SurfToGreen

SurfToGreen aims to provide versatile, robust, and scalable bio-based surfactants solutions in high-performance key industrial applications. The main objectives are:

• Identification and selection of EU-based resources from agricultural or forest industry sidestreams as renewable, safe, and sustainable building blocks meeting surfactant industry requirements.
• Development of synthesis paths aligning with green chemistry principles to produce readily biodegradable, safe and sustainable surfactants with minimal CO₂ impact.
• Integration of novel bio-based surfactants into formulations for major applications, such as home and personal care, cosmetics, textile, and agriculture.
• Establishment of novel metrics to ensure safe-and-sustainable-by-design principles throughout the project for maximal industrial impact with minimal environmental impact.
• Demonstration of the technological, social, environmental, and economic viability of at least six product solutions across three value chains, with scalable business plans for the worldwide commercialisation of at least three final demonstrators.  

• Reducing feedstock import dependency for bio-based surfactants in the EU.
• Improving feedstock sustainability and reducing land use impact.
• Enhancing the circularity and resource efficiency through diversification of biomass feedstock.
• Contributing to the global transition to a net-zero carbon economy.
• Using forest industry side streams and agricultural by-products for surfactant development, thereby reducing waste.
• Increasing the availability of sustainable feedstock aligned with industry needs.
• Improving the safety of surfactants on the market, by replacing them with safe-andsustainable-by-design bio-based surfactants, benefiting downstream sectors, such as household and personal care, process and manufacturing industries, amongst others.
• Engaging policymakers to establish tailored criteria for surfactant markets, prioritising safety, sustainability, and competitiveness.
• Enhancing social acceptance of circular bio-based solutions and products.
• Promoting high-performing and socially desirable bio-based surfactant solutions aligned with industry sustainability targets.
• Facilitating market uptake of scalable bio-based surfactants across various sectors.
• Creating a platform for bio-based surfactant production, targeting over 60% of the global surfactant market.
• Promoting environmentally sustainable feedstocks with a lower carbon footprint and improved energy efficacy.