A new Green Materials Masterclass will take place in San Francisco next month (19-20 January). Organised by Organic Monitor, the masterclass will give an update on the growing palette of green ingredients for personal care and home care formulations.
The program – comprising seminars and workshops - will discuss some of the major technical, marketing and sustainability issues associated with green materials. An update will be given on popular standards: NSF ANSI 305, USDA Organic, and Cosmos (Europe) for natural & organic personal care products, as well as NPA and Green Seal for natural home care products. A pioneering firm will look at the use of bio-based surfactants in formulations. Other seminars will cover sustainability and fragrances, and novel green chemicals for cleaning products.
Seventh Generation will share its experiences in developing natural home cleaning products, whilst a leading organic personal care brand will state some of the challenges when taking the certification route. Birnur Aral from the Good Housekeeping Institute will shed some light on the green consumer: what are the triggers for them to seek natural products? How can brands target the green consumer more effectively?
Judi Beerling, technical research manager at Organic Monitor, will give a workshop on green surfactants & emulsifiers. Details will be given of new green materials that are replacing contentious chemicals, such as sulfates and PEGS, in product formulations. Guidance and advice will be given to formulators and product developers looking to use such green materials in cosmetics & personal care products.
Xavier Vital from the global inspection, verification, testing & certification agency SGS, will conduct a workshop on environmental impacts. The workshop is designed for companies looking to take practical steps to reduce their environmental footprints. Using case studies, the use of life-cycle assessments, eco-design approach, and sustainable materials, will be discussed.
This first Green Materials Masterclass has been designed to keep brands and ingredient firms abreast of the expanding range of green chemicals. Comments Amarjit Sahota from Organic Monitor: “Although more green materials are now available, many companies are grappling with technical and sustainability issues when using these materials. This masterclass aims to tackle some of these hurdles.”
