Sustainability claims have rapidly become a must-have for the successful commercialization of home care products, and laundry detergents are no exception to this trend. Beyond communicating the origin, carbon footprint, and biodegradability profiles of chemicals used in laundry formulations, manufacturers are also looking for ways to differentiate their products in the improved environmental benefits brought by the usage of their products. Lower temperature efficiency, less water consumption, and clothing protection are typical examples of such expanded-scope claims.

Solvay’s Repel-O-Tex® range of polymers perfectly substantiates the quest for sustainability from both the chemical composition and improved usage benefits standpoint. Repel-O-Tex® SRP-6, designed for powder formulas, and Repel-O-Tex® Crystal, intended for liquid formulas, both have best-in-class biodegradability profiles, classified as readily biodegradable according to OECD 301F standard. This means that once these polymers are released into the environment after the sewage plant, they will not accumulate and quickly return to water and carbon dioxide. With the upcoming Repel-O-Tex® Crystal NAT grade, Solvay is also proposing a molecule similar in terms of structure and performance to Repel-O-Tex® Crystal while being sourced from 75% natural raw materials, allowing a significantly improved carbon footprint.

Besides their excellent environmental profile, Repel-O-Tex® polymers also pave the way toward circularity in laundry and textiles. Their high-performance anti-soil incrustation and anti-greying benefits allow garments to stay clean and white for longer, extending their overall lifetime. When incorporated into laundry detergents, Repel-O-Tex® polymers form an invisible, unnoticeable polymer layer on fabric during the wash cycle. This polymeric layer impedes incrustation from grease stain and sebum during the use of the fabric, allowing for a more effortless subsequent wash and avoiding progressive malodor development during repeated use of the fabric. It also brings impressive anti-greying performance with whiteness maintained after more than ten wash cycles in challenging conditions (carbon black and grease intentionally added to each wash). By protecting the fabric from difficult stains and maintaining its white appearance for repeated wash cycles, Repel-O-Tex® polymers allow the consumers to wear their clothes for longer, reducing the need to dispose of difficult-to-recycle fabrics and contributing to a more circular textile care.

About Solvay

We are a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life with a purpose to bond people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. We seek to create sustainable-shared value for all through our One Planet program, an initiative crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering better life. Solvay is the industry leader in natural and naturally derived polymers and specialty surfactants, delivering high-performance solutions to diversified markets, including home and hygiene & beauty markets. Learn more on our website: https://www.solvay.com/en/solutions-market/consumer-goods

Email: novecarecc@solvay.com