Sustainable biosurfactant innovator AmphiStar has announced the findings of its latest LCA study. The data demonstrates the sustainability and health advantages of biosurfactants over traditional surfactants. Sophie Roelants, Co-founder and COO of AmphiStar, talks about the groundbreaking results of the study and what it means for the personal care industry.
COSSMA: Your latest LCA study highlights a dramatic reduction in CO₂ emissions, water use, and land impact. What aspect of these findings surprised you the most?
Sophie Roelants: We were most surprised by how huge the difference was between non-upcycled biosurfactants using first-generation feedstocks like vegetable oil and sugar, and the upcycled biosurfactants using waste and side streams.
Although we anticipated that our upcycled biosurfactants would outperform non-upcycled alternatives in terms of CO2 equivalent emissions, the magnitude of the improvement was truly striking. This remarkable result reinforces our belief that using waste and side streams is a powerful strategy for further reducing environmental impact.
The study compares AmphiStar biosurfactants to both fossil-based and non-upcycled bio-based surfactants. Can you explain why upcycled biosurfactants perform so much better in sustainability metrics?
Fossil-based feedstocks used in synthetic surfactants carry a heavy environmental burden–from long supply chains to the direct release of fossil CO2. They are clearly not a sustainable option.
First generation biosurfactants offer an improvement but still rely on crops grown specifically for their production. This demands significant agricultural inputs like water and fertilizer and releases CO2. They also have to be grown on farmland; that is either land that could be used for food production or left as natural habitat. Huge amounts of rainforest has been cleared over the years for palm oil, for example.
Upcycled biosurfactants require no fossil fuel input and make use of leftover agricultural produce that has been grown for other uses. These resources would otherwise go to waste, meaning no additional land, water or fertilizer is needed, except for processing and transportation.
The LCA was conducted “cradle to gate.” Are there plans to extend the analysis to the full product lifecycle, including consumer use and disposal?
Our products are used in many different applications and at different use levels. While we could do a cradle-to-grave study in collaboration with a customer for a specific product, it doesn’t make sense to do it generally because of the variety of cases and applications where our biosurfactants could be used.
How do you ensure the accuracy and credibility of your LCA findings, and how do they compare with industry-standard assessments?
The LCA was performed with a consultant who specializes in LCA methodologies. We applied ISO norms, although there isn’t an ISO-approved method yet for waste
feedstocks.
At the same time, we’re discussing our methodology with experts and partners including in EU projects like Waste2Func! and with the NNFCC in the UK. In this way, we avoid overpromising and greenwashing and we make sure our assessments remain ethical and accurate.
Many industries rely on traditional surfactants due to cost and performance factors. What barriers remain for widespread adoption of biosurfactants?
The biggest issue is the cost of biosurfactants. Traditional surfactants are produced in the millions of tonnes and their production has been optimized over the past century, meaning the cost per measure is quite low.
Another major issue is the performance of replacements; often, when tested, the replacements simply cannot live up to the standards needed in traditional formulations.
We work to overcome this issue with our formulation lab that creates new combinations and demonstrates that our biosurfactants can perform satisfactorily. And like most production processes, production at scale will bring cost per measure right down.
You mention that 98% of surfactants in use today are not produced sustainably. What would it take for biosurfactants to become the industry standard rather than the exception?
Very simply, what is needed is a sustainable biosurfactant with competitive prices and acceptable performance. More importantly, a broader offer of upcycled biosurfactants is needed to facilitate the change and increase the impact in the finished products. Our synthetic biology platform allows us to create many different biosurfactants to meet industry needs. However, industry also has the responsibility to reformulate and adopt sustainable solutions.
Your biosurfactants are derived from upcycled agri-food waste. How do you scale up production while ensuring a stable and sustainable supply of these feedstocks?
We’ve designed our launch plant in Flanders to be flexible and use local sources. Huge amounts of agricultural waste are produced and we can co-operate with them. It’s a win-win since we get the feedstocks we need and they don’t have to dispose of their waste. For our commercial scale production of 20,000 tons per year, we will actually set up in colocation with feedstock suppliers to ensure ease of supply.
Regulatory pressures on traditional surfactants are increasing. Do you see policy changes as an opportunity or a challenge for biosurfactant adoption?
It’s a big opportunity. If regulation changes, industry will be forced to change too. Incentives for sustainable products and penalties for unsustainable ones could be game changers. In Europe especially, stricter regulation could help push adoption of more sustainable biosurfactants.
□What do you think the biosurfactant industry will look like in 10 years? Will sustainable surfactants become the norm, or will they remain a niche solution?
Very simply, we aim to normalize biosurfactants and make them mainstream. I believe that toxic and fossil-based surfactants should and will disappear. Not just because we should, but because fossil resources will run out and we will have to. We must act now for the sake of everyone.
Sophie Roelants
Co-founder and COO, AmphiStar, Ghent, Belgium
www.amphistar.com