Consumer goods giant Unilever has formed a partnership with Australian agricultural chemical firm Nufarm to develop plant-based oils for cleaning ingredients.
Derived from plant material, including the leaves and stems, the biomass oil would be a source of fatty acids, a core base ingredient for Unilever’s laundry detergents and beauty and personal care products, the company said on 26 November.
Nufarm had previously developed and commercialised a variety of sugar cane called energy cane, a sustainable crop which generates significantly more plant matter and sugar than traditional sugar cane, Unilever said.
As part of the partnership, biotechnology would be used to develop a new, commercially viable variety of energy cane that could also produce biomass oil.
“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,” Unilever head of biotechnology Neil Parry said.
The first phase of the project will focus on the research and development of the plant biotechnology.
In addition to biomass oil, the crop would also continue to produce sugar, which could be used in other biotechnology processes to generate speciality ingredients such as fragrances, enzymes and cleaning ingredients used across Unilever’s portfolio, the company said.
The company said it would also explore if the leftover plant fibre could be used to produce paper and board for packaging.