Unilever invests in biotech crop to enhance sustainable oil in cleaning products
Unilever and Nufarm, a global agriculture innovator, are working to develop and cultivate a new variety of sugar cane to produce higher yields of sustainable oils for cleaning products. Plant oils used in personal care solutions are usually solely sourced from the seeds and fruits.
The sugar cane biomass oil will be a source of fatty acids, a core base ingredient for Unilever’s laundry detergents and beauty and personal care products. It is derived from all the plant material, including the leaves and stems.
Plant oils like sunflower and canola are typically produced in the seeds and fruits. However, the new sugar cane crop has been cultivated so oil can be extracted from the entire plant.
If successful, Unilever can reduce its reliance on petrochemical-based ingredients currently used in cleaning products.
Reduction in all sectors
The plant will continue to produce sugar, which Unilever plans to use in other biotechnology processes to generate specialty ingredients such as fragrances and enzymes. It will also explore whether the leftover plant fiber can be used to produce paper and board for packaging.
Unilever employs Nufarm to reducuce its GHG emissions.
“By continuing to invest in biotechnology, we aim to unlock the power of nature further and build a more sustainable and diverse supply chain for the future,” says Neil Parry, head of Biotechnology at Unilever.
“This partnership enables us to identify alternative ingredients for our household, beauty and personal care brands, which will further support our ambition to reach net zero emissions across our value chain by 2039.”
Enhancing energy cane
Unilever says this project is the “first time” a biomass crop has been optimized to produce plant-based oil, which will be used as an ingredient in consumer goods products.
Nufarm has previously developed and commercialized energy cane, which generates more plant matter and sugar than traditional sugar cane.
Energy cane already touts sustainability benefits such as climate stress tolerance, drought resistance and more efficient soil protection against erosion.
The project aims to replicate and build on these traits in the new crop, contributing to Unilever’s ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in ingredient sourcing.
Raw materials and ingredients account for approximately 52% of the company’s GHG emissions in scope of its net zero ambition and represent the largest emissions source.
