SME Case Study: SAGES
SAGES is transforming sustainability in the dye industry by creating biodegradable, non-toxic dyes from food waste. Through their patent-pending extraction method, SAGES harnesses phytochemicals from locally sourced food waste to produce a natural, eco-friendly alternative to synthetic dyes.
Throughout the FID Challenge, SAGES strived to gain insights into waste management logistics, scale their operations, and build partnerships with academic institutions and local food retailers.
Results
70kg
Total waste diverted from landfill
180kg
Total amount of carbon dioxide emissions reduced or prevented
1
Total number of new partners or clients in east London
Testbed Activity
SAGES’ testbed consisted of a series of trials focused on waste processing, beginning with the engagement of a new courier partner using low-emission cargo bikes. The trials included monitoring waste processing and identifying effective storage solutions.
Throughout the challenge, they worked with numerous food waste streams, including red onion, yellow onion skin, and red cabbage. With grant funding, SAGES scaled up equipment during the testbed, doubling processing capacity.
Learning and Challenges
During the trial, SAGES monitored and adapted to challenges, particularly around capacity. Initial plans to collect waste weekly from an onion skin supplier tested their resources, leading to a reduced delivery frequency to manage the load.
To prevent waste from going mouldy, they engaged an external drying company. The trial revealed key areas for improvement, prompting a decision to increase internal capacity for drying and processing. New equipment was purchased, and subsequent trials with different waste types helped refine scalability and timing. Moving forward, SAGES plan to continue monitoring operations to ensure efficient scaling and streamlined waste processing.
Outputs
Environment
SAGES successfully reduced CO2 emissions by using cargo bikes instead of conventional vans for deliveries. Throughout the challenge, they diverted 70kg of waste material from landfill and prevented the emission of 180kg of CO2 emissions.
Business
During the programme, SAGES successfully established a courier partnership to manage food-waste shipment. Additionally, they also connected with fellow cohort, MadeSweetly, to test the possibility of extracting sugars from SAGES’ dyes that can be used in MadeSweetly’s fermentation process.
Local Area
SAGES strengthened their relationship with existing suppliers at New Covent Garden Market. They also worked on streamlining their processes in preparation for discussions with other wholesale suppliers in East London over potential working relationships.
In the future, they plan to focus on educational initiatives around synthetic dyes, food waste, and sustainability within the fashion and textiles industry.
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