World Surfactants Congress opens doors next month

Organised by the European surfactants association, CESIO, this is the leading event for the category and will include a comprehensive conference programme, as well an exhibition floor featuring the booths of some of the world’s biggest surfactant players.

The theme of this year’s event is the ‘Sustainability of the Surfactant Industry in a highly regulated world’, which will see leading industry experts and professionals exchange the latest ideas on science and technology within a regulatory frame-work.

Increasingly surfactants are being seen as key to more sustainable applications and developments in the cosmetics and personal care industry, which is why the event’s conference programme has a distinct focus on this area.

BASF will be there​

Leading surfactants player BASF will be exhibiting at the event, and the company says it is planning to highlight its technical expertise and most up-to-date product portfolio.

“It’s about interfaces between business and science, showing that surfactants are the key raw material for various applications at the centre of the supply chain,”​ said Thomas Greindi, VP regional business management home care, BASF.

A full day of conferencing will include a series of plenary and poster sessions, each discussing the key trends that are affecting the category right now.

Carbon and eco footprint​

The poster sessions will be divided into two, with the first happening on June 6 to assess and discuss the carbon and eco footprint of surfactants, while the second session, on June 7, will assess chemical mixtures and the various combination effects of chemicals.

Each of these sessions will conclude with the panel of speakers from each of the individual presentations in the sessions, who will discuss the issues raised and answer questions from the audience.

On both June 7 and 8 a full-day of parallel conferences will include a total of 99 presentations that will take place throughout the two days, covering four defined areas – market trends, applications, safety and regulatory affairs, and new sustainable solutions: novel products and processes.

Amongst the companies presenting at the event, BASF and Cognis will be represented by no less than nine individual speakers who will be presenting on areas as diverse as surfactants technology, to skin sensitisation and the interaction of polymers with surfactants.