Sustainability

At KLK Kolb, we want our product solutions to be part of a sustainable, global economy that benefits all people and the environment. We have a long-standing tradition in aligning its strategies and operations with quality, health, safety, and environmental standards. To do this, we constantly strive for an excellent performance in these fields.

Since 2008, we base our R&D activities on the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry:

1. Waste prevention
Chemistry is green when chemical processes produce as little waste as possible.

2. Atom economy
Chemistry is green when as much starting material as possible is contained in the product.

3. Safer synthesis
Chemistry is green when the substance used or produced in chemical processes are safe for humans and the environment.

4. Development of safer chemicals
Chemistry is green when chemical products fulfil their function and are as non-toxic as possible.

5. Safer solvents
Chemistry is green when solvents or excipients are not needed.

6. Minimal energy consumption
Chemistry is green when as little energy as possible is required for chemical processes.

7. Renewable resources
Chemistry is green when chemical products are made from renewable resources.

8. Simple chemistry
Chemistry is green when modifications of molecules are minimised.

9. Catalysis
Chemistry is green when efficient catalysts are used.

10. Degradability
Chemistry is green when chemical products are degradable in eco-friendly ways after use.

11. Real-time analyses
Chemistry is green when pollutant emission can be avoided through real-time control of chemical processes.

12. Accident prevention
Chemistry is green when chemicals with a low hazard potential are used.

Moreover, we have been the first one in Europe to introduce surfactants based on sustainable Palm Oil with RSPO Mass Balance certification, the Greenbentin product line. Additionally, many of our products are listed in the DID List and thus can be employed in formulations for Eco Label products.

KLK Kolb's mother company, KLK, is committed to ensuring that its products are produced in a sustainable manner. This is realised through continuous balanced assessment and development of its operations while simultaneously conserving and improving the natural environment, and uplifting the socioeconomic conditions of its employees and local communities. These important aspects are incorporated not only in its daily operations but also in its decision making processes.

More information about KLK and KLK OLEO's commitment to sustainability, guided by integrity, can be found here.

Our Certifications

To emphasise the management approach applied to our environmental protection measures and to underline our commitment to the precautionary principle in all our operations, we run a management system which is certified according to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 and adheres to the standards of ISO 45001 and the Responsible Care Program. Below you can find the most recent certifications of our production sites:

Halal Certification

Several products of Kolb are Halal certified. Contact Mr. Christoph Häusler, Product Manager, for more information.

Kosher Certification

Several products of Kolb are Kosher certified. Contact Mr. Pietro Alfarano , Product Manager, for more information.

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Policies

Policies

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Certificates

Certificates

RSPO

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was established in 2004 with the objective of promoting the growth and use of sustainable palm oil products through credible global standards and engagement of stakeholders.

KLK is one of the founding members of RSPO and fully committed to the ongoing journey to a 100 % sustainability standard for palm (kernel) oil derivatives. This means reaching the equilibrium of environmental priorities, social equity, and surging economic demands. Sustainability is an ongoing journey and it is challenging especially in the palm oil supply chain due to the involvement of multiple stakeholders. Progress is reported by KLK through their website.

The production sites of Emmerich (DE), Düsseldorf (DE), Delden (NL), Moerdijk (NL), Ougrée (BE), and Hedingen (CH) are all RSPO certified, which means we are able to verify sustainable palm oil at every step of the supply chain. It is an advantage to have the complete oleochemical supply chain under one roof, not only for us, but also for our customers. KLK runs its plantations according the RSPO’s Principles & Criteria and even goes beyond RSPO. Every global brand is protecting the very integrity for its end-products and is thus pledging for traceability to a trustworthy source. With KLK, our customers have the choice to buy broad range of products that are certified for sustainability, from workhorses to specialties.

In the years to come, the demand for sustainable products will grow. Our customers will profit from the backwards integration up to the KLK plantations allowing for a secure supply of certified sustainable raw materials.

Contact Person

Dr. Ruth Blumer Lahner
Head of Regulatory Affairs, Sustainability, and SHEQ

Ask me anything!

RSPO will transform markets to make sustainable palm oil the norm.

RSPO, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, is a not-for-profit organisation that unites stakeholders from the 7 sectors of the palm oil industry: oil palm producers, processors or traders, consumer goods manufacturers, retailers, banks/investors, and environmental and social non-governmental organisations (NGOs), to develop and implement global standards for sustainable palm oil.

The RSPO has developed a set of environmental and social criteria which companies must comply with in order to produce Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO). When they are properly applied, these criteria can help to minimize the negative impact of palm oil cultivation on the environment and communities in palm oil-producing regions.

The RSPO has more than 3,000 members worldwide who represent all links along the palm oil supply chain. They have committed to produce, source and/or use sustainable palm oil certified by the RSPO.

