Waste to Wonder: How CLIC RECYCLE is Reinventing the Circular Economy with Human Hair
Specially for Circular Economy News: We spoke with Valérie Itey, founder of CLIC RECYCLE®, a sustainable technology company transforming human hair waste into innovative solutions for agriculture, marine decontamination, and circular design. Valérie shared her inspiration, material applications, and the global challenges her company addresses.
Circular Economy News: Valérie, what inspired you to recycle human hair?
Valérie Itey: It started with a personal memory. My grandfather used hair in vineyards to protect soil and retain water, but it decomposed too slowly. By combining hair’s natural strength, keratin, and absorption with other fibers, we created CLIC TERRA, a patented biodegradable mulch.
CEN: Where and how is your material applied?
V.I.: Our solutions span three areas: - Agriculture (CLIC TERRA): Mulch reduces irrigation by 30%, prevents erosion, and replaces plastic films and chemical fertilizers. Smart versions integrate soil sensors and IoT for precise irrigation and carbon credit generation.
- Marine remediation (CLIC SEA): Modular barriers absorb hydrocarbons and heavy metals. Smart versions use sensors and AI analytics for real-time water data. These barriers offer a sustainable, nature-based alternative to conventional plastic-based marine barriers, with a two-year pilot with the Port of Barcelona proving their efficiency.
- Construction (CLIC ARCHI): Hair-based panels and insulation provide lightweight, strong, acoustically and thermally efficient alternatives to plastics and fiberglass.
CEN: What makes your company unique?
V.I.: We turn human hair waste into patented, biodegradable, sensor-enabled solutions that restore ecosystems and replace plastics. Backed by science — certified LCAs, validated pilots, and digital traceability via AI, IoT, and blockchain — every integration reinforces our mission for a fully circular system.
CEN: What global challenges are you addressing?
V.I.: Marine pollution, soil degradation, overuse of plastics, and water scarcity. Our nature-tech approach scales to deliver measurable environmental impact.
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