Silab, a supplier of cosmetic ingredients, has just set up a new local biodiversity conservation project in collaboration with the company BeeOdiversity. The idea is to identify the surrounding plant species to trace biodiversity by analysing the pollen collected by bees.
For this project, two hives have been installed on Silab’s site and are managed by a local beekeeper. The two bee colonies will gather pollen from about eight billion flowers per year, within a radius of 1,5 km. The pollen will be collected during the beekeeping season (between April and October) and then analyzed at different times of the year, thus making it possible to define medium-term objectives for improving plant biodiversity.
Paul Eguia, Sustainable sourcing strategy manager at Silab, commented: “The fundamental role of pollinators in ecosystems is well known. However, it is the scientific dimension of the project presented by BeeOdiversity, i.e. to make a precise inventory of the plant biodiversity of the site as well as the territory, that particularly appealed to us.”
Pierre Forman, Environment manager at Silab, added: “This novel approach will allow us to identify under-represented species and implement relevant and targeted actions that will have a positive impact on all ecosystems.”
This new project fits into the company’s overall CSR commitment, as well as into its continuous improvement approach, as outlined in its Actively Caring program.
