Ingredients and materials with renewable, natural origins - also known as 'biobased' - are an important solution on the road to a climate-neutral society. Cosun is working in different areas to achieve this, by making the best possible use of our plant-based raw materials, such as sugar beet, chicory and potato.
We extract not only valuable nutrients from our crops, but also functional ingredients that can serve as replacements for petroleum-based chemicals. We use these functional ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products, such as moisturisers, shampoo and shower gel. Using functional ingredients from plant-based raw materials has sustainability benefits. For example, producing carbon from sugar beet biomass releases much less CO2 compared to the fossil-based alternative.
Plant-based raw materials from food crops can be used in more than just food or personal care products. We extract a biological anti-scaling agent from chicory, for example, which can be used to clean drinking water without chemicals. Valuable raw materials from crops are also used to produce green gas. These are just one of the areas in which we’re are working towards reducing demand for fossil fuels.
We aim to minimise the impact of our operations and are taking concrete steps to achieve this, for example with the construction of the Cosun Solar Park. This solar park not only supplies renewable energy to our neighbouring factories, but also feeds part of the energy generated into the grid, to provide households with green power. We are also converting the production process at two Dutch sugar factories, so that they will ultimately consume 50% less gas, thereby reducing the CO2 emissions of those factories by 40%.
In addition to helping achieve a climate-neutral society, Cosun’s plant-based solutions are also contributing to circularity, healthier lifestyle, and protein transition.
