Agribusiness · Business Strategy · Technology
ClicRecycle: circular economy connecting Europe and the Americas
Led by Valérie Itey, the company turns recovered hair into environmental solutions and is preparing to expand into Latin America and the United States.
Hair left over after a haircut can become a raw material for agriculture. This is one of the applications developed by ClicRecycle, the company led by Valérie Itey that connects waste recovery with solutions for soil and water.
Based in Barcelona, the company combines a service for hair salons with products for other industries. In conversations with AgenciaAgro, Valérie expressed her interest in developing Latin America and shared her work agenda in the United States. Its next international stage opens a relevant discussion for agribusiness: how to bring a circular innovation to new markets.
A model that connects two sectors
The model begins in hair salons. ClicRecycle offers a subscription recycling program that includes collection materials, hair pickup, and digital tools for accessing information about the service and its impact.
The recovered material is transformed into products with specific applications. CLIC TERRA is its agricultural line; CLIC SEA develops solutions to capture pollutants in aquatic environments. The company thus builds a value chain linking the beauty sector with production and environmental activities.
Its commercial proposition combines the recycling service with the resulting products. Understanding the business requires looking at both ends: those who need to manage waste and those seeking to solve a problem with the recovered material.
CLIC TERRA and the vineyard opportunity
CLIC TERRA is a biodegradable mulch made from recovered hair and natural fibers. Valérie explained to AgenciaAgro that the formulation incorporates fibers such as hemp. The company presents it as an alternative for retaining moisture and limiting weed growth through soil cover.
During the conversation, Valérie highlighted vineyards as an important commercial application and noted their experience in this segment. The proposed value proposition considers crop management and its costs, as well as the covering material.
For a winery, evaluating this solution means relating its performance to irrigation, maintenance tasks, and material treatment at the end of its useful life. Its economic suitability must be assessed according to each operation’s conditions.
An agenda spanning Europe and the Americas
Latin America and the United States are part of the development horizon Valérie shared with AgenciaAgro. Chile and Argentina emerged in the discussion as potential markets to evaluate because of their wine industries.
The conversation reflects a commercial exploration stage. Selecting partners, understanding purchasing conditions, and validating the proposition in each market will determine whether this interest becomes sustained operations.
Zayed Sustainability Prize 2026 finalist
ClicRecycle was selected as a finalist for the Zayed Sustainability Prize 2026 in the Climate Action category. The award’s official announcement recognized its transformation of hair into biodegradable mulch and marine filters.
This recognition brings visibility to its proposition and provides relevant credentials for conversations with potential partners.
AgenciaAgro’s perspective
For AgenciaAgro, the case demonstrates the importance of connecting innovation with concrete purchasing decisions. International expansion requires identifying the right customer, explaining the value of each application, and building local business relationships.
In agribusiness, communicating a circular solution means demonstrating what changes for those who adopt it. This connection between technology, business, and markets will be central to ClicRecycle’s next stage.
Sources: conversation with Valérie Itey on October 9, 2026; ClicRecycle; CINEA; Solar Impulse Foundation; Zayed Sustainability Prize.
