It is called green chemistry, but we could also call it bio-economy. Even for the European Commission (Chemical Strategy) it is an integrated part of the EU’s commitment to the new ecological transition agenda. For many decades, the chemical companies have always been looked suspiciously to the point of distrust by the public opinion. Today the situation has changed. What does it really means being eco-friendly for the companies producing detergents? Does being green involve higher production costs, reflected in higher prices for the end user? Besides product innovation, is there also a process innovation? How much is there a need for new professional and qualified personnel in the companies to be able to cope with the new market requirements? Are there or will there be any investments in this direction? A series of questions aimed to discover and highlight the efforts that companies are making to comply with the international and local regulations
We will start our in-depth discussion with Ruggero Sammarco, the Technical and Business Development Supervisor of Christeyns Italia S.p.A., who emphasises how the company has built its success over the past eight years investing in green. What do we mean by green? “Investing in technical and professional resources following the guidelines of EU regulations. Besides being in charge of releasing Ecolabel regulations, the European Union has established a group of experts for bringing a structural coherence to the green technical specifications of the products intended to become the future of industrial (but also domestic) cleaning products. At a certain point, it became clear that it was impossible to continue with the old logic of industrial chemistry, according to which with four or five raw materials it was possible to wash with great results but causing significant environmental damage. The chemical companies have made many steps forward over the years, certainly, under the pressure of the legislators that has been essential in proceeding with the modernisation of the raw materials range, making them more efficient and with a lower environmental impact.
Christeyns has been working in this direction for at least 8 years now, introducing a major innovation in the sector and searching for formulations that could also be used in an industrial environment. Consequently, we needed highly qualified technical personnel to study new formulations. The new raw materials needed other additives to be just as stable and, above all, just as efficient and effective as the previous raw materials. At the beginning, the new formulations were not so efficient and they also had higher costs. The research has continued even during the costs frenzy of the last 18 months, and today the costs reduction foreseen at the horizon will give new life and a boost to the development of green products.
Christeyns had already established a new range of products, without significant price increases and with a high efficiency of almost 90% compared to the previous industrial chemical products. Alongside technical skills, certification was also needed, as well as new experienced technicians prepared to handle these new formulations. Christeyns has invested in resources creating the perfect team composed of old professionals and necessarily new ones to support the transition to green. The market is slowly becoming aware of this, and this inevitably involves a higher final cost of the products; it was not easy considering the rising costs of raw materials and electricity, but now we hope that the situation will settle down and the transition will continue,” concludes Sammarco.
On behalf of Ecolab, we speak with Daniela Banfi, the Country Sales Manager Italy-Greece, who emphasises how a company like Ecolab, a world leader in hygiene and cleaning solutions for different market sectors (from industrial laundries to hotels, restaurants, healthcare facilities, food and beverage industry, manufacturing plants and power plants) helps customers to accomplish their business and growth goals while protecting people and resources, essential for living.
“At Ecolab we aim to offer technically performant solutions, providing higher efficiency levels in productivity, and being eco-friendly at the same time, by creating “ad hoc” programmes first focused on reducing consumption, and secondly on recovering the water and energy used in the production processes where Ecolab comes as a trustful partner. But detergents industry goes beyond chemistry. Working with Ecolab today, for industrial laundry means developing according to the laundry’s needs, different projects with a special focus on washing and fabrics quality delivered to the final customers, in compliance with the strictest regulations in the field of ecological certifications and biocide regulations, implementation of water recycling and heat recovery systems, implementation of lowtemperature programs, products with a chemistry that can reduce COD and carbon footprint levels on the effluent/waste water system.”
So how can we achieve more by saving the resources that we consider vital, like water and energy and by implementing programmes that reduce the chemicals used (liquids instead of powders, new detergents with greater rinsing level – using less water for rinsing as well, etc.)? Thanks to the continuous investment in innovation and research, and to the continuous training of specialists that Ecolab is carrying out, through an interchange of knowledge and skills between the centres of excellence and research and development of chemicals, digital data monitoring systems, and the development and production of heat recovery and water recycling plants that Ecolab has in Europe and the United States.
We should also move in a constantly evolving regulatory framework on the European market, concerning the use of specific chemical components also used in the formulation of professional detergents: from the gradual elimination of microplastics and PFAS (per fluorinated alkylated substances) substances used for treating the materials for making them water repellent, that are extremely toxic for the environment, as they are persistent and bio-accumulating, and therefore recognised as potentially dangerous to the ecosystem and human health. The same applies to limitations in the use of specific allergen agents as fragrance components, and the restriction on the use of biocide actives, which must have already been registered in the countries where they are being commercialized, according to the EU Biocides Regulation.
Ecolab continued to invest by disposing old detergent formulations for new, more sustainable ones, with higher action flexibility in the washing system, and offering systems that can wash from 40°C to 60°C, with multi-component programs that can be individually adapted according to the needs. Within this highly complex framework, Ecolab has been committed in developing complete integrated solutions, dedicated to the industrial laundries and beyond, where the washing program or the chemical product becomes only a very small part. You can increase the savings on fresh water consumption by optimising the use of processed water. It is possible to optimise energy consumption not only by washing at low temperatures but also by using other energy recovery systems.
We can optimise the impact on effluents by controlling the total COD level better and reducing the carbon footprint. How? In order to do this, we have dedicated new teams of specialists with specific skills for the different requirements and solutions to be adopted. Because today more than ever, knowing how to combine knowledge of the washing program with other necessities that laundries must and want to develop, is really essential and for achieving this result the appropriate expertise provided by a partner can make the difference. Knowledge and reliability for protecting the future together.
