Introduction

The consumer attitude toward household cleaning products is changing. No longer are cost and performance the only considerations. The consumer is increasingly aware that they need to make careful selection of products, tending towards selection of natural, preferably vegetable-based ingredients that are sustainably sourced and which are mild in the environment once released post-use.

In this paper we will explore an example of how it is possible to increase the bio-based content of a class of specialty surfactants – narrow range ethoxylates, which have historically been of synthetic origin. By switching to a natural, vegetable-based hydrophobe, sourced via a sustainable supply chain (RSPO), we can better meet customer expectation, and will demonstrate that the same high performance of the cleaning ingredient can be fully maintained. In so doing, we provide formulators the option to develop more bio-based, high-performance cleaning formulations, with ingredients that also qualify as EU Ecolabel.