World Surfactants Congress will focus on sustainability

From 22 to 25 June, the Palais des Congrès will host the event, which is organized by the French Association for Surfactants (ASPA), on behalf of the European Committee of Organic Surfactants (CESIO).

Sustainable applications The theme of CESIO 2008 is "Surfactants, the key to your sustainable applications".

Scientists have been invited to present abstract ideas for presentations and posters on the latest innovations that will help create more sustainable surfactants.

Delegates will be able to attend presentations on these developments as well as talks on market trends in sustainability.

Eco-labeling, natural components and environmental sustainability will be covered along with the economic viability of the trend and its impact on raw material supply.

Safety and regulatory affairs will also be discussed and, with many significant legal changes such as REACH since the last CESIO congress in 2004, there will be plenty of ground to cover.

Dedicated personal care presentations For cosmetics professionals, the scientific program on 23 June will feature a series of talks under the title "sustainable strategies for personal care."

Representatives of leading companies including L'Oreal and Evonik Goldschnidt will discuss their latest research in this area.

On 24 June there is no series of talks dedicated to personal care but presentations on the topics of bioaccumulation, market trends and cationic surfactants will be of interest.

For instance, Takaya Sakai from Kao Corporation will present a new environmentally friendly cationic agent for hair conditioning.

On the final day green consumer application and regulations will take centre stage with presentations and discussions on these topics.

The plenary session on regulation will ask delegates whether there is still room for innovation and entrepreneurship with a strict regulatory framework.