In Switzerland, chemical company Clariant has launched a range of 100% biobased surfactants and polyethylene glycols. Dubbed Vita, the ingredients were developed for formulators looking to boost natural content of detergents, hair and body shampoos, paints, industrial lubricants, and crop formulations.
“From the packaging to the many ingredients, a typical consumer product in coatings, personal care, home care, industrial, and agricultural applications still uses petrochemicals and therefore fossil carbon,” Christian Vang, Global Head of Business Unit Industrial & Consumer Specialties at Clariant, says in a press statement. “Switching to biobased carbon chemistry remains a big challenge for manufacturers and by launching the Vita surfactant and PEG range we are offering them an important new solution to achieve this.”
Vita is made from 100% biobased ethanol produced from sugarcane or corn. In some cases, the CO2 savings compared to fossil-based feedstocks can be as high as 85%. Vita products are also chemically equivalent to fossil-based versions, offering the same performance and efficiency to formulators and brand owners. Clariant expects to have “double-digit kilotons” of the biobased surfactants and PEGs to be available in the second quarter from its Clariant IGL Specialty Chemicals (CISC) joint venture.