Going “green” is a reality: the sustainability trend has hit store shelves and magazine covers. Everywhere you look products are competing to be “natural,” “biodegradable” and “environmentally friendly.” Consumers’ greater environmental awareness combined with more stringent regulation is increasingly driving manufacturers to look for innovative, “green” solutions and market-ready concepts. Obviously, these need to offer similar or superior performance to conventional alternatives.
When talking about Green Chemistry it is always difficult to define what exactly is green. In 1998, Dr. Paul T. Anastas published his 12 Principles of Green Chemistry,(1) and in 2003 the 12 Principles of Green Engineering,(2) which are generally accepted today. Cognis has adopted these internationally recognized principles as a compass for the development of concepts, products and processes, and has taken these principles as the basis to define seven benefit dimensions in line with relevant market demands in order to provide genuine green chemical solutions.