TREND: Re/upcycling

Definition: <re/upcycle> re-use or repurposing of materials, products or byproducts that would otherwise be discarded, made into something of greater value.

Concerned that overuse of resources could bring about detrimental changes to the quality of life for current and future generations, scientists, academics and innovation leaders in the early 2000s began to promote upcycling. As well as resource management, upcycling is critical to reducing waste going to landfill, a huge source of human-related methane emission; a greenhouse gas that has more than 80 times the warming power of carbon dioxide after it reaches the atmosphere.

Many byproducts are rich in an active compound with therapeutic value that can be used in nutraceuticals. Beauty brands like Kadalys have become well known for reducing food waste by upcycling bananas into their skincare products. UpCircle Beauty is all about waste-fighting formulations. They use repurposed blueberries in their night cream and leftover date seeds in their body cream, among many others.

The brewing industry has made strides with the upcycling of spent grains, as has the fruit and vegetable juicing industry with upcycling seeds, skins and pulp. The remaining plant components may be rich in fibre, protein, vitamins and phytonutrients. Similarly, products that are extracted or refined for their oils, flavours or fragrances are also good candidates, such as olives, seeds and some plants that are harvested to make spices.

New York City-based Blue Stripes Cacao uses the whole cacao — the fruit, along with shell and beans, which normally are discarded — to create a variety of chocolates and beverages. Applications include granola, trail mix, smoothies and a water made from the cacao fruit pulp, an upcycled waste product of the chocolate industry.

Every effort matters. And since the pandemic, values-based shopping has taken off and ingredient suppliers are communicating their programs to manufacturers, who are in turn sharing it with customers.