By-products are unavoidable when manufacturing herbal remedies, but that does not mean they are useless. Our recycling concept proves it: After active ingredients have been removed from medicinal plants through extraction (see image 1 in the collage), they are collected on company grounds in Neumarkt and then recycled in an eco-friendly process at a nearby farm. They are used to create organic humus, which sustainably improves the quality of soil in the region.
Bionorica is proud to have created a sustainable manufacturing cycle in tune with nature. Bionorica focuses on quality, sustainability, social responsibility and transparency, starting with raw materials purchasing. Our medicinal plants come from controlled, sustainable cultivation (some purchased regionally), like verbena from the Upper Palatinate region and sorrel from Lower Bavaria. After the active ingredients have been extracted from these medicinal plants during manufacturing, the remaining material is composted (2) by an organic agricultural company. It takes nine to ten weeks for these residual plant materials to turn into humus (3). This is then applied to the organic farmer's fields. Adding organic humus significantly improves the quality of the cultivated fields: Their soil structure becomes looser, thereby improving their capacity to store water. This has a positive influence on soil fertility (4).
Our recycling concept is a prime example of circular economy, and of Bionorica's environmentally-focused thought and action.