March 2014 Spray 21 While a growing population and increasing resource scarcity present challenges, they also offer opportunities. It is all about efficiency and “achieving more with less.” 5 Following this motto, Henkel intends to increase efficiency over the next 20 years by 30%. It doesn’t only look to its own manufacturing, but holistically includes the full value chain of products and services. In practice, this full life-cycle assessment of products presents a multitude of opportunities to increase resource efficiency through innovation. This is exactly the idea behind sustainovations: linking new product development with performance and sustainability benefits. A carbon footprint is an important area of sustainability, but what does it mean in daily life? An average German citizen produces 11 tons of CO2 per year through activities including traveling and housing. The use of all personal care products contributes roughly 200 kilograms per annum, which is about 2% of a carbon footprint. This number appears small, but is still significant. Leave-on products such as hairspray or antiperspirants contribute about 26-37g of CO2 per application, much less than typical rinse-off products such as shampoo or body wash, which release around 290-310g of CO2 per application. A detailed life cycle analysis revealed that during a daily personal care routine, the heating of water for the shower or bath is the biggest contributor of CO2 emissions and cleansing products produce over 90% of the carbon footprint attributed to personal care. So how can innovations in aerosol technology contribute positively to sustainability? Consumers wash their hair regularly to keep it presentable using shampoo, which is applied under the shower and rinsed with hot water. The carbon footprint of a single hair wash accounts for approximately 300g of CO2, with 90% released in the use phase. One way to reduce the carbon footprint—and water consumption—is educating the consumer and changing their shower behavior. They probably won’t agree to a cold shower, but they can shorten shower time and reduce water flow with an optimized shower nozzle. Henkel has developed special online tools that show the consequences of certain showering behaviors in terms of CO2 emissions and water consumption. As a result, the consumer can optimize their footprint while lowering financial expenses. Another significant change in behavior, resulting in reduced water usage and therefore a reduced carbon footprint, can be the switch to an aerosol “dry shampoo.” The cleansing principle of a dry shampoo is based on a formula containing rice starch, which is effective in absorbing oily substances. In an aerosol application, the rice starch formula can be distributed evenly onto the hair and then brushed out. By using dry shampoo, the consumer can be independent from a “normal” hair washing routine. The hair care process is easier, without the use of warm water, and also helps minimize the need for energy-intensive blow drying. One use of dry shampoo emits approximately 100g of CO2, which correlates to a 70% reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions compared to one tradtional shampoo. For example, there were approximately 10 million uses of Syoss Dry Shampoo in Germany in 2012, with each use saving 200g of CO2. This totals two tons per annum saved in Germany alone. A second example for a sustainovation in the aerosol industry is the compact aerosol. A conventional 150 to 250mL hairspray or deodorant contains an active solution and a propellant mix that lasts for around 40 applications. By innovating the valve, the same amount of active solution can be applied as a concentrate from a 75mL compact aerosol. The compact aerosol can is half the size of a “normal” aluminum aerosol can and contains roughly 60% of propellant mix, with equal
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