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.

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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

Leftovers from raw materials

Materials that are left over after the rest has been used.

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.

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Reduction

With fewer new raw materials required, upcycling prevents the associated energy and water consumption, emissions, and environmental pollution.

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Protection

Upcycling existing resources means getting more out of less – meaning we don’t need to take as much from mother nature.

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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.

Interested in knowing more about this technology?

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Behind the scenes of our upcycled ingredients

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