Pharmactive unveils eco-management protocol for saffron biodiversity and rural workforces

10 Jan 2022 --- Spanish biotechnology company Pharmactive is enhancing its eco-management protocol to promote biodiversity and rural workforces. The sustainability program will also boost local women’s workforces, reduce energy consumption and waste through upcycling as well as promote crops that support biodiversity.

This move also adheres to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards.

This certification endorses the company’s proactivity in ensuring its entire operations from farming to extraction to distribution are eco-supportive.

“We are trying to build sustainability and social responsibility into the organization. We are working with farmers to promote their soil’s long-term health and prevent over-fertilization or soil erosion in this context,” Eva Criado, communication manager at Pharmactive Biotech Products, tells NutritionInsight.

“Also, we aim for improvement, choosing long-term sustainability instead of short-term economic benefits. Millennials and Generation Z prefer sustainable products and they are willing to purchase premium products that have a sustainable impact.”

Criado adds that consumers are constantly searching to improve their health.

“They are becoming savvier and demanding clean labels; for a few years now, they have been searching for clean labels that promote a ‘less is more’ approach,” she explains.Pharmactive’s sustainability program will boost local women’s workforces and reduce energy consumption and waste. 

Ensuring ethically-sourced ingredients
According to Pharmactive, it is cementing its sustainable sourcing and production protocols while conserving complete control of its supply channels to bring customers high-quality ethically sourced organic botanicals.

This is especially evident in its flagship Affron saffron extract and its ABG+ line of aged black garlic products. The company has previously secured two patents for these botanicals’ green extraction processes.

“The quality of the products has a direct impact since the farmers who are cultivating saffron are not using chemicals or pesticides, which directly impacts the quality of the products,” says Criado.

“Other crops like black garlic are applying traditional methods that are respectful of the Earth, which affects the quality of the raw materials. Our sustainability efforts also directly impact selecting crops that have fewer impurities, that respect soil’s erosion, and therefore allow for stronger ingredient bioactives.”Pharmactive’s agricultural tradition of “Barbecho” allows the land to rejuvenate and restore its organic matter.

Boosting local economy
As part of its environmental policy, the botanical ingredient producer has devised a long-term contract farming plan to reinforce the local economy and workforce of remote areas of the Castille-La-Mancha region of Spain and promote Spanish culture.

Pharmactive’s saffron is home-grown in its private fields nestled in the rural community of Castilla-La-Mancha, Spain. Its contract-farming support program is designed to secure the income and livelihoods of the farmers living within the provinces of this sparsely populated region.

The company details that the farmers will commit to the traditional and ecological agricultural and harvesting practices delineated by the company.

Beyond its activities in negotiating attractive pay schemes and work contracts with the farmers, Pharmactive’s program ensures that the farmers can sell their entire harvest every year by creating demand.

Reducing energy consumption
The sustainability move will also impact the employment prospects for women in the region through saffron harvesting that requires manual picking. The delicate stigmas also must be separated from the flowers by hand, for which experienced local senior women are employed.

An additional benefit is that this hand-picking method requires no energy consumption and does not cause waste emissions. Unemployed senior women living in these communities are also provided an opportunity to contribute their know-how while keeping alive an ancient tradition.

Sustainable crop production
Pharmactive adheres to the Spanish agricultural tradition of “Barbecho.” This agricultural practice designates periods for letting its private fields lie fallow, allowing the land to rejuvenate and restore its organic matter. The method occurs every six to eight years.

“This practice enriches the ecosystem, promotes biodiversity and benefits pollinating insects. It also protects endangered species, such as several native steppe habitat birds and helps naturally control pests, fungi and weeds,” says Jean-Marie Raymond, CEO at Pharmactive.

The company adds that the Castilla-La-Mancha appellation of origin encourages avoiding phytosanitary chemicals in saffron cultivation and promotes the use of natural fertilizers.

Tracking Pharmactive’s previous moves
2021 has been a busy year for Pharmactive, with the company securing an international expansion deal with Siparex that allowed it to expand its portfolio of natural ingredients and global commercial presence.

Additionally, the company’s Affron was found to improve psychological symptoms in perimenopausal women in a study. 

By Nicole Kerr, with additional reporting by Andria Kades