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Sustainable Relationships: Raw Materials^Surfactant/ / Detergent Production/ / Formulation^Usage/ / Consumption^Environment A Systemic Challenge for the New Millennium
URI ZOLLER Haifa UniversityOranim, Kiryat Tivon, Israel

I. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: DETERGENT INDUSTRYENVIRONMENT RELATIONSHIPS

Sustainable development is a key demand in our world of nite resources and endangered ecosystems. Given the environmental imperatives, the potential ecotoxicological/health risks of anthropogenic chemicals/man-produced formulations, and the limited economic feasibility of large-scale treatment and remediation technologies, the currently emerging corrective-to-preventive paradigm shift in the exploitation of raw materials, production/formulation, usage/consumption and disposal, as well as in the conceptualization of future developments in these and related activities is unavoidable [13]. The role of science and technology in meeting the sustainable development challenge is obvious and is recognized worldwide by all stake holders. In this context, environmental sciences are emerging as a new multidimensional, crossinterdisciplinary scientic discipline and beyond. They draw on all the basic sciences to explain the working of the entire complex and dynamic earth systemthe environmentwhich is constantly changing by natural causes and under human impact [4]. At present, they are in a process of moving from a specialized, compartmentalized, (sub-) disciplinary, unidimensional enterprise into a multidimensional, cross-boundary endeavor in the context of the sciencetechnologyenvironmentsociety (STES) interfaces [57]. This poses new challenges with respect to both the intrinsic science and technology organization and performance and the way the relevant generated and
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acquired knowledge and accompanying processes will be put into action, guided by the superordinate idea(l)s of social responsibility and sustainability. Ultimately, this would require all involved to operate within an open-ended ideas-oriented culture [8]. In view of the fact that the public, many policymakers, some scientists and engineers, and even some environmental professionals believe that science and technology can solve most pollution problems, prevent future environmental impact, and (should) pave the way for sustainable development, it is of the utmost importance to recognize the limits of environmental science and technology (alone) to meet the challenge of sustainable development [9]. This is because science and technology are useful in establishing what we can do. However, neither of them, or both, can tell us what we should do [1,6,7]. The latter requires the application of evaluative thinking [7,10] by socially responsible, reective, and active individual, group, and organizational participants in the STES-economic-political decision-making process [12,6 7,10], particularly in the context of the contemporary stressed ecology imperative. The detergent industry is deliberate, steady, and mature, so its pattern of change is evolutionary, avoiding drastic step changes. In spite of gloomy economic forecasts, detergent sales are expected to continue increasing, both in dollar and physical volume, in the rst decade of the new millennium, as new formulations providing better convenience for customers improve the value-added component of the products. Anionic surfactants still dominate world output and consumption, accounting in the United States for about two-thirds of the total, compared with about one-fourth of the nonionic detergents. The combined production of the United States, western Europe, and Japan, which amounts to about 60% of that of the entire world, is shared almost equally (f30%) between the rst two, the rest being produced by Japan (about 6%). Although some dierencesas far as market share is concernedare apparent, the general pattern is quite similar worldwide. The laundry detergent segment dominates the market by far, comprising, together with the segment of dishwashing products, more than 75% of the market in the United States and western Europe and about twothirds of the market in Japan. Not surprising, the annual growth in production/ consumption in the last decade of the twentieth century (f23%) followed that of the GNP in these countries, and world production has been more or less stable in recent years at a level of around 22 106 tons. These facts are very pertinent to the issue of sustainable development and relationships, since, one way or another, following their use all kinds of detergent formulations components and/or their degradation products nd their way into man-made sewage systems and/or soils, natural surface water, and groundwater. Since (1) both world detergent production and consumption are expected to grow in the years to come and (2) world population relies on both surface water and groundwater (primarily the latter) as its primary sources of drinking water, detergent/surfactant distribution, persistence, and survival as well as their potential health risk in the environment constitute issues of major concern. From the raw materialsnatural resources perspective, detergent formulations are based on surfactants derived from petrochemicals and/or fats and oils. Additionally, they contain builders: sequestrants such as carbonates, phosphates, silicates, as well as oxidants and other ingredients. Compared to other industries, the detergent industry recognized rather early the ecological challenge. Its voluntary (for the most part) switch, in the 1960s from the nonbiodegradable (hard) anionic, branched-chain dodecylbenzene sulfonate (DDBS or ABS: alkyl-benzene sulfonate) to the substituting biodegradable linear alkylben-

