BASF wins 2020 EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year award.
Published
May 22, 2021
BASF has long demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainability and safety, and for the second year in a row our efforts received the industry’s highest recognition in this arena. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) named BASF Home Care and I&I a 2020 Safer Choice Partner of the Year winner in the Innovator category. This highly prestigious award was given for “outstanding achievement” in the design, manufacture, selection and use of products with safer chemicals, which furthers outstanding or innovative source reduction.The EPA Safer Choice program helps consumers, businesses, and purchasers find products that perform and contain ingredients that are safer for human health and the environment. To qualify for the Safer Choice label, a product must meet EPA’s Safer Choice Standard, which includes stringent human and environmental health criteria. About 500 formulators and manufacturers engage in the Safer Choice program and produce more than 2,000 Safer Choice-certified products for both retail and institutional customers.
No room for compromise
BASF understands that now, more than ever, consumers are seeking cleaning products that feature high efficacy without compromising safety. Brands, in turn, are looking for a supplier that can provide ingredients to fill that need. There was already a trend toward safer cleaning solutions going into 2020, and the COVID-19 pandemic spurred a strong parallel trend toward highly effective solutions. Proving that the response doesn’t have to be “either or,” BASF has been investing in safe, effective solutions for a long time. Today, the BASF portfolio includes a wide variety of powerful solutions that also offer strong biodegradability and sustainability features.
Ingredients matter
BASF is proud to have earned a Safer Choice label on many products, including its ingredients Lutensol®, Trilon M® and Glucopon®. BASF has 63 products of different chemistries listed on CleanGredients, with three more pending approval.To qualify for the Safer Choice label, a product must meet the EPA’s Safer Choice Standard, which includes stringent human and environmental health criteria. About 500 formulators and manufacturers engage in the Safer Choice program and produce more than 2,000 Safer Choice-certified products for both retail and institutional customers – yet BASF was one of only 18 formulators or manufacturers to receive the 2020 Partner of the Year award, a remarkable achievement.Here’s a closer look at three of the products in BASF’s portfolio that have earned the Safer Choice label:
Lutensol
As nonionic surfactants, the Lutensol line of products boast several advantages including:
- Sustainable ingredients
- Low skin irritation
- Excellent soil removal
- Low critical micelle concentration
- Low foam
- Low sensitivity to water hardness
These products are suitable for a wide variety of applications including home care/commercial laundry detergent, hard surface cleaner, industrial cleaner, and – crucially in the current environment – institutional cleaner/sanitizer.
Trilon M
Available in both granule and liquid form, Trilon M is a chelating agent that is readily biodegradable with superior eco-tox data. Trilon M granules are optimal for dishwashing applications, while Trilon liquid has a broader scope.Trilon M has a “full green circle” on the Safer Choice list, which means that “the chemical has been verified to be of low concern based on experimental and model data.” Trilon M experienced a 50% boost from 2018-2019, demonstrating increased demand for solutions that are both safe and effective.
Glucopon
Glucopon is a nonionic surfactant that celebrates is 25th anniversary this year. This proven product offers several benefits, including:
- Improves brightness
- Foam stabilization
- Safe for the skin and all types of surface
- 100% renewable sources
- Eco-labeling possible
Glucopon Surfactants are useful for hard surface (including highly alkaline) cleaning, dishwashing and laundry. Its spreading action allows more uniform disposition of disinfectant on surfaces.
Communicating outstanding innovation
BASF Home Care and I&I is recognized as an outstanding Safer Choice Innovator. BASF is committed to not only developing safer products but also raising awareness about the importance of safety when it comes to chemicals, ingredients and products. To this end, BASF has taken a number of steps over the past couple of years, including:
- Creating a sustainability brochure featuring an easy-to-use listing of 63 diverse, safer ingredients pre-approved for use in Safer-Choice certified products.
- Educating a large and still-expanding audience about safer ingredients and/or the Safer Choice label via social media, brochures and printed articles.
- Spreading the message internationally through customer workshops and webinars.
- Enhancing website presence of BASF’s Safer Choice portfolio.
Leading the way toward a cleaner, safer future
BASF is committed to leadership in safer chemistries that leverage environmental goals, and is also committed to providing support on customer projects targeting safety and transparency. As broad and deep as its current portfolio is, BASF continues to innovate in an attempt to meet demand for safer, more effective products.