ECOINSECT Operational Group

Waste from the agri-food industry constitutes one of the main waste problems in much of the world. The amount of waste and byproducts generated in warehouses for packaging and marketing fresh fruits and vegetables is considerable, reaching 3.5% of annual production. This poses not only an economic and management problem for companies in the sector, but also the treatment of byproducts as waste without a more suitable alternative outlet leads to serious harmful environmental effects (increased greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, etc.).

For this reason, the agri-food industry, in pursuit of sustainable development, is increasingly implementing measures to utilize and valorize the byproducts generated (from their use in agricultural inputs and animal feed to their valorization to obtain natural extracts rich in bioactive compounds), thereby reducing the volume of final waste that needs to be treated by other means and reducing the carbon footprint of the process. Furthermore, this utilization creates new sources of wealth that provide greater economic profitability to the initial industrial process and enable more competitive production costs.