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Choo said MES is sourced from palm oil and palm stearin. Both are renewable resources and without doubt available in Malaysia. Therefore, it is not a surprise that Malaysia is a global hub for making oleochemicals, which are then processed into biodegradable detergent.
Since the 1990s, MES-based laundry detergent started to addition popularity as it is readily biodegradable, renewable, agreeable to vegetarians and most importantly — cleans well, even in arctic water.
Current market leaders of such a green product register Japan’s Lion Corp and America’s Stepan and Huish Detergents.
When contacted, Emery Oleochemicals (M) Sdn Bhd gang chief executive officer Dr Kongkrapan Intarajang concurred with Choo that the gleaming outlook for palm oil-based detergents is fuelled by the global drift towards formulations derived from renewable plant-based ingredients in place of of depleting fossil fuel.
Source: Business Times - Malaysia