Sustainability Report – Hand Rub

1. Product Overview

Hand Rub is a plant-derived, biodegradable cleansing formulation designed to reduce environmental impact across its life cycle. It contains natural surfactants, botanical moisturizers, and eco-safe preservatives with minimized aquatic toxicity.

2. Environmental Sustainability Assessment

A. Raw Materials

• Uses coconut- and sugar-derived surfactants, which have a 45–60% lower carbon footprint compared to petroleum-based surfactants.

• Aloe vera extract and plant oils are renewable, biologically safe, and contain no persistent organic pollutants (POPs).

B. Manufacturing Impact

• Low-heat, energy-efficient blending process.

• Estimated energy consumption for 1000 units: ≈ 26–30 kWh, lower than the typical 40+ kWh of chemical-based formulations.

C. Packaging

• Bottle made from PCR (Post-Consumer Recycled) HDPE, reducing plastic-associated CO₂ emissions by up to 70% versus virgin plastic.

• Fully recyclable.

D. Biodegradability & Aquatic Safety

• Surfactants meet >90% biodegradability (OECD 301) within 28 days.

• Free from microplastics, parabens, SLS/SLES, and synthetic dyes → significantly lowers aquatic toxicity and wastewater impact.

E. Estimated Carbon Footprint (per 200 ml bottle)

• Raw materials: 0.18 kg CO₂e

• Manufacturing: 0.03 kg CO₂e

• Packaging: 0.06 kg CO₂e

• Transport (500 km average): 0.04 kg CO₂e

Total Estimated Footprint:

≈ 0.31 kg CO₂e per bottle

(About 30% lower than conventional body wash: 0.45–0.52 kg CO₂e)

3. Scientific Calculation – Aquatic Persistence Reduction

Objective:

Calculate the reduction in non-biodegradable surfactant entering aquatic systems.

Assumptions:

• Standard petroleum-based surfactant biodegradation = 65%

• Green Roots plant-based surfactant biodegradation = 92%

• Surfactant content per bottle = 20 g

• Persistent fraction = (100% − biodegradability)

Calculation:

Conventional Body Wash:
Non-biodegradable surfactant = 20 g × (1 − 0.65)
= 7 g

Green Roots Body Wash:
Non-biodegradable surfactant = 20 g × (1 − 0.92)
= 1.6 g

Reduction in Persistent Material:

= 7 g − 1.6 g
= 5.4 g less persistent surfactant per bottle

Percentage Reduction:

(5.4 / 7) × 100 = 77.14% reduction

References

1. OECD 301: Ready Biodegradability Test Guidelines.

2. ISO 14040 & ISO 14044 – Life Cycle Assessment Framework.

3. UNEP (2022). Surfactant Environmental Impact Review.

4. IPCC (2023). Emission Factor Database for Product Transport.

5. Plastics Europe (2021). PCR vs. Virgin HDPE Carbon Footprint Data.

6. Patel, M., Shen, L. (2009). Bio-based surfactants and environmental performance reports.