Unilever and Nufarm, a global agriculture innovator, have partnered to develop and commercialise a crop of the future.
The project has aimed to cultivate a crop with significant biomass to produce sustainable oils. The biomass oil derived from plant material, including the leaves and stems, will be a source of fatty acids, a core base ingredient for Unilever’s laundry detergents and beauty and personal care products.
Plant oils like sunflower and canola are typically produced in the seeds and fruits. This technology's breakthrough is that the oil will be grown using the entire plant, including the leaves in crops like cane and sorghum (a cereal grain).
Nufarm has previously developed and commercialised a variety of sugar cane called energy cane, a sustainable crop that has generated significantly more plant matter and sugar than traditional sugar cane.
Unilever’s investment will leverage recent breakthroughs in biotechnology to develop a new, commercially viable variety of energy cane that can also produce biomass oil. This technology has aimed to reduce reliance on petrochemical-based ingredients.
It would be the first time a biomass crop has been optimised to produce plant-based oil, which, if successfully grown at scale, will be used as an ingredient in consumer goods products.
In its current form, energy cane already has sustainability benefits such as climate stress tolerance, drought resistance, and more efficient soil protection against erosion. It also has harvesting benefits for farmers and the environment.
The project has also aimed to replicate and build on these traits in the new crop, which would contribute to Unilever’s ambitions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in ingredient sourcing.
In addition to being more robust, the aim has been to ensure that no parts of the crop go to waste. The plant will continue to produce sugar, which could be used in other biotechnology processes to generate unique ingredients such as fragrances and enzymes.
“By continuing to invest in biotechnology, we aim to unlock the power of nature further and build a more sustainable and diverse supply chain for the future,” said Neil Parry, Head of Biotechnology at Unilever.
“This partnership enables us to identify alternative ingredients for our household, beauty and personal care brands, which will further support our ambition to reach net zero emissions across our value chain by 2039.”
Raw materials and ingredients have accounted for approximately 52 percent of Unilever’s GHG emissions in the scope of its net zero ambition and represent the most significant emissions source. The project's first phase primarily supports plant biotechnology research and development.