Source: www.rspo.org

Consumer awareness about palm oil is significant and growing, both for food and non-food products. The industry has to source sustainably in order to retain customer loyalty in the sector where brand is the main equity. We offer the choice to buy palm (kernel) oil derivatives with RSPO certification. You can challenge us with the products you need as MB or SG, as this enables you to integrate sustainability in your business.

The journey of full sustainability and traceability is ongoing and you are invited to join us.

KLK strives for excellence and is committed to maintaining high standards of business ethics and practices;
offering quality products and services and being a good and responsible corporate citizen.

In December 2014, KLK launched its Sustainability Policy which brings together and expands on its current sustainability commitments and practices. The policy focuses on the following main areas:

No deforestation;
Protection of peat areas;
Driving of positive socioeconomic impact for people and communities;
Traceability; and
Continuous stakeholder engagement

In 2018, the existing Policy was reviewed for relevance and to reflect developments that have taken place since its introduction. The revised Sustainability Policy demonstrates KLK’s commitment towards bridging gaps as it improves its practices from time to time in its journey towards sustainable and responsible palm oil production.

Source: KLK sustainability policy

Our portfolio of certified sustainable products is very broad as shown in the table below. This enables our customers to create formulations claiming all the palm oil is certified as sustainable.

Greenbentin	Alkoxylates with at least 30 % renewable raw material
Imbentin	Alkoxylates
Kosteran	Sorbitan esters
Kotilen	Polysorbates
PALMERA	Fatty acids and glycerine
PALMERE	Methyl esters
PALMERGY	Methyl esters
PALMEROL	Fatty alcohols
PALMESTER	Fatty esters
PALMFONATE	Sulphonated methyl esters
PALMOCOL	Alkanolamides
PALMOSALT	Soap noodles
PALMOWAX	Ethylene bis stearamides
SERDET	Alcohol Sulphate
SERDOX	Alkyl polyglycol ethers
SERVOXYL	Phosphate esters
Sympatens	Alkoxylates for personal care
Tensagex	Alcohol ethersulphates
Tensianol	Syndets
Tensiorex	Pearlisers
Tensomild	Sulphosuccinates
Tensopol	Alcohol sulphates

RSPO principles and criteria are made up of eight core principles that plantations and mills must comply with in order to attain certification.

8 Principles of Sustainable Production of Palm Oil:

Commitment to transparency
Compliance with applicable laws and regulations
Commitment to long-term economic and financial viability
Use of appropriate best practices by growers and millers
Environmental responsibility and conservation of natural resources and biodiversity
Responsible consideration of employees and of individuals and communities affected by growers and mills
Responsible development of new plantings
Commitment to continuous improvement in key areas of activity

Source: RSPO Impact Report 2014

The Mass Balance (MB) Model allows mixing of certified oil and non-certified oil at any stage of the supply chain, provided that the overall certified oil quantities used are controlled and accounted for. The key point for the MB models is that the volume of products shipped must never exceed the volume received by the end user. The basis of the supply chain requirements for the MB model consists of reconciliation between the quantity of RSPO material bought, and the quantity of RSPO certified products delivered. There are no additional requirements for separate storing or control in the production process. Source: KLK

The Segregation (SG) Model assures that all of the physical products originate from only RSPO-certified oil. This approach requires that RSPO-certified palm oil is kept separate from materials of non-RSPO certified origin at every stage of production, processing, refining, and manufacturing, throughout the supply chain. This model, however, does allow the mixing of RSPO certified palm oil and its derivatives from various sources. Source: KLK

RSPO Mass Balance model

RSPO Segregated model

Our labels

EcoLabel

The EU Ecolabel is a voluntary scheme, established in 1992 to encourage business to market products and services that are kinder to the environment. The EU Ecolabel covers a broad product range including the following home care and I&I groups:

All-purpose cleaners and sanitary cleaners
Detergents for dishwashers
Industrial and institutional automatic dishwasher detergents
Hand dishwashing detergents
Laundry detergents
Industrial and institutional laundry detergents

In order to use a nonionic surfactant for Ecolabel products either a DID-list assignment is necessary or data about the aquatic toxicity and biodegradability is required.

Request the document with the necessary information to support the use of our surfactants in your Ecolabel products.

Contact Person

Pietro Alfarano, PhD
Product Manager

Ask me anything!

CEFAS Gold Ranking

We are pleased to inform you that we received a gold ranking for Hedipin-R/050 from Cefas.

Gold is the best possible classification from CEFAS and means that our product features the lowest hazard by passing the necessary tests successfully.

Thanks to our Hedipin-R/050 our customers will be able to promote their end products (detergents) with the gold ranking as well.

