Eco Friendly Xylitol: Refers to xylitol produced from factories using a natural renewable resource (corn), that do not pollute the environment and use a water treatment system to purify the waste water.

The Modern Xylitol Process (Eco Friendly)
Whether it comes from the U.S., Europe, or China, all pharmaceutical grade xylitol is natural, safe, and allergen-free. Emerald Forest uses corn cobs, which are renewable and eco-friendly. Emerald Forest believes our practices are sustainable and have a negligible impact on the environment.

Learn more about the production of xylitol on our guided tour.

Our Farmers/Producers
Historically, China has not used genetically modified corn seed or pesticides. In October 2003, Thomas Gardner, an independent researcher, determined that "Genetically altered corn is not used in the manufacture of xylitol corn components from China." Traditionally, corn has been used with time tested farming methods, including hand planting and crop rotation, which insures a soil resistant to pests. Emerald Forest's president, Doug Stauffer, personally inspects farms to confirm that they do not use pesticides.

Our producers have state-of-the-art facilities with minimal waste contribution. The production of xylitol with corn cobs uses a natural ion-exchange interaction of hydrogen, hydrochloric acid, charcoal and steam.

Each xylitol factory requires all production to be contained within an environment that requires the operator to pass through three separate decontamination zones. In keeping with quality, in-house laboratory testing of their final product is done to ensure compliance with FDA regulations. We require a detailed Certificate of Analysis on every batch of xylitol we recieve, to be sure it meets our strict quality standards. The final step is transportion to our facility in Broomfield, Colorado for packaging and distribution.

Early WWII Xylitol Production Methods
Due to the shortage of sugar in WWII, Finland was the first country to produce xylitol. At that time no one thought about the effects of pollution or deforestation. Since the birch tree was so abundant, technology was developed to extract xylitol from it. Eventually this same technology found its way to the US.

US Production
American companies altered the process using lumber instead of birch, but the name “Birch Sugar” became popular and some companies continue to advertise the sale of birch xylitol.

lumber	deforestation	industrial pollution.

We have been unsuccessful at obtaining proof from the companies that say they use birch as their source material for xylitol. When a company states that their xylitol comes from “birch” or “organic hardwoods”, please ask for certification from them.