What does it means being eco-friendly for the chemical companies? As players in the professional cleaning sector, ÈCOSÌ is putting its expertise at the disposal of the laundries for helping them to better manage and control the environmental impact. Antonio Ciccarella, the Laundry Division Manager of ÈCOSÌ highlights the need for a common effort to reconsider the use of water with sustainable and water-saving solutions. Which aspects can actually be considered green? “We are producing detergents and disinfectants, and leaders in designing hygiene and sanitisation systems, and we focus on the entire product life cycle (Life Cycle Assessment, LCA).
For more than 10 years, we have been supplying a range Ecolabelled products, such as the entire Elba Multicomponent system for laundries, composed of: Elba, Alkes, Texel and Opera. As an alternative, we offer Cenere and Batuffolo: ICEA-certified products made from raw materials of 100% vegetable origin and with organically certified essential oils. With the aim of offering a complete service to the customer, we developed Wos+, a water recovery system that is recycling the water resulted from the washing process.
Tests have shown a recovery of 62% of the water, which is then reused in the subsequent cycles, a reduction in the amount of detergent in solution, and lower energy consumption, as there is no need to reheat the recovery water.” We follow the entire washing process, starting from product formulation, passing through equipment installation, service and periodic dosage control, up to water re-use and constant monitoring of environmental impact. We have been proving for years that a sustainable laundry is feasible.
The extreme meteorological phenomena that have affected Italy and many other countries in recent months have focused everyone’s attention on ongoing climate changes: it seems clear now that these also depend on human action on the environment, underlines Marco Vaccari, the co-owner of Surfchimica and in charge of Export and Research. Undoubtedly in past years many chemical industries have contributed negatively in this direction, but the situation has now changed drastically. Our company produces industrial detergents and found itself having to deal with this reality: but rather than waiting for the implementation of increasingly restrictive regulations, we preferred to plan ahead. For years now we have been selecting raw materials that allow the formulation of at least 90% biodegradable products and now, with the NAT line, we use plant extracts and the surfactants never exceed 5% of the total.
As recognized by EEC Regulation 1907/2006 (Reach), this products range is not considered dangerous and therefore the drafting of a safety data sheet is not required. These results were certainly achieved through a substantial initial investment, but this can be considered absorbed by the tangible savings in post-processing disposal costs. And what’s more, the cost of the finished product is absolutely in line with that of common detergents for professional use. Without forgetting that the use of totally biodegradable and certified hypoallergenic products benefits the healthiness of the working environment and the health of the workers who operate there.
How are the chemical companies seen in the laundry industry? We talk about this with Francesca Iannone, Chemical Lab Research and Development Manager at Montega Chemical Solution. “We have made remarkable progress in recent years as we have invested in eco-sustainability and research for green raw materials, with more transparent and punctual safety data sheets, hypoallergenic fragrances, ad hoc certifications. What stands behind the fateful sticker that states certified product? Behind this guarantee label is the careful selection of specific raw materials and a controlled and regulated production process.
This might result in higher prices, but it also involves the use of lower washing temperatures, with reduced energy costs but also a lower detergent dosing: at the end everything is leading to savings. In addition to the Green line, Montega Chemical Solution has developed a new product line – following the energy price hikes of last year – called Rapid Dry, with products used during the last washing cycle that significantly reduce the drying times. Now, we can say that the green products cover a very wide range of Montega lines.
Which perspectives do you foresee? The path towards environmental compatibility is an irreversible one and by now some products are created ad hoc according to specific customer and market needs. We provide complete customer support on washing methods: low temperatures, product efficiency on certain kind of stains and, above all, the respect for the fabric and energy savings in the washing process but also, as we have seen, in the drying process. Montega Chemical Solution has been focusing on saving time, in fact, with the Rapid Dry we have achieved 25% drying times saving. This is the result of extensive trials and tests on a wide range of different fabrics and machinery types, up to the point of arriving to continuous batch washers”.
Allegrini S.p.A., an Italian professional detergents and cosmetics producer, dedicated to the hotel industry, has established itself as an industry leader through a constant commitment for reducing the environmental impact and maintaining high quality standards. “The strategic action paths are linked by a single goal, to create sustainable economic value,” says Vincenzo Magni, the Sales Manager of the Professional Detergents Business Unit. So, there are many goals to be achieved, but also many activities that have already been undertaken.
Regarding the environmental impact, in 2022, we tested a refrigeration system at the production plant in Grassobbio (Bg) capable of ensuring the recirculation of cooling water. Thanks to the development of this project, it will be possible to recover 75 % of the wastewater and 80 % of the cooling water. For Allegrini, it is important that the path towards creating sustainable value is also shared by its suppliers, and for this reason, we have implemented an evaluation system according to ESG criteria, with the aim of integrating environmental, social and corporate management factors for selecting our partners. Among the green solutions for cleaning stands out TopFormula+, a range of super-concentrated detergents that, thanks to a specially designed method and professional dosing and dilution systems, reduces product waste, but above all important savings on packaging (compared to disposable bottles) that also has positive effects on logistical handling.
This is demonstrated by the LCA study that Allegrini carried out comparing 3 ready-to-use products with the same references as the concentrated version. The result? A significantly lower environmental impact of concentrated products compared to readyto- use products. For every 1.000 litres of product in concentrated version, 86.4% of CO2 emissions are thus saved compared to the ready-to-use glass reference, 91.5% for the degreaser and 92.8% for the multipurpose. Among the latest undertakings is the development of an Ecolabelcertified washing system dedicated to professional laundries.
The implementation of this new project testifies the company’s continued commitment in reducing environmental impact during the entire life cycle of the products. Thanks to eco-friendly production processes, sustainably sourced ingredients, product innovations and the compliance with international standards, Allegrini is proving that protecting the environment and offering excellent quality products can go hand in hand”. •
by Marzio Nava
DETERGO Magazine # October 2023
