The Dove owner is working with scientists at the University of Nottingham to launch the pilot as a way to make cost-effective ingredients by using plants that would otherwise go to waste.These experts have started extracting oils from petunias, roses and marigolds.The consumer giant said the ambition is to test these oils for use in brands' home care and personal care products, such as shampoos and cleaning products.
Currently, it uses a combination of raw materials derived from natural sources or petrochemicals – compounds derived from fossil fuels.Fluctuations in seasonal demand for flowers as well as quality issues are among the reasons that many tonnes can go to waste each year, Unilever said.
To tackle the issue, Bridge Farm Group in Spalding, Lincolnshire, which sells 90 million plants to UK retailers annually, is working with the consumer giant to store flowers it cannot sell. The farmers there are extending the plants' lives in a 60-acre greenhouse long enough for them to be recycled into raw ingredients in a lab.
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