Green MCA Transforms Chemical Intermediates
Same performance. Lower carbon footprint.
Case Story
From raw material to responsibility with green MCA
Galaxy Surfactants, a leader in specialty ingredients for beauty, home care and wellness, partnered with Nouryon to integrate green monochloroacetic acid (MCA) into its CAPB SB betaine line. This collaboration reduces carbon footprint, supports sustainability goals, and meets growing consumer demand for eco-conscious personal care products.
Turning a key ingredient into a sustainable solution
In today’s personal care market, performance is nonnegotiable — but it must be delivered responsibly. By adopting Nouryon’s green monochloroacetic acid (MCA) for its CAPB SB betaine line, Galaxy ensures the same formulation efficiency while lowering upstream carbon impact.
This development also coincides with Nouryon’s first shipment of green MCA in the Asia-Pacific region, underscoring the growing commercial availability of certified, low-carbon intermediates. Unlike conventional MCA, green MCA is produced under ISCC PLUS-certified mass balance principles, enabling a measurable reduction in product carbon footprint without requiring reformulation or performance trade-offs.
“Our customers expect science-backed sustainability. Integrating green MCA into our CAPB value chain allows us to cut emissions at the raw-material level while retaining the performance benchmarks that global brands expect from Galaxy. Our partnership with Nouryon accelerates this shift by ensuring a reliable, certified supply of low-carbon intermediates that aligns with our long-term sustainability roadmap. Green chemistry only matters when it scales, and we are demonstrating that it can — without reformulations, without compromises and without passing uncertainty down the value chain,” said Galaxy Surfactants.
Sustainability without compromise
Replacing standard MCA with green MCA helps Galaxy Surfactants reduce Scope 3 emissions and strengthen its position as a sustainability leader in the Asia-Pacific market. This collaboration empowers Galaxy to deliver eco-conscious solutions without compromising on quality or performance.
Preliminary assessments indicate a measurable reduction in reported carbon intensity per unit of CAPB SB betaine creating direct downstream benefits for personal care brands seeking to improve life cycle assessment (LCA) scores without reformulation.
“At Nouryon, we believe that meaningful sustainability happens when high-performance, low-carbon chemistry come together at scale,” said Sirpa Engman, vice president of Intermediates at Nouryon. “By delivering a certified, reliable source of green MCA, we enable our partners, like Galaxy Surfactants, to reduce Scope 3 emissions, strengthen supply-chain transparency and meet growing global demand for environmentally responsible personal care ingredients — without compromising on quality, formulation performance, or security of supply. This is how we accelerate the transition to sustainable solutions: through partnerships that turn essential chemistries into measurable climate impact.”
Our mass balance approach facilitates sustainability throughout the value chain. Green MCA is produced using biobased acetic acid and chlorine from renewable or low-carbon electricity, adhering to the cascading principle for maximum environmental benefit.
Traceability and transparency
Sustainability at Nouryon is a strategic priority that drives growth, meets evolving customer needs, and supports long-term value creation through innovative, low-carbon solutions. By continuing to expand its portfolio of sustainable solutions and ISCC PLUS certifications, the company is focused on delivering quality materials while transforming essential chemical intermediates.
Current production sites and chemistries with ISCC PLUS accreditation:
Global reach, local impact
A leading global supplier of MCA, we are committed to supporting the industry in the creation of more environmentally responsible formulations. In 2023, we became the first chemical supplier to obtain ISCC PLUS certification for the production of green MCA. We now offer a portfolio of green intermediate products, including ethanolamines, ethylene amines and more.
Green MCA isn’t just for surfactants — it opens the door to more sustainable solutions across multiple industries. From carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and carboxymethyl starch (CMS) to agrochemicals, food additives, and pharmaceuticals, green MCA helps manufacturers lower carbon impact while maintaining performance.
News and events
For more information about our chemical intermediates, please contact our experts. We look forward to hearing from you.