When we are talking about eco-compatibility when it comes to companies dealing with chemicals, detergents and washing methods, we are talking about an eco-friendly and sustainable working system that in the virtue of process and product innovation is able to develop its own SYSTEM with a strong focus on green. Innovation is also about reducing the consumption of natural resources, but also the use of energy sources. The transition towards the goal of creating a more ecosustainable environment – in the current times when Europe and the West are drowning because of the conflict in the Eastern Europe but also as a result of the speculations on the various markets – has objectively become more complicated and will definitely slow down.
But there is no way back. This is why for some years now the chemical companies have been undergoing a metamorphosis in the direction of sustainability, which is above all an epochal change in terms of mentality. Companies have defined different policies related to the ecological goal. More concentrated products for cutting transport costs, a significant saving of detergent for the processed linen, the minimisation of emissions, discharges and waste, but also more accurate washing processes with suitable devices allowing significant savings, not just economically. The balance between hygiene, disinfection of textiles and protection of garments is crucial, for all action fields, especially for the hospital and nursing homes sector. We are giving now the floor to the operators in the sector, who are always in the front line facing the challenge of quality while respecting the environment.
Chemistry is one of the main aspects on which the laundry service bases its quality on, keeping the textiles in a proper condition, and the so much needed hygiene guarantee (and not only in pandemic times like the ones we have been experiencing for the past two years). We are talking about it with Ruggero Sammarco, the Technical and Business Development Supervisor of Christeyns Italia. “The eco-sustainability of the laundry chemistry is focused on the implementation of increasingly greener compounds designed for better integrating into a circular economy logic without compromising the expected quality. There are various solutions for lower impact on the environment and for adding value to the useful life of the product and they interpenetrate in different application fields: Ecolabel and/or similar ISO 14024 certification, packaging reduction, water consumption reduction, energy consumption reduction.
Concerning the development of the chemical products, the central piece of the provided service, with less impact on the environment and on the global disposal system, we cannot miss to mention all the possibilities offered by the lists of components banned by the various ISO 14024 labels. Almost all of these labels include important raw material limitations, like the ones mentioned in the requirements for the Nordic Swan detergents. Christeyns has been offering a wide range of products and systems certified according to these labels (Puresan EU Ecolabel, Nordic Swan labelled products, etc.) for at least ten years now, placing itself at the forefront in this context. On the logistics front, the packaging reduction is achieved through the possibility of delivery in tanks, that reduce the biodeamount of packaging to be disposed or through the possibility of reusing the empty packaging.
Being products conceived with more concentrated formulas, they are reducing the delivery loads, as the washing cycles require lower dosages. All this is driving to the second power step of the reduction system designed by Christeyns, the reduction of water consumption. These products, therefore, combined with the most advanced applied knowledge, have led to the development of washing and processing systems, like Puresan or Compact, achieving significant water reductions of up to 2 l/kg of fresh water for the continuous batch washer or less than 10 l/kg in a washer extractor.
Last but not least, even for the particular applications where it is still impossible to apply the Ecolabel certifications, there are major investments for bringing the chemicals industry into the future and Christeyns is proposing a whole range of opportunities. The systems/products proposed by Christeyns are designed to work at low temperatures (30-55°C) reducing waste and fuel consumption. For each cubic metre of water heated one degree less, 0.12 ncm of methane is saved. The chemical part is completed by the efficient Energo tube heat exchangers that reduce the further fuel consumption by recovering as much heat as possible from the waste water and transmitting it to the feed water with high outputs (90%)”, concludes Ruggero Sammarco.
We meet Thomas Zeck, the Sales Director of Kreussler Textile Care, who emphasises how Kreussler, the German textile care specialist, is among the pioneers of the real sustainability. “Many decades ago, we were the first company producing detergents for industrial use to ban phosphates completely as well as borates, perborates, APEO, EDTA and NTA. Kreussler is taking a multitude of aspects besides the formula of the detergents into account: when cleaning the garments, it is not enough to use ingredients which are biodegradable, or do not harm the environment. If the washing power of a “green” detergent is so weak that a high dosage is necessary to get clothes clean, the product is not really sustainable.
The new OptiCare 50° GREEN which Kreussler presents at EXPOdetergo International is a comprehensible, modular system of five products for laundries not just fulfilling the very strict requirements for the benchmark EU Ecolabel, but also being extremely powerful in smallest dosages while treating textiles as gently as possible, prolonging their lifetime. Kreussler also offers sustainable solutions for dry cleaners. One of the most well-known Kreussler inventions is the original Lanadol wet cleaning using water as “solvent” for even the most sensitive fabrics, needing only about 6 liters of water per kg wet cleaned fabrics, using cleaning agents which are biodegradable and extremely concentrated. For the dry cleaner who prefers working with a classic solvent, Kreussler developed and patented SYSTEMK4, featuring the super-pure, halogenfree organic solvent SOLVONK4 which often cleans even better than perc, while having a far superior environmental profile”.
Since the foundation of CHT R. Beitlich GmbH in 1953 in Tübingen, a city in south-west Germany, the company has evolved as a worldwide operating company focused on innovative chemicals as functional generators, auxiliaries and additives for industrial processes. Prince Charles Stevens, the Head of Business Field Washing Solutions, explains the effectiveness of CHT technology. “The Smart Technology system solution combines a new washing system with a sophisticated service concept and digital data technologies. With the general concept, consisting of five modules, the laundries are washing even in a more efficient, safe and sustainable way.
