Structuring Sectors bamboo, wildflowers and the circular recycling of human urine

Local seed production and biodiversity preservation

During a presentation by VEGEPOLYS VALLEY at SIVAL 2024, a representative from Nova-Flore explained the company's commitment to local, sustainable seed production. The company, based nearAngers, focuses on flower seeds, as well as mixtures adapted to pollinating insects and biodiversity. For over ten years, Nova-flore has been running a scientific program called "Attract" to identify the most attractive plants for pollinators. Based on 25,000 observations of some 300 species, flowering mixtures are designed to maximize attractiveness to insects.

The company has also been a member of the "Végétal Local" brand since 2017. This framework requires seeds to be collected, multiplied and marketed exclusively in their region of organic origin. In compliance with these prescriptions, Nova-flore has set up eight production sites in five ecological zones, using adapted systems such as monospecific lineages. The entire process, from collection in the wild to multiplication and production in commercial volumes, takes around three years. This anticipation is essential to meet the needs of local authorities and green space professionals.

Dynamics of sector bamboo and its environmental benefits

Horizom has also highlighted sector bamboo as a lever for meeting environmental and economic challenges. Bamboo offers a viable alternative to fossil-based materials while increasing carbon sinks. Its capacity to produce a large biomass, its low need for chemical inputs and its ability to restore soils make it a resilient crop. With 400 plants per hectare, the first harvest is possible after five years. Every year thereafter, a third of the plantation is harvested, guaranteeing a renewable resource and net income estimated at 2,500 euros per hectare per year.

Outlets mainly include the carbon credits and biomass markets. These materials can be transformed into bio-sourced insulation, panels or pellets for boilers. To ensure this transition, farmers benefit from comprehensive support in setting up, technical monitoring and adding value to their production. This strategy also enables farms to diversify in a sustainable way.

Circular valorization of human urine as fertilizer

In a circular economy approach, another company, Label Verte, tackled the potential of collecting and reusing human urine as a fertilizer. With high concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, this resource is often wasted in wastewater treatment plants, creating diffuse pollution in waterways. The project aims to reintroduce these nutrients into the soil, while limiting the use of chemical fertilizers. Separating toilet systems allow urine to be easily collected at source and then transformed into a stable fertilizer product after a storage and sanitization period of at least one month.

This model offers numerous advantages, including a significant reduction in drinking water consumption (around 20%), a reduction in the energy needed to produce synthetic fertilizers, and a transition towards local, circular fertilization. The challenge is to create a viable economic model so that this practice becomes widespread among professionals and private individuals. Technical and economic studies are currently underway, financed by the Pays de la Loire region and ADEME.