Abstract

This paper intends to be a tentative proposal for more sustainable laundry formulations. Choice of proper surfactants was made keeping in mind all the key points of sustainability: environmental and technological drivers, renewable raw materials, packaging, transports and performances. Performances have been evaluated with a standard test.

INTRODUCTION

Green and eco-friendly are two big buzzwords in the marketing of laundry detergents. For formulators, however, it is still not easy to combine high performances with renewable-based and environmental friendly surfactants. The challenge still lies in the ability to increase the level of green ingredients in formulations without compromising performance.
While the green trend is certainly a compelling reason to use oleochemical-based surfactants, much of the impetus for the switch against petrochemical-based surfactants is supply availability and costs. High petroleum prices and growing supply of Asian palm oil have driven the replacement of petrochemical-based surfactants with oleochemical-derived ones for several years. Alcohol is a major raw material for surfactant manufacturers; oleo-alcohols are accounted for 70% of the global detergent alcohols market and the trend continues with planned investments.
The potential of FAS (Fatty Alcohol Sulfates) as green surfactant alternatives to petroleum-based linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) is very interesting for several reasons:

1. In terms of detergent results, F ...
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