MAURO RICCABONI
Lamberti SpA, Albizzate, Italy

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to analyse all the steps that, from the seeds of an annual plant, lead to final cosmetic formulations addressed to customers interested in sustainability and water saving policies. This process goes through the manufacturing of a natural polymer, followed by its chemical modification, finally delivering environmental-friendly formulations.
We would like to discuss the whole process step-by-step, underlying how sustainability concerns could be taken into consideration in each single step, implementing a 360° approach to obtain a bio-based product, useful to support eco-conscious formulators into practice.

INTRODUCTION
Sustainability is a business imperative and one of the most important mega trends of our times, not only a simple buzzword. People are every day more interested in naturally-derived products able to minimize the utilization of limited natural resources such as water but without affecting the final products’ performances. In the chemistry sphere, sustainable development is addressed to reach global challenges such as fighting poverty and inequality, meanwhile respecting the environment.
In the cosmetic field, the journey to create a better and fairer world for everyone starts with the use of renewable raw materials, which goes ahead with green chemistry and it ends up in the hands of eco-conscious formulators.
Based on a polysaccharide derived from an annual crop, Lamberti patented a sustainable water-smart process (ESAFLOR ZERO-X technology) to obtain a cationic guar for personal care use. Besides the significant water savings, supplementary advantages of the new process are a higher yield, a relevant reduction of waste and energy consumption.

SUSTAINABILITY AND WATER
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