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Sustainable Relationships

zene sulfonate (LABS or LAS) is remarkable. The subsequent large-scale (preregulation) switch from polyphosphates to, mainly, zeolites in laundry and dishwashing formulations is no less impressive. Since then, the detergent industry worldwide has been constantly confronted by one demand, the minimization commandment: that detergent formulation be the very best that yields the desired eect with the least amount. This demand is quite obvious in view of the fact that surfactants and other components of detergent formulations constitute a signicant portion of municipal sewage water proles. Ultimately, positive feedbacktype relationships have been developed between environmental concerns and detergent formulation: The higher the public awareness of the former, the higher the environmental acceptability of the latter. Indeed, the current reformulation of detergent products reects the response of the detergent industry to environmental regulatory as well as economic-technological and demographic social factors in an attempt to cope with the increased awareness of environmental concerns, the upswing in action against phosphate builders and the unclear future of other builder systems, the tight sewage treatment requirements, the higher demand for cost performance and added-value compositions associated with lowering of washing temperatures, the increasing share of washload held by synthetic textiles, the increasing demand for liquid formulations, supereective or powdery concentrates, and the pressure of the change in customer habits requiring ecient and convenient multipurpose time-saving processes. The appropriate response of the detergent industry to these pressures required (1) an overall increase of surfactants at the expense of builders in formulations, with the nonionics gaining most of the increased share; (2) substitution of polyphosphates mainly by zeolites as well as other eective sequestering agents; and (3) higher concentrations of active components in multifunctional formulations eective in low-temperature processes [14]. A major outcome of the foregoing was a three-fold development: 1. A dramatic switch from heavy-duty powder laundry formulations to heavy-duty liquid (HDL) formulations, particularly in the United States, where the latter accounts for more than 40% of heavy-duty laundry detergent sales 2. A substantial reduction in the use of polyphosphates in detergent formulations, with concomitant replacement, partially or totally, by zeolites 3. The development and introduction, to the markets, of concentrated and/or multifunctional heavy-duty, low-suds laundry formulations for use at low temperatures and having extra detergency. Currently, concern about the environment is leading the detergent industry to develop environmentally friendly products, which are increasingly being sold in recycled packaging material to meet regulatory requirements and satisfy customer demand. A case in point: the concentrated detergent formulations that are both more powerful and require less packaging material. Thus, in the nal analysis, the new products and modications made within the basic formulations did make a dierence as far as the environment is concerned. What is in store for us concerning the sustainable relationshipsraw materialssurfactant/ detergents production/formulationusage/consumption environmentis contingent on the way that the relevant guiding models are conceptualized and ultimately implemented.

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II. PARADIGM SHIFTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH, AND SUSTAINABILITY

Our so-called global village/free global market/man-made world requires a new type of exible, contextually relevant, adaptive knowledge, followed by evaluative and decision-making action, in accord, in order to sustainably cope with complexity and the fragility of multidimensional socioeconomic technological/environmental systems. This implies the importance of inter- and transdisciplinarity in environmental research [5,15,16], appropriate research methodologies [16,17], as well as strategies for technology assessment in the context of sustainable action. From the perspective of the environmental impact of human activitysustainable action/development relationships, selected paradigm shifts that are currently taking place in environmental science, technology, research, and consequent action have been identied and are summarized in Table 1 [1]. In-depth systematic examination of these shifts reveals their pertinence and relevance to the systemic challenge of maintaining sustainable relationships as far as detergents and their environmental impact are concerned. What are the implications with respect to sustainable detergent production and consumptionenvironmental relationships? Given environmental concerns such as the exploitation/use/consumption of natural resources and their environmental impact, particularly the potential health risk associated with persistent pollutants and/or their metabolites [3,12,17], it appears that sustainable development as well as maintaining a sustainable detergentenvironmental relationship are imperative. Being led by the sustainable development imperative, Table 1 provides the essence of the required shifts (some of them already implemented) in subjects, objectives, and methodologies of the environment-related scientic and technological research and development associated with detergent production, use/consumption, and disposal. Ensuring sustainable development requires, to begin with, a radical change in the environmental behavior (as well as thinking Environment) of individuals, institutions, industry, social organizations, politicians, and governments. This, in turn, requires reconceptualization of long-accepted relevant concepts and beliefs [9,13,14,18]. Thus, for example, the shift from the acceptance of new technologies to facilitating sustainable technologies in responding to society needs is substantially dependent on the shift from peoples or customers wants to peoples needs. On the other hand, the technological feasibility of the economically and socially healthy shift may carry the seeds of contradiction with the shift from peoples wants to peoples needs if economics is the governing criteria. Similarly, a shift from the conceptualization of environmental science and technology as omnipotent to a recognition of their limits in solving pollution problems, preventing future environmental impact, and paving the way for sustainable development through appropriate design [9] has its clear implications (and consequences) as far as detergents and their environmental impact are concerned. If the foregoing imperative paradigm shifts are about to be realized, then dierent quality criteria for research and practice in the sustainable development environmental context become necessary. This is because not only do methodological disciplinary aspects have to be rethought and reevaluated, but critical questions or issues arise, such as societal and practical relevance as well as external validity, particularly with respect to the risks and potentials of only partly controllable

