Responsible resource usage
The use of energy and other resources like water to produce nutraceutical products is another growing challenge, which often demands new solutions and contingencies for the unexpected. “In a lot of the places we work, water is a huge challenge and becoming one of the most precious assets we have,” noted Parihar. “We are working with farmers closely to help them save water and use less in the growing process.”
Water usage is a big challenge in microalgae production, but there are solutions, noted Solabia-Algatech’s Safrai. “We cultivate microalgae in the middle of the dessert, without access to quality water. Using drinking water for cultivation is not an option for us and we cannot utilize effluent water. Due to this, we have chosen to pump salt water and desalinate it.” Water shortages are not the only issue. In India, “we are one bad monsoon away from losing a harvest,” Parihar said. “So we have looked at how we can mitigate that risk and protect our supply chain, farmers and the crops they grow.” If farmers can’t sell their crops, they can’t stay in business. So OmniActive has developed a fixed price that they give to farmers regardless of what happens, Parihar explained.
Understanding carbon emissions and energy use is also important. “Our manufacturing process is fully sustainable, relying on solar power and a comprehensive water recycling platform,” Sofrai said. “The microalgae cultivation displaces no crops, utilizes carbon dioxide, and creates only oxygen as waste.” These efforts can also be ingredient specific. Nexira developed a carbon neutral footprint for its inavea, range of natural, organic ingredients. To meet this challenge, the company installed a new spray-dried tower, which allowed for the improvement of energy performance and electric consumption, noted Julie Imperato, communications manager for the company, in Rouen, France. Arjuna is another supplier that analyzed its energy usage. After extensive analysis, the company realized that its Karumathampatti Coimbatore manufacturing facility could facilitate a more cost-effective way to power its manufacturing line by using solar energy given that direct sunlight is in abundance, Antony noted. Arjuna stands as the first company in the world to produce turmeric extract, powered completely by solar energy, he stated, explaining that solar panel system powers 438000 kWh of annual energy and saves 1000 liters of diesel every day. Biller Biosulting took its energy evaluation down to the lightbulbs. The company worked with a regional energy supplier to replace lightbulbs, insulate buildings and install a combined heat and power unit as well as two photovoltaic systems, which convert the sun’s radiation into usable electricity. Reevaluation of current production technology is another area of potential. In building a new factory, Pharmactive took the opportunity to design special machinery that would be more sustainable and respectful to the planet, Criado said. The result was a patented, natural proprietary extraction process, called AFF-ON Cool-Tech™, which maintains peak freshness, purity and potency of its botanicals. (The company later developed ABG Cool-Tech for Aged Black Garlic.) The clean and green technology is gentle on the planet and safeguards the potent bioactive compounds. It does not use harmful solvents, synthetics or additives and is an entirely eco-friendly technique that requires minimal industrial processing and generates shallow waste.