The company has chosen to open the new factory in Bobo-Dioulasso, a city of 540,000 people situated in West of the land-locked West African country, which will be supplying cosmetics and personal care companies worldwide.
The new agro-industrial processing unit was inaugurated in the presence of Stéphane Sanou, Minister of Trade, Industry and Handicrafts, representing the President of Burkina Faso, as well as ambassadors from France, Denmark and the European Union, and Olvea business partners.
Focus on eco-conception
According to company executives, a particular focus of the facility has been its eco-conception, which is particularly respectful of the local environment.
This design was carried out in conjunction with both government and international environmental organizations, resulting in a significant number of environmentally friendly features.
Those features include photovoltaic panels covering 20% of the energy used by the plant, bioclimatic architecture, use of local materials, innovative treatment of the Shea kernels, biomass boiler fuelled by Shea cakes, the company states.
Olvea’s partnership with L’Oréal
Last September L’Oréal said that initiatives taken with suppliers in developing countries were forming an important part of its future goals on sustainability, including a partnership with Olvea.
The partnership commits to helping the 22,000 women who harvest the nuts used to produce shea butter, with improved cook stoves which require less wood consumption.
The project is part of initiatives set out by L’Oréal to improve energy efficiency in the supply chains and promote productive low-carbon agricultural practices by reducing its manufacturing carbon footprint and limiting deforestation.