China cat sunflower cover
He added: 'We will be marrying science and nature to make sure there is no trade-off for our consumers between the efficacy and sustainability of their products.
Unilever has teamed up with San Diego-based biotech company Genomatica (pictured) as part of the new venture 'This new venture will sit at the intersection of science and sustainability, meaning we can continue to grow our business without relying only on palm oil or fossil fuel derivatives and at the same time make our supply chains more resilient through having access to ingredient alternatives.' 'Biotechnology has the potential to revolutionise the sourcing of our cleansing ingredients and ensure Unilever is a future-fit business – for consumers, shareholders and the planet we all share,' said Mr Slater. One of the world's biggest soap and detergent makers, Unilever said palm oil would still remain an important feedstock in its manufacturing process.īut it said alternative ingredients could play a growing role in diversifying supply chains to 'drive optionality, sustainability and cost management'. 'We hope to prove to the industry the possibility of using bio-based ingredients to help us reduce reliance on palm or fossil fuel sources.'Īt present, there are few viable alternatives to palm and fossil sources that can be produced at scale in order to make ingredients to lather and lift dirt during cleaning.
It has a range of uses which means it is found in shampoo, detergent, ice cream, instant noodles, lipstick, soap, bread and more Palm oil is a versatile liquid which is made from an edible liquid derived from the fruit of the African oil palm tree (pictured). 'It's yet to be determined exactly which products will use the new ingredient however it will be shared across our Home Care, Beauty & Wellbeing, and Personal Care portfolios,' he said. Mr Slater told MailOnline that the substitute ingredient for palm oil and fossil fuel-based foaming agents could be ready to use 'very soon' – between 20. 'What's more, as we further develop the technology, we will also be investigating whether we can make use of left-behind products from agriculture, for example crop stubble from farming that would otherwise go to waste.' He added: 'Initial estimates have shown that companies could reduce the carbon footprint of palm-derived ingredients by up to 50 per cent by replacing them with this alternative ingredient. 'This means we can also reduce the carbon footprint associated with transporting the materials to be processed.' 'Sugar is a highly versatile and quick growing crop that can be cultivated everywhere meaning that in the future, we can source our base ingredient close to the production plant. 'In this pilot stage, we are using sugar from certified sustainable sources.
'The opportunity to offer the same great cleaning, but with an even smaller environmental impact is hugely exciting,' Richard Slater, Unilever's chief research and development officer. It hopes the investment, which is the firm's largest collaboration in biotechnology alternatives to palm oil to date, will create a new, sustainable option for the $625 billion (£515 billion) home and personal care markets.