Biodegradability of surfactants
Level: Advanced
The purpose of the requirement is to limit the spread of surfactants that are not easily biodegraded and therefore can accumulate in the environment. Many surfactants are toxic to aquatic organisms.
Details
- Type:
- Technical specification
- ID:
- 11288:1
- Group:
- Cosmetic products
- Swedish:
Criterion text
Surfactants in the products shall be readily biodegradable (aerobic) according to OECD's guidelines1 test methods 301(A to F) or 310 or similar test methods and anaerobically biodegradable according to OECD's guidelines1 test method 311 or similar test methods.
Exception
Exceptions from anaerobic biodegradation:
- Emulsifiers in leave-on products
- Surfactants in toothpaste, however sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) can only be included in a maximum of 1.3 percent by weight.
Verification
The supplier shall, upon request, be able to present any of for example the following:
- Valid license for any of for example the following labels:
Good Environmental Choice criteria for cosmetic products
Nordic Swan Ecolabel for cosmetic products
EU Ecolabel for cosmetic products, (EU) 2021/1870 (only for rinse-off products).
- Reference to the surfactants DID-numbers on the EU Ecolabel DID-list, part A+B 2016 or later (Detergent Ingredient Database) for all ingoing surfactants, showing that the surfactants are aerobically and anaerobically biodegradable.
- Raw material supplier's safety data sheets for all ingoing surfactants in the product showing that the surfactants are readily biodegradable and a complimentary test report showing that the surfactants are anaerobically biodegradable according to the test methods in the requirement.
- Test reports showing that the surfactants are readily biodegradable and anaerobically biodegradable according to the test methods described in the requirement.
Proposed follow-up
Labelling
If the requirement is verified with a label, check that there is a valid license for the product in question. This can be controlled here: Nordic Swan Ecolabel, Good Environmental Choice, EU Ecolabel.
EU Ecolabel's DID-list
If the requirement has been verified with the EU Ecolabel's DID-list, ask the supplier to indicate what DID-number each surfactant has. Check that the surfactant is both aerobically and anaerobically biodegradable in the DID-list. In the column for aerobically degradability there should be and 'R' (=readily biodegradable) and in the column for anaerobically degradability there should be a 'Y' (=Yes, it is anaerobically degradable).
Safety Data Sheets and test report
The requirement on readily biodegradability (aerobic) can be verified by material safety data sheets for the ingoing surfactants in the products. See material safety datasheet section "12 Ecological information". In this section it may be stated that this surfactant is readily biodegradable.
To check anaerobic degradation a test report is needed. The test report shall have been based on the test methods in the requirement and have results showing that the surfactant is anaerobically biodegradable.
Versions history
The version date indicates when the sustainability criterion was created or last updated. Last reviewed dated tells when we last checked that the sustainability criterion still is relevant.
- Current ID
- 11288:1
- Version date
- 2025-09-30
2025-09-30, Requirement ID 11288:1: The exceptions in the criterion text have been tightened to align with the ecolabels.