It is the Circular Economy Week, a program that assists the Dutch business community in operating circularly. This is something Novades has been actively engaged in for almost 8 years now. In the context of this week, we are having a conversation with Henry, the founder of Novades, to delve into the industry’s evolution and his future strategies.
Can you tell us about how the industry you operate in has changed in recent years regarding the use of circular raw materials?
“I see some notable developments; for instance, the animal feed industry now extracts much more residual streams and by-products from the food industry than before. There is a clear shift where the animal feed industry is becoming increasingly dependent on these streams, which benefits the sustainability of the industry.
In addition, there is an increase in transparency within the chain. It is becoming more important for end-users in the animal feed industry to know exactly which ingredients they are receiving. Interestingly, this group is increasingly seeking direct contact with the food industry. However, due to the vast variation in available raw materials, this is often a significant challenge.
Furthermore, we see that the industry is increasingly focusing on alternative protein sources such as fava bean protein, algae, and insects. Constant efforts are being made to develop new and alternative products to meet changing needs.
In the past, the use of circular ingredients was mainly a commercially driven choice, but now we see an additional layer of engagement and awareness. In addition to sustainability, the focus is also on transparency and exploring new, alternative sources to meet the growing demand for animal nutrition.”
How do you envision the future of this industry in terms of sustainability and the use of circular raw materials?
“Well, what we are already noticing here is that our major accounts, multinational corporations, are very consciously working on reducing emissions, focusing on the targets they need to achieve by 2025. I also expect that smaller players in the market will follow suit. They, too, need to become more sustainable.
There is an increasing emphasis on measurement, and data is becoming more crucial. For example, you see that transporters and shippers are becoming more aware of their footprint. And this will not only be at the transport level but also increasingly at the product level. We are currently working hard on that as well.
Furthermore, at the moment, you see that the animal feed industry relies heavily on standard commodities from the food industry. We aim to minimize this reliance and fully focus on circular raw materials—materials that have lost their original purpose for human consumption.”
And how will Novades contribute to this in the coming years?
“As I mentioned earlier, we focus entirely on decreasing emissions and delivering the best products, services and flexibility that customers need. Corporations worldwide can count on circular ingredients to decrease emissions. We will position these ingredients as “main stream”, as circular feed ingredients, at least from Novades, look and perform the same as regular ingredients. Only with one main difference: their capacity to reduce emissions.
We enable circularity,and with that, lowering emissions through our our own developed software, designed to optimize nutrients for the processing of feed ingredients. This is entirely data-driven based on the needs and preferences of our customers.
To extract the maximum potential from these circular raw materials, we invest heavily in quality. Think, for example, of our own warehouse, where we sample all incoming shipments, the tests and analyses we conduct on these samples in our in-house laboratory, and the continuous investment in data development.
Finally, we use specialized service providers to help us achieve the most efficient supply chain, as locally as possible, close to our customers and suppliers. With this, we, at Novades, aim to contribute to a more sustainable, livable sector and world.”
