By Matt Wolbert

NEW STARTING POINTS

On a hot, summer day, you want an orange for a snack. The first step in this process is to remove the orange peel and dispose of it either via the trash or compost bin. The next, and best step, is to eat the fruit or mash it up into a refreshing juice to drink. To most, the orange has served its purpose of delivering a healthy, sweet snack. The orange peel is now on the way to the garbage with no present value for consumption.

To some this is the life cycle of the orange, while, to others, the peel is a hidden treasure of untapped potentials. This simple food waste is one example of a waste product that may be turned into other, more valuable products as a result of recent technological developments – also known as upcycling. In using waste stream materials, Evonik unearths a treasure trove of new sustainability potentials.

For starters, with upcycling, there is a reduction of natural resource inputs to develop both the original product and by-product, as opposed to double the resource inputs to develop each component independently. Further, after use, the waste product is no longer destined to the landfill, instead, it is on its way to serve as the starting material for a new, more valuable product. All-all-in, this step is a critical process to slow down and halt the growing multi-million tons of waste being generated each year and transition toward a circular economy.

Consumers are looking for their products to do “more” for the environment and reclaiming waste streams is an effective step for reducing the environmental impact.

A SHIFT TOWARD ECOLOGICAL EFFICIENCY

Answer the consumer call. Evonik by-product and upcycled ingredients are made with high quality, reliable production processes to guarantee a certain level of active material from the hidden potential of each starting feedstock. Active Ingredients that are Wasting No More are:

• TEGO® Natural Citrus is made from Tangerine reticulata (tangerine) peels. Like the introductory example, tangerine peels are waste products collected after the fruit component is used for food applications. Luteolin and other natural products are then extracted from the leftover peel waste to create a high-quality extract perfect for reducing skin inflammation and treating hyperpigmentation.
• TEGO® Natural Mangifera is made from Mangifera indica (mango) tree leaves, a naturally occurring waste product of mango production. Mango leaves are carefully picked at the right moment when the mango is forming, as that is when mangiferin content is the highest. The mangiferin is extracted and used to delay skin aging and function as an anti-wrinkle agent by inhibiting hyaluronidase and leading to higher amount of hyaluronic acid in the skin to give a renewed feel.
• TEGO® Natural Betaine is made from sugar beet molasses, a by-product in the sugar beet sugar production process. Sugar beet molasses is high in betaine content which, after extraction, is then used to reduce skin dryness by maintaining skin’s moisture content.
• Evonik’s cholesterol specialties, TEGO® Sterol KCS and TEGO® Sterol 7-DHC, are both made from lanolin collected as a by-product from sheep raised in Australia, New Zealand, and Uruguay. Renewable sheared wool is scoured to clean debris and the natural sheep sterols. These natural sheep sterols are collected as lanolin, the starting material to make Evonik’s cholesterol specialties. TEGO® Sterol KCS is used as a skin essential molecule to re-enforce the natural skin barrier. TEGO® Sterol 7-DHC is used as a Vitamin D3 precursor and provides added UV protection to the skin.

Interested in learning more about these by-product and upcycled ingredients? Visit Evonik’s intoBeauty® portal, where you can listen to webinar presentations about these products as well as read more about the products and view our sustainability CAREtain® toolbox for further product information.