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Sustainable Relationships TABLE 1 Selected Paradigm Shifts in Environmental Science, Technology Research, and Consequent Action From To

A. Sustainable developmentenvironment interrelationship . Technological, economic, and social Sustainable development growth at all cost . Increase in the competitive gap between Increase in collaboration/cooperation countries, nations, societies and decrease in polarization . Peoples wants Peoples needs . Passive consumption of goods, Active participation/social action culture, and education in the decision-making process . Selection from among available alternatives Generation of alternatives . Selected environmental improvement Globalization in ecoeective/ on the local level at all costs ecient action . Environmental ethics Environmental sustainability-oriented pragmatism B. Scientic and technological research and development . Corrective Preventive . Reductionism, i.e., dealing with Uncontrolled, in vivo complex systems in vitro isolated, highly controlled, decontextualized components . Compartmentalization Comprehensiveness, holism . Descriptive, as it ishere and now (Attempted) Predictive models/modeling . Disciplinarity Problem-solving oriented, systemic, inter-/cross-/transdisciplinarity . Technological feasibility Economic-social feasibility . Scientic inquiry (per se) Social accountability and responsible and environmental soundness . Technological development per se Integrated technological development and assessment . Convergent, self-centered Divergent, interactive/reective/ adaptive and related to dierent frames of reference
Source: Ref. 1.

variables and data of in vivo studies [1]. Further, dierent stakeholders, values, and perspectives will be involved and, consequently, integrated into the relevant science [13], technology, and development as well as the production/formulation/use and disposal processes related to the environment [19]. Clearly, the application of the identied paradigm shifts in the context of the environmental impact of detergents requires a corresponding paradigm shift in the related conceptualization.

III. RECONCEPTUALIZATION OF CONSENSUSLY ACCEPTED CONCEPTS

Given (1) the environmental imperatives and (2) the limited economic feasibility of many of even the most innovative/advanced technologies, the switch from the

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currently dominant corrective paradigm to the emerging preventive practice in productiondevelopmentconsumptiondisposal is unavoidable. This requires a revolutionary change in the guiding philosophy, rationale, and models of the surfactant/detergent industry concerning: Customers wants or needs, at what cost? The more producing/selling the better? Raising the standard of living equals raising the quality of life? Responding to market trends or generating/leading them? Relying on disciplinary or transdisciplinary science researchbased technology for rational management of the environment and sustainable development. A case in point, to serve as an example: We are committed to meet our customers needs is a currently dominant central concept. A clear distinction between customers wants and customers needs has to be made. The rst led to overconsumption, which is not necessarily benecial to the consumer and, in fact, is perpetually and aggressively being promoted an industry motivated by growth and prots at all cost, with all the uncontrolled socioenvironmental consequences involved. The latter, however, should be targeted and responded to by a responsible, environmentally concerned detergent industry. Only an orientation to peoples needs has the chance (albeit not guaranteed) to meaningfully contribute to sustainable development, not only in developing countries (emerging markets) but also in highly developed Western countries. A needs orientation is, mainly, a promoter of quality of life, with a consumption-limiting potential. In contrast, a wants orientation is a promoter of standard of living, which is not only inconsistent with the existing trend of ever-increasing overconsumption, but in most cases further accelerates the pace of this trend. The environmental consequences of overconsumption are apparent [1,14,18]. With respect to science and technology, virtually any discussion concerning the current and future states of scientic and technological research and problem solving is typied by statements about the importance of enabling researchers and engineers to work seamlessly across disciplinary boundaries and by declarations that some of the most exciting problems, particularly the complex systemic environmental ones, span the disciplines. Moreover, transdisciplinary applied research evolves from real, complex problems in the interdisciplinary STES context, which are relevant to societies living in dierent environments. Such problems have no disciplinary algorithmic solutions or even resolutions. It is growing increasingly dicult to establish the transdisciplinary basis necessary for addressing complex environmental problems [1,13,17]. Therefore, the challenge for this kind of target-oriented research and technology development is to develop problem-solving methodologies that not only integrate dierent qualities and types of knowledge, but also envision researchers and engineers as an integral (nonobjective insiders) part of the investigated, or to be remediated (corrected), system. Sustainable development via appropriate environmental management and industrial production, formulation, marketing, and business policies is, thus, highly dependent on transdisciplinary research and development in the STES context. This will facilitate transfer beyond the specic subject(s) or discipline(s) and, consequently (hopefully), a higher success in coping with previously unencountered complex problem situations [13,17].

