Sustainability is more than just a buzzword – it is a promise and a protocol to ensure resource renewability for future generations.
One aspect of ethical practices that characterize sustainability is trading one resource that is more limited in availability and harms the environment in processing, for another that is more easily available and leaves less waste.
Imagine – in the realm of dietary supplements – an ingredient that represents a novel, clean plant-based alternative to a popular and widely used conventional supplement typically derived from animal sources. For example, the joint-health ingredient glucosamine, typically manufactured from shellfish, can now be obtained from non-GMO corn.
Currently, the majority of glucosamine used globally is produced from shellfish, and the process to make it is heavily reliant on chemicals and energy, and also creates excessive amounts of toxic wastewater that is harmful to people, animals and the environment. A clear example of how conventional glucosamine production can leave a negative impact is China, which produces more than 90% of the globe’s glucosamine. The nation has paid a high price for being number one: the excessive amount of wastewater generated, lack of treatment capability and capacity, and high costs to treat such vast amounts of waste, has caused significant damage to the surrounding areas of shellfish glucosamine processing plants with polluted water, acid fog, and even corrosion of nearby buildings.
GlucosaGreen®, from TSI, is the first commercially available glucosamine produced from non-GMO corn via a patent-protected process that uses a unique fermentation technology to create glucosamine that is bioequivalent to shellfish glucosamine. This process is much more suitable to the well-being of the environment as it produces only 2% of the waste compared to shellfish glucosamine.
Visit the nutraingredient website to read more about sustainable supplement sourcing.