Money for jam... and pits 

• Well-established conserve-maker converts bio-waste into a revenue stream
• Selling its prune pits to a partner company cuts waste by 26 % and saves around € 3 600 a year

Favols is a jam manufacturer in southwest France. Created about 50 years ago, the company has been instrumental in promoting the region’s culinary culture and know-how.

Looking for ways to improve its production processes and be more environmentally responsible, the company teamed up with Ademe to perform a material audit, which revealed high volumes of non-hazardous waste compared to turnover and sector norms. By analysing the content of its waste bins, Favols calculated 21 tonnes of discarded organic material (i.e. prune pits), a growing amount that represented some 18 % of total waste volume.

Bio-waste regulations required the company to set up a waste procedure by 1 January 2015. This set in motion a procedure with a local service provider to re-use the pits to make oil for the cosmetic industry.

Key results

The partner buys the bio-waste which provides a new revenue stream for Favols while reducing its waste by 26 %, which saves around € 3 600 a year.

In parallel, Favols worked on ways to improve efficiency and cut material losses at source. A planned dashboard includes indicators to further measure and reduce material losses during manufacturing.