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Sustainable Relationships

In view of the compartmentalized disciplinary orientation in science and technology research and development (R&D) and the corrective approach in dealing with point and diuse pollution problems in the dierent parts of the environment, the failure to strengthen the links between the social/behavioral sciences and advances in science and technology applied in dierent socioeconomic, cultural, and environmental contexts is of no surprise. However, the prevention approach to ensure environmental quality and restoration of ecosystems requires, most of all, appropriate and responsible environmental behavior and action on the part of both producers and customers, which, in turn, is contingent on an adequate environmental education [20]. This implies an urgent need for strengthening the social and educational components within the corrective-to-preventive paradigm shift process concerning the sustainable management of, and maintaining system-sustainable relationships in, our environment. Therefore, a major goal of sustainable developmentpromoting science and technology, research, education, and training at all levels should be the development of students higher-order cognitive skills (HOCS) in the context of both the specic content and processes of science and the processes/interrelationships related to interdisciplinary societal, economic, scientic, technological, and environmental issues. The expected resultant critical thinking and interdisciplinary transfer capabilities mean rational, logical, reective, and evaluative thinking in terms of what to accept (or reject) and what to believe in, followed by a decisionwhat to do (or not to do) about it and responsible action-taking. Thus, any meaningful response to meet the challenge of sustainable development requires transdisciplinarity, essentially by denition, that is, the development and implementation of policies and cross-disciplinary methodologies, which can lead to the changes in behaviorof individuals, industries, organizations, and governmentsthat will allow development and growth to take place within the limits set by ecological imperatives. The educational challenge is rather clear. It is a precondition for the required reconceptualization, which, in turn, will ensure sustainable development and growth. The detergent industry is a representative case in point; e.g., the phosphateseuthrophication issue (transdisciplinarity prevention) and the recent growth of the personal care ethnic markets in the United States: These ethnic consumers not only can aord to buy their share . . . of cosmetics . . . but they also want products formulated to meet their needs [21]. The sociobehavioral consumption economics and environmental links are apparent. Four recent pertinent publications, two more general and two more specic, deal with the surfactantsenvironmenthealth relationship issue and can serve to illustrate the importance of reconceptualization in the context of the environmental systems challenge that we are confronting. 1. It is claimed that since major environmental pollutants are coming under the control of regulatory authorities, this part of ecotoxicology is more or less completed, although there is still work, not expected to call for major scientic innovation and discovery, remaining to be done. It is concluded that the merger between ecotoxicology and ecology would give rise to a new science, stress ecology, at the crossroads of ecology, genomics, and bioinformatrics [13]. Given that the public, many policymakers, and some environmental professionals believe that science and technology can solve most pollution problems,

2.

