For both food and non-food products, Natexpo exhibitors are ramping up their resourcefulness to make new products from downgraded foodstuffs, by-products or raw materials destined to be thrown away. No more unsold products without a solution, no more unnecessary packaging: that’s the principle of these brands that are shaking up the segment!
In bathroom products, Apimani makes toothbrushes and has also created a magnetic soap dish and other accessories, such as solid toothpaste and a soap saver bag. Their objective is to design healthy and simple everyday products and accessories. To start with: shaving accessories with a brush and razor, and a textile part made in France from recycled fabric scraps. The range will be one-of-a-kind and naturally in limited edition, according to available raw materials and colours.
Upcycled cosmetics is also the principle of YIFIXIA, which develops cosmetic ingredients from agricultural by-products. It is the first supplier resulting from the Social and Solidarity Economy. The company also proposes a support service for companies and processors to recover co-products and create high added-value ingredients.
In food, In Extremis recovers raw materials that would otherwise be thrown away to make new foodstuffs. In 2023, it won the Gold Natexpo Award in the Beverages category with its chocolate-flavoured infusion made from recycled cocoa pods and apple pomace. This year, it is launching its breakfast biscuit range, combining indulgence, nutritional balance and the circular economy.
The Local en Bocal cannery processes waste from organic farmers in Provence into vegetable preserves to capitalise on unsold produce, always therefore in season, with a constantly evolving range.
Natural Andes recovers Brazil nuts that are damaged during shelling and that would usually be downgraded. The nuts are then re-cut and coated in fair trade dark chocolate.
Still in the treats range, Groupe Emile unveils its Cocoa & Hazelnut spread, using the meal recovered during oil extraction. This virtuous idea won the 2024 Gold Natexpo Award in the Sweet Grocery Products category.
Dietary supplements can also be upcycled. What can you do with egg shells? Rich in nutrients, they are used by Les Bio Frères to make “Coolagène”: a combination of collagen, hyaluronic acid, elastin and glucosamine, to promote the elasticity and regeneration of skin and connective tissue. Natexpo applauds the idea, and the product won the 2024 Gold Natexpo Award in the Dietary Supplements category.
Giving packaging a new lease of life is also a challenge, especially when just 24.5% of plastic packaging discarded by households is recycled.[1]
B:Bot machines transform plastic bottles into flakes in front of your very eyes with the guarantee that 100% of bottles are recycled. For each bottle recycled, the consumer earns a couple of cents. The company aims to double the number of B:Bot, install an additional module for cans and provide a mobile app to make the B:Bot easier to use. Great developments in view!
[1] Source: Citeo, 2024 https://www.citeo.com/le-mag/les-chiffres-du-recyclage-en-france