeted, future-facing solutions. For instance, as a native type II collagen, Collavant n2 is best placed in products targeting joint health for seniors, active adults and athletes.”

For maintaining healthy skin, Modern Meadow presented its environmentally-friendly Bio-Collagen, which is precisely fermented as human type III collagen.

Collagen demand drivers
There are several drivers behind the demand for collagen, according to Bassa. “Firstly, there is growing demand for more mobility-supporting solutions amongst consumers; linked to the aging population and an increasing focus on active prevention for both young and old populations.”

“Emerging collagen ingredients, like native (undenatured) type II collagen, such as Bioiberica’s Collavant n2, are powering innovation in the collagen category further still. Native type II collagen is shown to be highly effective for joint health at a low dose of only 40 mg per day and can be included in different delivery formats,” he continues.

“But of course, demand in the collagen market is underpinned by expanding science. Increasing scientific evidence reveals the unique roles of different collagen types in the body – 28 in total – spotlighting the huge potential of collagen in the health and nutrition space. As science develops, we expect the widespread possibilities of collagen innovation will only continue to expand.”

In the beauty-from-within movement, Personal Care Insights recently spoke to Gelita, who has committed to changing the narrative around beauty-from-within, away from vanity, to a more all-encompassing and holistic type of beauty for all ethnicities, cultures, genders and age groups.

Nutrition Insight spoke with professionals from Nexira, Bioiberica, Lubrizol Life Science and Fonterra about the opportunities in scientific evidence and technology and the importance of consumer education on product use and benefits.

By Venya Patel