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prevent future (undesirable) environmental impacts, and pave the way for sustainable development, this paper makes the claim that since science and technology alone cannot meet the challenge of sustainable development, we all should recognize the limits (reconceptualize the problem-solving capability) of environmental science and technology [9]. 3. A recent publication by CLER (Council for LAB/LAS Environmental Research) and ECOSOL (European Council on Studies on LAB/LAS) [21] reports that their revised dossier and assessment report on LAS, which reviews the considerable data on LAS, showing that LAS is safe for human health and the environment, was submitted to the U.S. EPA and recommends that no further testing is needed and that the EPA agreed that there is no need for further studies [21]. 4. In contrast, following the completion of a comprehensive interdisciplinary, longitudinal EU-sponsored research program (COMPREHEND), on environmental hormones and endocrine disruptors, including APEOs, the investigators conclude that, although their studies did demonstrate impacts and endocrine disruption in sh exposed to environmentally realistic levels of estrogenic substances, the question of deleterious impacts of estrogenic euents on sh populations is, as yet, one of the most important remaining to be answered [17]. Do the apparent dierent approaches to a similar (although, obviously, not identical) environmental issue in the detergentenvironmentsustainable relationships context represent dierent (contradictory?) conceptualizations of the issue(s) at hand? This question and the response to it remain open.

IV. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS: MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF DETERGENTENVIRONMENT SUSTAINABLE RELATIONSHIPS
Sustainability is an enormous challenge, particularly in the STES context. Most problems and issues boil down to: Who does what, for what, at what price, at the expense of whom (or what), and in what order of priorities? The widely agreed-upon call for sustainable development requires rational hard choices to be made between either available or to-be-generated options [7]. This poses an even greater challenge to science, technology, and education for sustainability, whatever that means. This is so because dealing eectively and responsively with complex interdisciplinary problems within complex systems in the context of STES interfaces requires evaluative thinking and the application of value judgment by technologically, environmentally, and sociologically (i.e., STES-) literate, rational scientists, engineers, and citizens within a continuous process of critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making [6,10,22]. This implies an urgent need to strengthen the HOCS-promoting components of STES-oriented education within the corrective-to-preventive paradigm shift process concerning the sustainable management of our environment [1,10,22]. The expected resultant critical thinking and interdisciplinary transfer capabilities mean a rational, logical, reective, and evaluative thinking in terms of what to accept (or reject) and what to believe in, followed by a decision what to do (or not to do) about it and taking responsible action accordingly. Thus, any meaningful response

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to the current leading challenge of sustainability requires transdisciplinarity in environmental science, technology, research, and action [1]. It follows, then, that what we are dealing with is not just a simple matter of economics that the free market forces (which, incidentally, are not Gods creation but, rather, changeable, people-made, and people-controlled) will take care of. Rather, we are dealing with an array of very complicated problems within a complex system, the components of which are natural, man-made, and human environments and their related subsystems. Most of these problems have no right solutions (denitely not algorithmic), but rather resolutions that can be worked out via the use of appropriate methodologies, simultaneously guided by a sustainable development oriented value system. The disciplinary/correctiontransdisciplinary/prevention paradigm shift concerning environmental issues, the initial steps of which we are currently witnessing, is crucial for both sustainable development and our survival on planet Earth. As far as the chemical and detergent industries are concerned, this reconceptualization-based paradigm shift has to be translated into sustainable action, in terms of raw materials to be used, green production in accord with needs rather than wants, economic feasibility/costbenetprot with respect to all involved, marketing (where, when, and to whom), given the local particular realities of constraints, risk assessment (methodologies and criteria applied), and environmental compatibility [14,18]. Can we meet the systemic challenge of sustainable detergentsenvironment relationships? The evolutionary pattern of change in the deliberate and steady detergent industry can serve as a test case for a reasonable response, by taking a historical perspective: the switch from DDBS to LABS, the continuing use of the (potentially estrogenic?) branched-chain nonylphenol-based nonionic ethoxylates, the polyphosphates-to-zeolites switch, the recent extensive use of enzymes, the development of the activators/perborate bleach systems, the current switch (in the United States) from horizontal to vertical drums in washing (laundry) machines, the proliferation of personal-care products, and many other innovations. Whether or not each of these is consonant with the new sustainable developmentoriented criteria and in line with the paradigm shift in the STES context remains an open question. It is up to each of us, following our own a evaluative thinking, conceptualization, and assessment process, to respond. Can we meet the challenge? Are we getting it right? Then we should act accordingly and take responsibility, each in her or his environmentally related milieu. This Part B of the Handbook of Detergents: Environmental Impact deals, from dierent perspectives, with the relevant issues involved.

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