Leftovers from raw materials
Materials that are left over after the rest has been used.
Upcycling
Formulating a more sustainable future.
From small steps to big breakthroughs, everything we do at dsm-firmenich supports our commitment to reducing our impact on the planet and its people. In dsm-firmenich Ingredients, our approach to upcycling is designed to maximize Earth’s precious resources, reduce waste when possible, and repurpose it when not.
From salvaged orange peels to leftover woodchips, our wide range of upcycled ingredients opens the door to more sustainable, market-differentiated formulations across a vast array of perfumery applications. They’re better for the planet – and by using them, we and our customers can better meet the expectations of like-minded consumers.
Squaring the circle of natural sourcing
First things first: what is upcycling? We define this as the way to valorize by-products, recaptured industrial carbon emissions, waste materials, or unused products by turning them into new materials or higher-value products for a positive impact on the environment. This makes upcycling an important piece of the circularity puzzle.
These upcycled materials can come from natural, renewable, or synthetic sources. Either way, we use a calculation based on carbon atoms – in line with our renewable carbon calculation method – to determine the percentage of upcycled ingredients.
dsm-firmenich classifies an ingredient as "upcycled" when it is obtained by valorizing
By-products and waste
Materials that are issued during industrial processing.
Plastic waste
Upcycled into high-value chemicals.
The power of three
Discover the positive role of upcycling throughout the product life cycle.
Reduction
With fewer new raw materials required, upcycling prevents the associated energy and water consumption, emissions, and environmental pollution.
Protection
Upcycling existing resources means getting more out of less – meaning we don’t need to take as much from mother nature.
Consumption
By giving new life to materials that would otherwise be discarded, upcycling accelerates the shift to a zero-waste world – from our own communities to landfill and the oceans.
Behind the scenes of our upcycled ingredients
Cold-pressed oil from the juice industry
Citrus juice and peel are both critical sources for natural extracts with desirable olfactive and taste experiences. Our citrus oils are the by-products of the fresh juice industry, extracted from the fruit zest by cold-press processing. The oil is separated from the resulting juice through centrifugation and used in the fragrance and flavor industry.
Citrus essence oil from the juice industry
When large quantities of fresh juice need to be shipped over long distances, a concentrate of the juice is prepared. With the water extracted, the essence oil can be collected: a small quantity with exceptional quality. Coming from the juice, this material has a special profile and plays an important role in fragrance and flavor formulations.
Upcycled fruits from the fruit industry
Our Naturome fruit ingredients are the by-products of the fresh fruit puree production carried out by our longstanding partner Trade Solutions. The process recovers part of the volatiles that are otherwise lost during pasteurization. We then use these volatiles to produce our Naturomes, ensuring less resource loss and waste.
Turpentine Derivatives
We use upcycled turpentine extracted from the paper industry, and in particular from the production of cardboard from softwood. Turpentine from these softwoods is valorized through a fractionation process in which we retrieve the two key molecules alpha and beta pinene. Most of these extracts come directly from DRT, acquired by dsm-firmenich in 2020.
Cedarwood Virginia from the furniture industry
In the USA, the Virginia cedar tree is used to build closets that naturally repel bugs with their scent. The leftover sawdust can then be used for distillation.
Cedarwood Alaska from the forestry industry
Thuja occidentalis – also known as (white) cedar – is native to the northeastern USA and southeastern Canada. Widely used as an ornamental tree for hedges, its pruned branches are collected for distillation.
Cedar Alaska from the forestry industry
Our Cedarwood Alaska Canada is derived from sustainably produced sawdust from the forestry industry. As much as 30% of the tree can end up as sawdust during the process of turning logs into lumber, so our partners take this by-product and process it at their sites, resulting in a collection of unique, sustainably sourced essential oils. Spent sawdust is returned to the sawmills before being transported to pulp and paper mills where it’s used as a source of clean, renewable energy.
Upcycled Eucalyptus from the paper industry
Our Eucalyptus Globulus oil is made using leaves and twigs left over from eucalyptus wood processed for paper or timber. This helps use the trees to their full potential, with every 1 kg of our oil saving 100 kg of biomass that would otherwise have gone to waste. Once the eucalyptus oil is distilled, the remaining by-product, bagasse, is repurposed as a natural fertilizer for the eucalyptus plantations.
Upcycled flowers from the fresh flower industry
In India, 95% of flowers are used for ornamental purposes or religious ceremonies, with tuberose and jasmine particularly common. Unsold flowers are bought by Jasmine Concrete EPL, whose sourcing strategy ensures that the flowers don’t go to waste and the growers are paid for their work.
Upcycled cinnamon bark from the spice industry
The bark of the cinnamon tree is peeled and air-dried for 24 hours before it takes the form of a hollow stick. The most beautiful sticks are sold to the spice market, with the remaining bark valorized through distillation into cinnamon essential oil. The tree leaves can also be used to create cinnamon leaf essential oil, rich in Eugenol.
Cardamom from the spice industry
Cardamom is most commonly sold as a whole pod at spice markets – but seeds that don’t meet certain visual standards are often rejected. We purchase these seeds and give their olfactive beauty a new life.
Eugenol
Fallen clove leaves are collected and valorized to create clove leaf essential oil. From this, we distill Eugenol and undertake multiple chemical transformations that enable us to obtain a variety of fascinating natural or renewable molecules.
Upcycled honeycomb from the beeswax industry
Every year, beekeepers renew 20% of their hives’ frames, reusing the wax for as long as they can. Once the beeswax is too old, we purchase it for extraction – and afterwards, we sell the remaining wax to the candle-making industry, minimizing waste.
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