New Formulation Concepts and Sustainability Focus Keep Up with Latest Green Trends (2)

Interview with Sarah Kovach, Senior Market Manager,
Stepan Company

A Mckinsey & Company survey indicates that consumers became more sensitive to sustainability topics during the pandemic, with a large majority believing that more attention should be paid to reducing waste. In addition, consumers expect besides sustainability also functionality. What are Stepan’s answers to these demands?

Stepan Company has been focused on improving the sustainability of our consumer product ingredient offerings from three sides: our existing portfolio, new ingredient launches and formulation concepts. In our existing portfolio, Stepan offers a wide range of readily biodegradable, bio-based surfactants for personal care and household applications. Our personal care portfolio offers 25 products made from 100% biorenewable carbon and many more that are based on greater than 85% biorenewable carbon. On the home care side, Stepan has listed more than 30 surfactants approved for those customers seeking U.S. EPA Safer Choice certification. Even if a customer is not located in the United States, this listing provides them assurance that these surfactants have completed an independent, third-party review and have been approved as safer for human health and the environment.

For future developments, Stepan has set a goal that 80% of our research and development investment will be dedicated to sustainable processes and products. New Stepan product launches feature ingredients with improved environmental, health and safety profiles and use of local, renewable feedstocks. One recent example is the launch of STEPANQUAT® Helia and STEPANQUAT Soleil, Stepan’s new sunflower oil-based hair conditioners that offer better environmental safety and are milder to the skin and eyes than current incumbent technology. Stepan has also recently acquired Logos Technologies LLC’s NatSurFact® business, a rhamnolipid-based line of biosurfactants derived from renewable sources. This technology will provide an important new option to formulators as our customers across markets seek new sustainability targets for their products. Rhamnolipids are readily biodegradable, offer low toxicity and, in some cases, unique antimicrobial properties. 

Lastly, Stepan’s product development teams have been focused on creating formulations and product concepts that align with the latest trends and consumer demands. Trends, like fashion, can change quickly and are often cyclical. Stepan is seeing the trend of “what’s old is new again” with the rise in popularity of bar soaps and powdered cleansers but paired with new adjacent concepts such as shampoo and conditioner bars, and super concentrates for at-home dilution. These unique product concepts have the sustainability benefits of typically containing little to no water and offering the ability to move away from plastic packaging in favor of paper or cardboard. Customers can access vetted formulation concepts on our website or work with one of our product development chemists directly or through our virtual collaboration laboratory to create a customized solution that meets their performance, packaging and aesthetic requirements.

What are your key sustainability projects? 

Stepan is a charter member of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) Responsible Care® and a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact. We remain committed to delivering sustainable business value and forming strategic partnerships according to the principles outlined by those organizations. Our key sustainability priorities are demonstrating sustainable economic value, accountability, responsible management and ethical business practices; managing our facilities and resources responsibly to reduce environmental impact; delivering innovative products from responsibly sourced materials to promote a cleaner, healthier, more energy efficient world; and investing in people by focusing on employee safety, development and well-being, contributing to local economies and serving our communities. We continue to manage these priorities and drive progress on the associated goals; our most recent Sustainability Report is available on our website for more information.

Eliminating plastic waste has a high priority on an industry level. What formulation solutions can you offer to save plastic waste? 

Stepan Personal Care’s product development team has been focused on developing sustainable product concepts that offer the ability to use non-plastic and zero packaging. Our Eco-Friendly Collection contains three solid cleansing formulation concepts, each containing little to no water (compared to bottled counterparts that can contain up to 95% water) and requiring no plastic packaging. More recently, we debuted our Solid Expectations Collection — a completely re-vamped shower routine that features a powdered hair and body wash, a solid conditioner and a solid moisturizing lotion. Each of these formulations also provide recommendations for non-plastic, recyclable packaging. Our product development teams are currently working on more sustainable formulation concepts, including some in home care and hard surface, and we are excited to share those with our customers in the beginning of 2022. 

There is still a large amount of plastic containers for personal care and cleaning products – will the water-less/free products become mainstream use soon enough?

A Lightspeed/Mintel survey published in 2021 found that 66% of adults agree that a company needs to develop eco packaging to be considered sustainable, and 34% would be willing to pay more for products with such packaging. Solid cleansing products like bars, powders and other water-free concepts can more easily support eco packaging than their liquid counterparts and thus are quickly gaining increased shelf space at retailers. However, these products remain a niche category since they are typically more expensive and can require a learning curve or change in routine for the consumer. It is also a challenge to match the performance and experience of a water-less/free product to its liquid counterpart so consumers may prioritize convenience of the liquid product over the sustainability benefits of the water-free product. Mainstream personal care and household cleaning products may follow the laundry/fabric care market and focus on compaction — keeping active ingredient levels the same but reducing excess water and thus shrinking package size — to achieve environmental benefits while better matching the experience and performance expected by the consumer. Another idea that has been gaining traction in the market is the use of refillable/reusable packaging — products are offered as pressed powder tablets or concentrates so consumers can continue to use the same plastic or glass bottle many times by simply diluting and preparing the product at home. It is likely that not one product will dominate the market but that the traditional liquid product in a plastic bottle will slowly be displaced by these, and future, sustainable concepts. 

How do you support your clients with formulation issues? 

Stepan has five research and development centers globally with expertise in every consumer market area including personal care, home care and fabric care. Our customers have access to these chemists to aid in all aspects of formulation development, from starter concepts to troubleshooting. We employ the use of virtual collaboration laboratories that allow for live video conferencing in a laboratory setting and customers can formulate right alongside our experts. In addition, we offer Stepan-led technical webinars to aid formulators in product selection and formulating nuances and a dedicated technical services team is available by phone, email or live chat. Sustainable products can create new challenges for formulators and manufacturers, and Stepan is ready to address these with personalized technical assistance.