Innovative approaches to almond cultivation can provide a unique view into zero waste and sustainability. By investing in research-based, cutting-edge solutions that contribute to a circular economy, the almond sector is identifying new and valuable uses for everything grown in the orchard—generating upstream solutions, doing more with less resources, giving back to nature, and eliminating waste before food even leaves the farm.

As the urgency for a circular economy increases, the California almond industry is an example of agriculture’s ability to channel organic resources (like almond byproducts) back into nature to benefit the greater ecosystem. Almonds have a two-year shelf life when stored properly, which means very few almonds go to waste. But beyond the almond itself, California almond farmers are taking action to optimize the uses for almond byproducts, meaning the materials leftover from growing almonds: hulls, shells, and woody biomass.