Product features:

Favoured W/O emulsifier for mineral oils
Excellent dispersing and solubilizing properties
Exceptional properties at low temperature
Low-foaming
Enhances cleaning performance due to synergistic structure-performance interaction
Compatible with other nonionic/anionic surfactants
Water solubility can be achieved by adding solvents (Guide formulation available on request)
Hedipin-R/050 is based on 80% renewable raw material

Contact us to get more information on how you could use our Hedipin and make your detergent CEFAS gold too!

Cleaning of oil rigs is a part of the offshore industry in which detergents end up in the sea. It is therefore essential that products used for offshore purposes are not harmful to sea water. Currently, there are very few surfactants (raw material for offshore cleaners) available on the market that fulfill these requirements by having the favorable gold ranking.

Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) conducts hazard assessments on chemical products that are used offshore.

In order to receive a gold ranking for a product with the lowest hazard assessment, various tests e.g. biodegradability, toxicity etc. have to be passed successfully.
Globally, these requirements are becoming more and more relevant. In addition, a gold ranked product is a must for offshore applications.

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REACh and CLP regulations, SVHC

REACh EC 1907/2006 (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of Chemical substances) entered into force on 1st June 2007 with the goal to minimize the risks of chemicals to the human health and to the environment.

Our three production sites Kolb Hedingen (CH), Kolb Moerdijk (NL) and Kolb Specialties Delden (NL) are fully committed to REACh in their role as manufacturer, importer and downstream user. Kolb Moerdijk (NL) is appointed to the only-representative for Kolb Hedingen (CH) to fulfill all REACh obligations towards the European Chemical Agency ECHA.

Following exemplary measures ensure our compliance to REACh:

we successfully completed the last registration phase by end of May, 2018 for all our chemical products;
we ensure REACh compliance of imports and re-imports, e.g. of reactants and monomers in our polymers, any other substances we use, by close contact with our suppliers;
we are in close contact with our customers and answer their regulatory requests;
our SDS comply with the CLP regulation EC 1272/2008 (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) requirements and are regularly up-dated upon new (eco-)toxicological information;
we communicate actively with our customers in case any changes under REACH/CLP affects our products, e.g. new inclusions into SVHC candidate list, Annex XIV (“authorization list”) or Annex XVII (“restricted substances”), new classifications or labellings;
we regularly carry out volume tracking of our registered products concerning manufactured tonnage level and imports into EEA/EU;
we are active member of the Alcohol Ethoxylate consortium and in close contact to other consortia to ensure timely implementations of new ECHA requirements concerning our products;

Contact Person

Dr. Ruth Blumer Lahner
Head of Regulatory Affairs, Sustainability, and SHEQ

Ask me anything!

Achievements and partnerships

We are active members of the global industry community, exchanging our knowledge and expertise with our fellow industry players.
During the years, we also collected several achievements, that crown our efforts in sustainability, responsible and ethical business practices, and CO₂ reduction.

Achievements

For our alkoxylation reactors at Kolb Moerdijk (NL) a heat recovery system was developed by our own engineers. It is patented and received the “Responsible Care Award 2010” from the Association of the Dutch Chemical Industry. Recently this system is upgraded and saves 500,000m3 of natural gas yearly equivalent to reduction of 1,000 tonnes of CO2.

This is enough to provide around 300 Dutch households with gas.

CDP is a not-for-profit that runs the global disclosure system for investors, companies, cities, states and regions to manage their environmental impacts. Kolb updates the info yearly and shared with selected customers for supplier assessment questionnaires. This optimises their supplier and monitoring process and shows clearly what Kolb is doing to address climate change, deforestation and water security.

Partnerships

Since January 2015, Kolb is a participant of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) initiative.

You can access our 2022 UNGC Communication On Progress (COP) directly at the UNGC website: Kolb Distribution Ltd. | UN Global Compact

We fully support the Ten Principles of the UNGC in the areas of

human rights
labour
environment
anti-corruption

We commit ourselves to aligning our company strategies and business operations with these principles and publish our relevant activities in an annual Communication on Progress.

“KLK Kolb wants its product solutions to be part of a sustainable, global economy that benefits all people and the environment. We recognize that the UN Global Compact initiative provides the framework and support for achieving this goal.“
Uwe Halder, Managing Director

KLK Kolb is actively involved in the Board of the Global Compact Network Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the local network of the UNGC. In June 2016 Dr. Ruth E. Blumer Lahner, Chief Regulatory Officer of KLK OLEO Europe, was appointed as the President of the UN Global Compact Network Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

With some 1,500 members, SEPAWA is one of the largest specialist associations in Europe. Experts from the detergents/cleansers, cosmetics and perfume industries are part of this association. Kolb is an active member of the SEPAWA since many years. In October 2016, Dr. Lothar Möhle, was elected as chairman. At the yearly congress Kolb has together with KLK Emmerich and KLK Tensachem a booth and regularly content contribution in different presentation series.