Madison Chemical Reduces Use of NPE Surfactants

Contributed by BSM Staff

MADISON, IN -- Madison Chemical was recently recognized by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management’s Environmental Stewardship Program for reducing their nonylphenol ethoxylate (NPE) surfactants. 

Though very effective at cleaning soils from hard surfaces, NPE-6, NPE-9, and NPE-12 surfactants can be highly toxic to aquatic life.  A diligent search for alternatives that are as efficacious though safer for the environment yielded reductions of over 15,000 pounds from 2018 to 2021. 

Working with suppliers, regulators, and their customers, Madison chemists determined exact specifications for each product.  Extensive cleaning tests were conducted on each revised product to verify performance.  

“Environmental Stewardship is part of our culture and has been since the founding of the company,” said David Goodman, President.  “We have a concerted, ongoing effort to reduce our use of harmful chemical compounds, provided we can do so without impacting the integrity of the cleaning products that our customers require.  This effort is a part of our ISO program, which is a testament to its importance and visibility within our company.” 

Reduction of NPE usage was not driven solely by cost savings, as implementation of alternatives can increase costs, are often more expensive or require higher quantities to meet performance objectives of the original products.

Currently, approximately 3% of Madison Chemical’s product line still uses NPE’s, primarily due to sub-optimal product functionality and stability when attempting to use alternative surfactants.

Intent on managing environmental risks and reducing their impact on the environment, Madison Chemical joined the Environmental Stewardship Program in 2018 and is a partner in IDEMs Partners for Pollution Prevention program.

Their Environmental Management System (EMS) has been certified under the ISO 14001 international standard since 2001; the facility has had a quality management system certified under the ISO 9001 international standard since 1994. 

Madison Chemical is a chemical formulator which provides cleaning, sanitation, maintenance, and surface preparation products for the craft brewery, pulp and paper, metalworking, food processing, industrial maintenance, transportation, wastewater treatment, winery, and other industries. 

For more, go to madchem.com.