BASF and Henkel to replace fossil feedstocks

German chemical giant BASF and chemical and consumer goods company Henkel announced on 31 March a joint commitment to replace fossil carbon feedstock with renewable sources for most products.

The pledge covers Henkel’s European Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care businesses over the next four years and followed a successful pilot involving Henkel’s cleaning and detergent brand Love Nature last year. By using BASF’s certified biomass balance approach, around 110,000 tonnes/ year of fossil-based ingredients would be substituted with renewable carbon sources, the companies said.

“We intend to continuously enhance our processes, products and use of raw materials for a resource-efficient, carbon-neutral future,” Henkel CEO Carsten Knobel said. “Integrating BASF’s biomass balance approach into our supply chain as an early-mover is a… step in that direction.”

As a result, Henkel’s core brands like Persil, Pril, Fa and Schauma would have a reduced carbon footprint, avoiding around 200,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions in total. In the biomass balance approach, renewable resources such as bio-naphtha or bio-methane derived from organic waste, crops or vegetable oils, are used as feedstocks in the initial steps of chemical production. The bio-based feedstock amount is then allocated to specific products sold.

AUSTRALIA: The global search for alternatives to Ukrainian sunflower oil has led to a significant increase in demand for Australian-grown high oleic safflower oil, ABC News reported on 23 March.

Australian bio-lubricant developer GO Resources said that enquiries from European buyers about the company’s safflower crop had significantly increased due to the conflict in Ukraine. The Melbourne-based company has bred safflower varieties using genetic modification to have ‘super high’ levels of oleic acid, ranging from 92%-95%.

Company research and development lead David Hudson said high oleic oils contained large amounts of monounsaturated fatty acids and had a range of specialist uses, from food to pharmaceutical and high-end industrial lubricants.

GO Resources was focused on using safflower oil to develop bio-based industrial formulations of lubricants and transformer oils, he said.

According to ABC News, Australian farmers will grow up to 12,000ha of safflower this season across several states, with West Australian farmers sowing about 3,000ha, marking the first commercial safflower crop to be grown in that region.

German chemical and biotech giant BASF’s castor product facility in Düsseldorf-Holthausen has gained certification under the SuCCESS (Sustainable Castor Caring for Environmental & Social Standards) Code.

The company said on 24 March that it had now started supplying sustainable castor ingredients to the personal care industry.

BASF launched the Pragati castor project in May 2016 with speciality chemicals company Arkema, oleochemical firm Jayant Agro-Organics and the international civil society organisation Solidaridad to improve working conditions, create awareness for sustainable farming and increase yields on castor farms.

To date, more than 5,800 smallholders and over 13,300ha of land had been certified for sustainable castor cultivation, the company said.

Designed by multiple partners and stakeholders to ensure the Pragati project’s

BASF has now started supplying its first sustainable castor ingredients to the personal care market

objective, the SuCCESS code comprises 11 principles of ownership and provides smallholders with on-field support for monitoring and compliance with 41 mandatory and 25 non-mandatory control points.

Only SuCCESS-certified members of the Sustainable Castor Association (SCA) could claim to supply sustainable castor products, BASF said.

Pragati is the Hindi word for progress.

BASF’s Care Chemicals division offers a range of ingredients for personal care, home care, industrial and institutional cleaning, and technical applications. Its product portfolio includes surfactants, emulsifiers, polymers, emollients, chelating agents, cosmetic active ingredients and UV filters.

German chemical and biotech giant BASF has announced the launch of a bio-based surfactant made from soya protein.

A vegan product made from non-genetically modified (GM) soyabean and coconut oil, Plantapon Soy was suitable for mild skin and hair cleansing products, BASF said in a 31 March statement.

“Eco-conscious consumers want to know the ingredients found in their cosmetic products, their origin and how they might affect the environment,” said Karine Kross Maita, senior marketing manager for hair, body and oral care at BASF Personal Care Europe.

Plantapon Soy was suitable for rinse-off applications – such as shampoo, body wash, liquid soap and baby cleansing products – due to its mildness, which had been proven in eye irritation and patch tests, BASF said.

The product could also be used as an alternative to surfactants containing sulphate or ethylene oxide derivatives.