US – Veles has launched a closed-loop cleaning product made entirely from food waste.
The all-purpose cleaner is setting a new standard for sustainable home cleaning by being resource-negative – which means it does not use raw materials and treats waste as a resource. Created using a bio-refining process, the product contains various acids, such as acetic acid, lactic acid and alcohol to form its base, with only 3% comprised of essential oils for natural scent. Closing the loop completely, the product is also packaged in aluminium, which is infinitely recyclable.
With liquid cleaning products typically made from over 90% water, according to Veles, founder Amanda Weeks saw an opportunity to recover water from food waste streams. ‘The largest component of food waste is water and inside the 1.3bn tons of food wasted globally each year is 45 trillion gallons of water,’ she explains. According to the brand’s estimates, if every household in the US used a bottle of Veles cleaning product every month, it would divert 2.5m tons of food waste from landfill.
In our Food Waste Innovation market, we explore how brands are finding new applications for food waste, upcycling surplus into desirable new products.