If there were ever a place where “greenwashing” could be an appropriate term it would of course be where the subject is laundry and cleaning… but… no… the vast majority of companies and individuals at Sepawa are really trying to “wash green”.
Not only is there an effort to substantiate claims but more importantly, the terms are discussed. What do the brand owners really mean by “sustainable” and what does it mean to the ingredient providers, in charge of their supply?
The importance of the complete picture, of the material and energy use from origin to use, waste and re-use, was highlighted several times. A picture that none of the present companies can paint on their own. The importance of the complete picture, of CO2 and energy usage but also of land use, water use and impact on biodiversity was acknowledged and I enjoyed in particular Max Chabert’s (Solvay) talk on “Biomass-balance Detergents as a First Step Toward a Fully Fossil-free Home Care Industry” where he had an ambition to bring a more holistic perspective together with a pragmatic approach. The realism of the fact that “everyone” wants to use the same waste and that the bioNaphta supply to-date is insufficient.
Mireia Collado Hervás from Kao was another one with a good presentation on how the purposely driven development of new ingredients can contribute to reduced energy and CO2 emissions, by the waterless formulation approach as an example.
Matthias Reihmann (GELITA) gave a presentation which included not only scientifically supported method of action but in this case more importantly the user results stating clearly how significantly less often the busses and trains treated with their ingredient needed to be cleaned. We are proud contributors to what was shared at Sepawa, in explaining how this works. ????
So, even if the world sees way too little of a bold political leadership (Sunak – Go to #cop27 !) I’m optimistic towards what industry is doing. We have gone from just adding the label “eco” or “bio” towards the much tougher and complex work that needs to be done to assure that in the end we do not only wash green, but also blue and with enough viable land left for food and life to thrive.
#50Lhome #biodiversity #detergents #SEPAWA #sustainability #fmcgindustry
