One of our biggest challenges in our commitment to sustainability and the environment is to change people's attitudes towards products made from recycled materials. Many people still believe that the quality and efficiency of recycled products is inferior to products made from "virgin" materials.
Although this prejudice is unfounded, it is still a misconception in the minds of many, as in this article. However, this mindset is increasingly being pushed to the background, and although we are moving in a positive direction, there is still a lot of work to be done.
This is precisely where CYCLE is pioneering work to change these conventions. One such example is the Nature Care Products (NCP) certification awarded by GfaW (Die Gesellschaft für angewandte Wirtschaftsethik) for natural and environmentally friendly products. The NCP follows a standard (version 3.9 at the time of our application) that adopts three categories of raw materials.
In the CYCLE laboratory, our experts work day in, day out to make cleaning products that make everyday life easier for the environment.
These three categories of materials are natural materials, modified materials and nature-identical materials.
Natural materials are raw materials of vegetable, inorganic mineral or animal origin which have not undergone any chemical transformation, and mixtures of these materials or products of their reaction with each other. Examples are citric acid, essential oils or sodium chloride.
Modified substances are raw materials obtained from natural substances by approved chemical reactions as defined above. They are surfactants of natural origin.
Nature-identical substances are substances that occur in nature but cannot be extracted by chemical processes authorised by the NCP. Such substances are pe.g. potassium sorbate.
After we applied for the certification, EcoControl - responsible for testing new candidate products - tested our recycled VFA solution, an aqueous solution rich in acetic acid and other organic acids, extracted by a patented process using sewage sludge fermentation. This recycled material is the base for our cleaning products.
Their first feedback was that the material from sewage sludge does not meet the NCP standard, as it cannot be classified in any of the above mentioned feedstock categories.
But we thought and still think that our recycled VFA solution is more environmentally friendly than most materials in the world, so after the result we contacted Sophie von Lilienfeld-Toal, founder and managing director of GfaW. A few days later, EcoControl informed us that the NCP had decided to authorise the use of sewage sludge as a starting material for organic acids. This meant that the use of our VFA solution was also accepted in NCP products.
Later, GfaW sent the new NCP standard (version 3.10), in which the feedstock categories were modified to include feedstocks obtained by fermentation of organic materials. In the cover letter of the new standard, the reason for the change was explained: 'The starting material for natural feedstocks can be biomass or organic solids, in addition to natural materials. In order to reduce the use of agricultural land for the production of non-food products, we would like to promote the use of all organic materials (e.g. sewage sludge)."
This case shows that, with the right arguments and persistence, we can change regulations and bring more and more sustainable solutions to the market for natural and environmentally friendly products.
This change is not only important from a sustainability point of view, but also brings significant benefits for consumers. When biomass and other recycled materials are accepted in natural cleaning products, consumers will have access to products that are truly environmentally friendly, but also effective and safe.
This means they don't have to compromise on quality or the environment. In addition, by supporting such innovative solutions, consumers are helping to reduce waste and use fewer natural resources, ensuring a more sustainable future for us all in the long term.
