Circular thinking, rooted in agriculture
What if we stopped seeing feathers as waste — and started using them to strengthen crops?
At Damagro, that’s exactly what we do. Our biostimulants are made from poultry feathers: a protein-rich raw material that’s often overlooked, but full of untapped potential.
Through patented hydrolysis processes, we transform these local by-products into powerful agricultural inputs — enabling farmers to grow stronger, more resilient crops with improved efficiency.
From poultry waste to plant vitality
Every day, our production facility Empro — part of the same group as Damagro — processes around 100 tonnes of feathers and 90 tonnes of bones at its site in Dendermonde. While Empro creates functional ingredients for various sectors including animal nutrition, aquaculture, and cosmetics, the feather stream plays a central role in the production of our biostimulants.
Feathers are composed of keratin: a tough, insoluble protein that plants can’t use in its native form. By applying a chemical-free, enzymatic process, we break down the keratin structure into smaller peptides and amino acids that help to increase yield, enhance stress resilience, and improve nitrogen use efficiency in crops.
Regenerative by design
We don’t believe sustainability should be a marketing buzzword. At Damagro, it’s a core driver of innovation — embedded in every step of our value chain:
Our biostimulants are made from locally sourced poultry feathers that would otherwise go to waste.
We use a non-chemical, energy-efficient production process with maximal raw material recovery.
This is more than waste reduction. It’s value creation — turning overlooked residues into agronomic solutions.
Circularity as progress, not compromise
Too often, circularity is framed in a negative light — as something we have to do to reduce environmental harm.
“But that’s not how we see it,” says Vaast Vanoverschelde, CEO of Damagro.
“For us, circularity isn’t a fallback. It’s a forward-looking model.”
Vanoverschelde sees circular systems not as damage control, but as opportunity generators:
“If we make full use of what already exists in the system, we don’t just reduce waste — we expand access to prosperity. We create sustainable growth without depleting natural resources.”
That’s the mindset behind Damagro’s mission: to help farmers grow more with less, by unlocking the hidden value in side streams — starting with something as simple as a feather.