Sustainability Starts at the Source
Green Care Professional is increasing its use of surfactants from Europe
Taking another step toward holistic circular economy, Green Care Professional – the professional brand of the Werner & Mertz Group — is systematically increasing the proportion of surfactants derived from European raw materials in selected cleaning products. The goal is to advance sustainability not only in product use and packaging but consistently throughout the entire value chain.
Taking
© Tana-Chemie GmbH, KI-generated image.
Taking Sustainability to the Next Level
For decades, Tana-Chemie has been synonymous with sustainable innovation in the cleaning industry. With the increased use of European surfactants, the origin of the raw materials used is now taking center stage more than ever.
“Surfactants are key components of cleaning products. While they have traditionally been based on fossil or tropical raw materials, Green Care Professional is increasingly turning to plant-based
alternatives grown in Europe — such as canola, sunflowers, olives, or lineseed,” explains Melina Goeth, Product Manager at Tana-Chemie.
Clear Environmental Benefits
The use of European surfactants brings measurable benefits for the environment and climate:
- – Shorter transport routes within Europe reduce CO₂ emissions
- – Renewable raw materials replace fossil sources
- – Regional agriculture and value creation are strengthened
- – Dependence on global raw material markets is reduced
- – Less pressure on tropical croplands
Studies show that surfactants based on European oilseeds — such as canola or sunflowers — can significantly reduce CO₂ emissions compared to tropical alternatives.
© Tana-Chemie GmbH
Products with Over 90% European Surfactants as Milestones
SOFT bloomKliks have achieved a content of over 90% European plant-based surfactants in their formulations. TANET orange already contains 47% renewable European surfactants.
A complete transition to European surfactants is not yet possible in all applications. Reasons for this include specific performance requirements and properties. Tropical vegetable oils (palm kernel oil, coconut oil) primarily provide C12–C14 fatty acids, whereas European vegetable oils (canola, sunflower, olive, flax) primarily provide C16–C18 fatty acids. Simply put, this results in surfactants with carbon chains of varying lengths. Together with the hydrophilic and lipophilic parts of a surfactant, these influence important properties such as foaming, cleaning performance, stability, and skin compatibility. The different fatty acid composition is therefore a key reason why European surfactants cannot always replace existing solutions on a 1:1 basis. If a surfactant is replaced, the entire formulation often needs to be adjusted as well.
Green Care Professional addresses this challenge with a step-by-step approach and targetedformulation development: Surfactants are specifically used where their properties best suit the formulation and achieve the greatest long-term impact, while maintaining the same high cleaning performance. “Sustainability and performance need not be a contradiction. Our customers expect high-performance products and that’s exactly what we deliver, while continuously increasing our contribution to sustainability,” explains Goeth.
Conclusion: Another Step Toward a Circular Economy
By increasing its use of European surfactants, Green Care Professional underscores its role as a pioneer in sustainable cleaning solutions. The focus on regional raw materials, reduced emissions, and innovative formulations shows that sustainability doesn’t end with the finished product — it begins with the raw materials.