Earthoil launches organic, fair trade ethanol to meet demand
The latest addition to Earthoil’s portfolio is produced sustainably from organic sugar cane at a family-owned facility in the San Antonio region of Brazil.
Using technology designed to maintain the ecological and social harmony of the surrounding environment, the ethanol is grown, harvested and processed according to a tightly controlled, holistic system.
“Denatured ethanol is an essential and trusted component of a huge number of fragrance compositions,” explains Richard Eyles, senior business development manager at Earthoil.
“It is used as a fresh, clean, neutral base to create scents across personal care categories, as well as build complex fine fragrances. So with consumers continuing to favour organic and natural products in these sectors, it makes commercial sense to offer formulators a way to respond to this trend using a quality ingredient.”
Sustainable approach
Earthoil explains that a crucial part of the approach it uses is the elimination of crop burning prior to harvesting.
The personal care and cosmetic ingredients division of Treatt says that by replacing this traditional, but environmentally damaging, step with biological pest controls, soil rotation and conservation techniques, the biodiversity in the region benefits and manufacturing advantages are gained.
Sugar yields are over 20% higher on average compared to the local non-organic alternative. The recovered sugar is then fermented into ethanol, triple distilled and filtered.
Earthoil also acknowledges the fact that due to the mechanisation of the sugar cane harvest, there will be less jobs for people, but claims to have addressed this by implementing a training programme for local workers, stating that support for the local economy and community is equally as important as the platform itself.
The programme is designed to lead to a recognised qualification, which enables manual workers to be redeployed within the company.
The social and educational needs of children are also met through a local weaving project set up to build citizenship and develop professional skills.
