How will the upcycling of food ingredients impact the life of organizations?
Impossible to miss upcycling: widely honored at the flagship food ingredients trade show, the FIE, constantly mentioned in the media, upcycling is a key subject in our organizations.
A search for convinced ambassadors
And this is only the beginning… for Samuel Olivier, partner of Circul’egg, a start-up that has been using egg co-products for 3 years to make collagen, hyaluronic acid or even elastin, calcium carbonate thanks to ultra-innovative technologies, food companies in the broad sense will no longer be able to do without. “The search for naturalness and short circuits, allowing manufacturers to have a story to tell and the positive impact generated” make upcycling a must and changes the meaning of organizations. Samuel confides: “We are looking for convinced ambassadors to grow our start-up, people whose personal values correspond to ours. The cause we serve involves us creating an ultra-collaborative, supportive management with values of inclusion and equality of which we are proud. »
Flatter and more collaborative organizations
Freddy Thiburce, founder of the collaborative platform Manger du Sens, expert in food transition, also talks about necessary and representative alternatives of the acceleration of the ecological and food transition. “Companies like Olga and Hénaff were already on the way around participatory approaches – the CEO is called, for example, director of resources – decisions are increasingly decentralized and soft skills often take precedence over pure technical skills” . And it is clear that “organizations of all kinds will have to get started because the regulations are increasingly strict in this area.”
Popularization at all levels
Idea fully supported by Manon Ledoux, Product Manager at Green Spot, a start-up created in 2018 which is riding the wave of upcycling, around solid fermentation processes, for which manufacturers will have to adapt their model. . “Industrialists will no longer have to treat their waste as such but as a residue with potential, and to do this, managers must be convinced and give meaning to employees so that they understand and support this change! We need people open to the approach, strength of conviction, leaders who advocate collaboration and the strength of the collective with modernity. There is still a lot of work to popularize upcyling among everyone and it is also up to organisations, FMCG in particular, to promote the approach to consumers. »
It is clear that the upcycling movement affects BtoB companies a lot. The end consumer is not yet really aware of it and we have a safe bet that the big FMCGs will also have to get started. Schools too, because beyond a CSR approach, all the technical and regulatory aspects must also be integrated. From our point of view, upcycling is a perfect illustration of the commitments that companies must make without really having the possibility of passing between the drops. We see this clearly in the context of our recruitments, candidates almost systematically ask what the company does for the planet, its CSR commitments, the meaning that it implies by its raison d’être. And of course the management must follow in this direction: when we ask the question to our candidates about their expectations vis-à-vis their future managers, the answers are coherent and revolve around open-mindedness, a partner relationship more than hierarchical, meaning, and room for initiatives.
We look forward to your comments and questions on the subject…