The composing elements, can be used individually, in combination or as a complete package. Using UV-C technology can be achieved excellent washing results, saving valuable resources and reducing the environmental pollution, at the same time. With the Smart Glasses, the CHT service technicians can remotely control the dosing technology in the laundry, in real time. This technology is useful especially in situations when troubleshooting and rapid analysis is required, even on long distances. Smart Dosing is a new dosing technology that can be set remotely on the dosing system, giving the possibility of adjusting each individual recipe.
By developing an integrated energy concept, the use of a thermal camera can show the heat losses in the washing and ironing areas. The entrepreneurs should take advantage of the competence of the analysis laboratories, and the entrepreneurs should take advantage of the competence of the analysis laboratories, and apply it for their laundry, in order to receive valuable data analysis, evaluations and recommendations for the chemical products, textiles, and water”.
Always focused on environmental issues, Montega® has recently developed a concentrated enzyme-based liquid detergent, capable of competing with the best products of our range, whether liquid or in powder, says Stenilio Morazzini, at the helm of Montega Chemical solutions. Lumiere, has quickly become our flagship product, both in terms of production capacity and its eco-compatibility! It is distinguished by its effective stain removal action and its great gentleness on fabrics, both for the bedroom and bathroom linen, but also for the table clothing and and lounge linen. It is a product with surprising characteristics, like the speed for dispersing in the water and especially for the results achieved at low temperatures. The nature of the raw materials used makes it an extremely ecofriendly product, while maintaining its excellent cleaning power.
Alongside Lumiere, but with totally different characteristics, Montex Forte Liquido is also characterised by its ecological properties, due to the raw materials composing it. The innate qualities of Montex Forte Liquido places it as the best product on the market for the complete removal of all sun creams pigments that are still putting many cleaners in trouble. The formulation implemented by our R&D department also allows us to save a significant amount of water and steam: in the first test, there is no need to drain the water bath, giving us the possibility to move on to the washing phase, and saving time; in the second one, we remain in the washing phase with a preset temperature. The innovation that has always characterised Montega® is eco-friendly oriented, with a special focus on the environmental regulations, already producing in 2017, the first fully natural industrial laundry detergents line, with the challenge of continuing and pursuing a sustainable development”, concludes Morazzini.
“Following what we have considered to be the guidelines of our company since its very beginnings, over the past few years we have been working on making the combination of quality and sustainability an increasingly close synergy,” says Marco Vaccari, the Export&Research manager of Surfchimica, a company specialised in detergents based in Peschiera Borromeo, on the outskirts of Milan. For achieving this goal, we have been working from A to Z on the product implementation: starting with the selected raw materials with a low environmental impact, passing through a processing methodology that optimises water and energy consumption, and arriving to a final product packaged in recycled material. The highest result was achieved with the NAT LINE, a range of products derived exclusively from raw materials of vegetable origin, easily biodegradable, with no hazard statements on the label and certified as hypoallergenic.
Their high concentration enables significant water savings in the production phase, limiting the length and extent of rinsing in the washing phase. The appreciations obtained have pushed us to further investments in this direction by enriching the NAT family with a specific stain remover, NAT SPOT, and a product designed for the wardrobe of our four-legged friends, NAT PET. Another strong point is the OZOSTAR® SYSTEM, the water-washing system with Ozone. After the ozone is produced by the device, an internal pump generates a bubble flow to the washing machine, allowing the ozone to dissolve in the water, enhancing its disinfectant action to the maximum. With the ozone system it is possible to work with cold water, to reduce (or eliminate altogether) the use of chemical agents, to increase performance and prevent the damage of the textile fibres, to limit environmental impact and to improve the working environments. The ozone reduces the detergent, water and energy consumption, reducing the costs with up to 50%, as certified by university independent studies”.
At the end of our horizons tour among the chemical companies, we meet Matteo Casella, the founder of Clean Pro, who immediately pointed out that “Clean Pro was born on a rigorous scientific basis and on a meticulous marketing research, extended to the entire Italian territory. Finally covering a vital market gap, the lack of a line of universal and targeted textile care products”. Detergents, fabric softeners, accessories, Clean Pro’s offer is dedicated to the entire laundry market: from small to large laundries, from laundry shops to industrial laundries, from launderettes to self-service laundries. A wide range that can be tailored to the individual needs. Clean Pro is widely accredited on the market, as it takes care about all the Italian laundries, like those textile care companies that are serving daily millions of families, companies, healthcare facilities, nursing homes, hotels and restaurants in Italy (and beyond).
“Between the different products that we offer, the GREEN line is our flagship, as it has been designed for those who are looking for a total eco-compatibility. Detergents and softeners with no chemical surfactants in their formula (less than 1%) represent the new XXI century approach that we must take for our own future and that of our children. We are also emphasising the DERMO line, Nickel and Chrome Free tested, without any added fragrances, ideal for all those customers allergic to common detergents. Furthermore, the Dermo Line products are certified by the ISPE Insitute of Skin and Product Evaluation, under dermatological control. This is why Clean Pro takes care about the people’s well-being”, concludes Matteo Casella. •
by Marzio Nava
Detergo Magazine, Number 10, October 2022
