Upcycled Pet Food: A Growth & Sustainability Opportunity for Retailers
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
For independent pet retailers, specialty shops, grooming services, and e-commerce players, staying ahead means offering products that serve pets and resonate with conscious consumers.
Enter the rising star category: upcycled pet food and pet products certified under the Upcycled Certified® label.
From surplus carrots to spent grains from breweries, ingredients that might otherwise be wasted are finding a second life in tasty treats, kibble, and even grooming products. For retailers, this isn’t just sustainability...it’s a story your customers will feel good about sharing.
This perspective comes from a collaboration between Where Food Comes From and Pet Sustainability Coalition, two organizations working to advance verified sustainability and transparency across the food and pet product supply chains.
Upcycling at Scale: A Proven Foundation in Pet Food
Upcycling in pet food isn’t theoretical, it’s already happening at scale. According to the 2025 IFEEDER Report, pet food manufacturers incorporated over 3 million tons of upcycled ingredients into dog food and more than 1 million tons into cat food in 2024.
Sustainability is not an add-on, it’s woven into how the category functions. Pet food is a major recovery channel for valuable nutrients, turning potential waste into nutrition pets love.
Examples of ingredients upcycled in pet food:
Spent grains from breweries → fiber-rich additions in treats
Surplus fruits and vegetables → nutrient-dense powders
By-products from human food processing → functional proteins for kibble
Vegetable pulp & seed oils → enriching oils in wet food
Why Upcycling Fits Particularly Well for Pet Food Retailers
1. A Highly Relevant Sustainability Story
Pets are deeply loved, and their owners increasingly make purchasing decisions with ethics and sustainability in mind.
Upcycled products repurpose ingredients that would otherwise be wasted, reducing environmental impact while feeding pets nutritious meals.
Retailers can tell a compelling story: “Your pup’s snack helped rescue food that would have gone to waste.”
Products using upcycled ingredients have grown more than 30% in the pet food sector (Pet Food Processing).
2. Structural Suitability of Pet Food
Pet food naturally accepts diverse ingredients and formats (proteins, fibers, oils, by-products; kibble, wet, treats).
Market forecast: Upcycled pet ingredients will reach USD 240 million in 2025 and grow to USD 651.4 million by 2035 (CAGR 10.5%, Future Market Insights).
Innovation examples:
Spent grains → fiber-rich inclusions
Surplus carrots, apples, blueberries → powders or bits in kibble/treats
Potato peel or sweet potato pulp → functional starch
Co-products from human food production → high-protein treats
These specifics make the sustainability story tangible and relatable for pet owners.
3. Clear Business & Marketing Upside
Retailers offering Upcycled Certified® products benefit from:
Premium differentiation for higher margins
Marketing storylines for signage, e-commerce, and social media
Supply chain efficiencies through sourcing under-utilized by-products
Consumer engagement and loyalty, tapping into purpose-driven purchases
Why Upcycled Certified® is Especially Relevant Now
42% growth in certified products in 2024, momentum continues in 2025
Diverts 1.35 million tons of food waste annually (Upcycled Certified Impact Report 2025, WFCF)
Pet food products with sustainability claims are seeing year-over-year sales growth
Global upcycled food market projected to nearly double from USD 59.2B in 2024 to USD 119.8B by 2034 (InsightAce Analytic)
The Broader Opportunity: Beyond Pet Food
Upcycling extends beyond pet food to:
Toys and accessories: reclaimed textiles, recovered plastics, repurposed industrial materials
Bedding, leashes, collars, enrichment toys: durable, landfill-diverting products
Grooming & wellness: surplus fruit extracts, seed oils, fermentation co-products → shampoos, conditioners, balms
Retailers can build a category-level sustainability strategy, reinforcing a cohesive circularity narrative across food, treats, toys, and wellness products.
Conclusion
For independent retailers, grooming shops, and e-commerce pet businesses, Upcycled Certified® products offer an alignment of consumer demand, market growth, and authentic sustainability storytelling.
Recommended retailer actions:
Start small — select 1–2 upcycled brands aligned with your mission
Train staff to share the sustainability story
Promote via in-store signage and social media
Even modest steps can build momentum and establish your store as a trusted source for purpose-driven pet care.
